View Full Version : Briktown Lock Bridge



Just the facts
02-12-2014, 12:23 PM
One of the unique items in Paris are their lock bridges over the Seine. The idea is that lovers write their name or initials on a lock, attach it to the bridge, and throw the key into the water. It started on one bridge and has now spread to 4 or 5 in central Paris and has been adopted by other cities including London. I think we should do something like this over the Bricktown Canal. The only real cost is the instillation of a chain link fence along the bridge railing to attach the locks to and someone to scoop up the keys out of the canal every year. Here are a couple of pictures (on a side note I have to question the commitment of people who do this with a combination lock).

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x378/KerryinJax/Paris%20New%20Years%202013-14/Seine/CAM00241_zps9t9o0vn4.jpg (http://s1178.photobucket.com/user/KerryinJax/media/Paris%20New%20Years%202013-14/Seine/CAM00241_zps9t9o0vn4.jpg.html)

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x378/KerryinJax/Paris%20New%20Years%202013-14/Seine/CAM00357_zpsho1uv6oa.jpg (http://s1178.photobucket.com/user/KerryinJax/media/Paris%20New%20Years%202013-14/Seine/CAM00357_zpsho1uv6oa.jpg.html)

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x378/KerryinJax/Paris%20New%20Years%202013-14/Seine/CAM00356_zpsfwui3vgq.jpg (http://s1178.photobucket.com/user/KerryinJax/media/Paris%20New%20Years%202013-14/Seine/CAM00356_zpsfwui3vgq.jpg.html)

Mel
02-12-2014, 12:44 PM
Holy smokes! It kind of reminds me of OKC memorial fence. A magnetic dredge should pick up most of the keys.

Just the facts
02-12-2014, 12:56 PM
What about doing it on the bride between the fountain and Harkin Theater? Area businesses could sell the locks.

Just the facts
02-12-2014, 01:02 PM
Here is a list of cities around the world doing this.

List of locations with love locks - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_locations_with_love_locks)

Mel
02-12-2014, 01:05 PM
That would cool. Every time the couple went back to that area for a movie, bowling or a meal they could go see their lock and reaffirm.

Just the facts
02-12-2014, 01:20 PM
That would cool. Every time the couple went back to that area for a movie, bowling or a meal they could go see their lock and reaffirm.

Plus it would be in a high traffic area which would encourage others to participate.

jerrywall
02-12-2014, 03:31 PM
I think it's a great idea.

Urbanized
02-12-2014, 03:50 PM
What about doing it on the bride between the fountain and Harkin Theater? Area businesses could sell the locks.

No thanks. We already have guides and passengers hit by thrown rocks, popcorn, food, soft drinks and spittle on occasion. Encouraging people to throw metal items into the canal, especially off of a bridge, is a non-starter for me. The lock idea is charming, I will admit.

Just the facts
02-12-2014, 07:55 PM
I think the key from a pad lock dropped by two people expressing their love for each other would be way down on the list of occupational hazards. People throwing away the key to their love probably aren't going to be aiming for the taxi boat driver.

catch22
02-12-2014, 08:04 PM
Sure just need to find a girl who is worth the $3 lock.

So far I haven't found one.

Urbanized
02-13-2014, 03:54 AM
I think the key from a pad lock dropped by two people expressing their love for each other would be way down on the list of occupational hazards. People throwing away the key to their love probably aren't going to be aiming for the taxi boat driver.

You're missing my point. Making it OK to throw any items off a bridge into the canal leads to other items being thrown into the canal. Slippery slope, and not OK.

Besides, when standing against one railing of that bridge you can't see boats entering the bridge from the other direction, unless you were specifically looking up the canal to check. Most people aren't that conscientious, which is a nice way of saying they ain't that smart. So, even a well-meaning person could inadvertently be throwing a metal object into the eye of a passenger coming out from under the bridge.

No.

ljbab728
02-13-2014, 09:18 PM
You're missing my point. Making it OK to throw any items off a bridge into the canal leads to other items being thrown into the canal. Slippery slope, and not OK.

Besides, when standing against one railing of that bridge you can't see boats entering the bridge from the other direction, unless you were specifically looking up the canal to check. Most people aren't that conscientious, which is a nice way of saying they ain't that smart. So, even a well-meaning person could inadvertently be throwing a metal object into the eye of a passenger coming out from under the bridge.

No.
I agree and it's a no vote for me as well.

gjl
02-13-2014, 10:09 PM
The up close picture looks to me to be a bit of an eye sore. And how are all the locks going to weather over time? The writing on the locks won't last long. I wonder what all the locks weigh?

Just the facts
02-14-2014, 06:28 AM
If the idea of right over the canal doesn't fly how about a small extension off the main channel? As for an eye sore - it might be one of those things you need to see in person. It is anything but an eye sore, in fact - it is almost inspirational.

If Bricktown doesn't want it what about putting it in the new Central Park?

ljbab728
06-11-2014, 09:18 PM
Another good reason why this is a terrible idea and I hope it never starts here.

'Locks of love' Paris bridge reopens after railing collapse (http://news.yahoo.com/locks-love-paris-bridge-reopens-railing-collapse-184346740.html;_ylt=A0SO8wuMGplT00gAN5tXNyoA;_ylu= X3oDMTEzZ21tbGJiBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDNARjb2xvA2dxMQR2dG lkA1ZJUDQ2MF8x)

It sounds trendy but, in the end, it's just a blight and a nuisance.

jn1780
06-11-2014, 09:55 PM
Another good reason why this is a terrible idea and I hope it never starts here.

'Locks of love' Paris bridge reopens after railing collapse (http://news.yahoo.com/locks-love-paris-bridge-reopens-railing-collapse-184346740.html;_ylt=A0SO8wuMGplT00gAN5tXNyoA;_ylu= X3oDMTEzZ21tbGJiBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDNARjb2xvA2dxMQR2dG lkA1ZJUDQ2MF8x)

It sounds trendy but, in the end, it's just a blight and a nuisance.

That looks extremely ugly especially in a beautiful city like Paris.

Midtowner
06-12-2014, 04:58 PM
It's tacky.

CuatrodeMayo
06-12-2014, 05:43 PM
It could be worse...

Gum Wall - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gum_Wall)

http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2012-09-24-SeattlePostAlleyGumWall.jpg

Jeepnokc
06-12-2014, 06:25 PM
I saw all the locks of love last year and it was very cool. But it was cool for the city of love and everything that goes with it. We need to come up with are own traditions and cool things that fit us as a city. These things can't be copied or forced but happen like the old western graffiti bridge we tore down. Maybe it was time for the bridge but that was a custom that grew on its on. Hopefully we (okc) will find our own creative cool thing as we develop.

bradh
06-12-2014, 07:05 PM
I'm more into to not copying other cities traditions and starting our own.

RadicalModerate
06-12-2014, 08:06 PM
1gIDEdyNFrw

or maybe a variation of this . . ?
Shoe Trees (http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/29064)

Urbanized
06-12-2014, 08:47 PM
#OKCChalkWall

Plutonic Panda
06-13-2014, 12:03 AM
You know, if they really wanted to do something different, since OKC is/was so car dominant, seeing as how we move towards better mass transit, urban living, and the lesser need for a car, maybe we can start a ''junk yard'' or perhaps a wall were people take a part off of their car they no longer have or use because they longer want or need it. Give the entire car(although that is kind of unrealistic for some), give a part of the car away(steering wheel, bumper, headlight etc.), or perhaps jut the car keys. It could be something small that can be replaced to. Just something to put on the wall to say, hey, I no longer have to drive or rely on my car anymore like I used to. It could show people from other cities how car dominant OKC used to be.

I understand that might be a bit extreme, but it'd certainly be different and I'm willing to bet it certainly make national perhaps even international headlines.

RadicalModerate
06-13-2014, 06:04 AM
Another good reason why this is a terrible idea and I hope it never starts here.

'Locks of love' Paris bridge reopens after railing collapse (http://news.yahoo.com/locks-love-paris-bridge-reopens-railing-collapse-184346740.html;_ylt=A0SO8wuMGplT00gAN5tXNyoA;_ylu= X3oDMTEzZ21tbGJiBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDNARjb2xvA2dxMQR2dG lkA1ZJUDQ2MF8x)

It sounds trendy but, in the end, it's just a blight and a nuisance.

As soon as I saw the original pictures, at the top of this thread, I wondered what the carrying capacity of the bridge was.
Focusing on the railing didn't cross my mind.

And, before actually opening the thread, I thought it was referring to locks of hair.
They are a lot lighter than the other kind of locks.

(And, before that, I wondered when the Bricktown Canal needed to install an actual lock to help boats change elevations.)

RadicalModerate
06-13-2014, 06:12 AM
You know, if they really wanted to do something different, since OKC is/was so car dominant, seeing as how we move towards better mass transit, urban living, and the lesser need for a car, maybe we can start a ''junk yard'' or perhaps a wall were people take a part off of their car they no longer have or use because they longer want or need it.

Instead of bumpers or hubcaps or fenders . . . How about just hood ornaments?
Some of them are pretty cool looking and don't weigh much.
Plus hood ornaments would then be decorating one of the "'hoods" of the city, so they would still, in sense, be hood ornaments.

Just the facts
06-13-2014, 06:21 AM
OMG - 8 feet broke - out of the 10' of thousands of feet dedicated to this practice.


Thousands of couples from across the world visit the picturesque Pont des Arts every year and seal their love by attaching a padlock to its railing and throwing the key into the Seine.

Yep, who wants thousands of people coming to a place every year to immortalize their love.

Urbanized
06-13-2014, 06:42 AM
The auto parts thing is actually a great idea... ...for Automobile Alley. When I was involved with that district some years back we had a playful project designed to bring life to empty storefront windows using retired mannequins loaned by Dillard's, designed by people from Dillard's visual display staff. The mannequins were dressed in outfits made of hubcaps (symbolic of Automobile Alley's car dealer past) and blueprints (symbolizing the future of the district). The displays were a big hit and even won an Oklahoma Main Street award.

Urbanized
06-13-2014, 06:50 AM
#OKCChalkWall (http://www.yooying.com/tag/okcchalkwall)

http://scontent-a.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xpa1/t51.2885-15/10013182_664508310272274_1064432450_n.jpg

bradh
06-13-2014, 06:57 AM
People aren't visiting Paris to do this, they just happen to do it while in Paris.

Jersey Boss
06-13-2014, 07:00 AM
Instead of bumpers or hubcaps or fenders . . . How about just hood ornaments?
Some of them are pretty cool looking and don't weigh much.
Plus hood ornaments would then be decorating one of the "'hoods" of the city, so they would still, in sense, be hood ornaments.

"Whats a hood ornament?" said by anyone younger than 50.

Just the facts
06-13-2014, 07:14 AM
People aren't visiting Paris to do this, they just happen to do it while in Paris.

Maybe, but I know we spent a long time looking for it because my wife wanted to see it. We later found that it wasn't just one bridge - but 4 bridges and 2 other non-bridge areas along the Seine. Someone is putting all those locks on there.

RadicalModerate
06-13-2014, 07:47 AM
"Whats a hood ornament?" said by anyone younger than 50.

In the interests of Historical Education and Understanding . . .
http://image.motortrend.com/f/31811646+w750/2010-mercedes-benz-e63-AMG-hood-ornament.jpg

http://www.vintageveedub.com.au/images/gallery/emblem/images/emblem1.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2380/2792045127_9f968932d7_z.jpg

http://image.popularhotrodding.com/f/10340464/0808phr_03_z+1955_chevy_bel_air+hood_ornament.jpg

shawnw
06-13-2014, 09:13 AM
People aren't visiting Paris to do this, they just happen to do it while in Paris.

Exactly. I'm going to Paris for lots of different reasons. But will stop by and take a look at this while I'm there. Also, I'll be trying very hard to get my teenaged daughters with boyfriends to NOT participate...

shawnw
06-13-2014, 09:14 AM
#OKCChalkWall

I love the idea of the chalkwalk being our thing!

Plutonic Panda
06-13-2014, 11:36 AM
Instead of bumpers or hubcaps or fenders . . . How about just hood ornaments?
Some of them are pretty cool looking and don't weigh much.
Plus hood ornaments would then be decorating one of the "'hoods" of the city, so they would still, in sense, be hood ornaments.Yeah... it could be anything car related. Are talking about a weight or size issue or just practicability.

Teo9969
06-13-2014, 12:00 PM
Exactly. I'm going to Paris for lots of different reasons. But will stop by and take a look at this while I'm there. Also, I'll be trying very hard to get my teenaged daughters with boyfriends to NOT participate...

Your girls' boyfriends aren't going to be with you are they?

OKCisOK4me
06-13-2014, 12:04 PM
It could be worse...

Gum Wall - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gum_Wall)

http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2012-09-24-SeattlePostAlleyGumWall.jpg
At Falls Creek Baptist Camp down by Davis/Turner Falls area, there's a gum tree. At least there was when I was a kid. Looked just like that wall.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S5

shawnw
06-13-2014, 12:10 PM
Your girls' boyfriends aren't going to be with you are they?

Oh heck no. But not for lack of trying.

RadicalModerate
06-13-2014, 12:35 PM
At Falls Creek Baptist Camp down by Davis/Turner Falls area, there's a gum tree. At least there was when I was a kid. Looked just like that wall.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S5

When I read your statement, I thought: "Hey . . . Wait a minute. There really IS a 'gum tree.' Somebody must have been pulling his leg. Probably took him on a snipe hunt or two." And then I realized that I was thinking about a SWEETgum tree. So . . . How about planting a bunch of these downtown and letting people stick gum and/or throw old shoes at them?

http://treepicturesonline.com/roundleaf-sweetgum.jpg

To keep the romantic thing going, hanging a few tin cans--like ornaments--might be a nice touch. Remember? How all the old shows used to show tin cans tied to the bumpers of cars with "Just Married" scrawled on the trunk? The trunk of the car. Not the trunk of a tree. Nor of an elephant.

(a reader recently reminded me that my posts are really difficult for him to understand, so I felt I needed to clarify the use of the word "trunk" in the above sentence. i apologize, in advance, for any misunderstanding.)

Bellaboo
06-13-2014, 12:38 PM
Maybe, but I know we spent a long time looking for it because my wife wanted to see it. We later found that it wasn't just one bridge - but 4 bridges and 2 other non-bridge areas along the Seine. Someone is putting all those locks on there.

The vendors are hawking them as fast as someone gets close to the bridge, at least the main one over by Notre Dame. When we were there last September, the bridge was full of locks.....but the pedestrian bridge by the Eiffel Tower hardly had any.

RadicalModerate
06-13-2014, 12:41 PM
The vendors are hawking them as fast as someone gets close to the bridge, at least the main one over by Notre Dame. When we were there last September, the bridge was full of locks.....but the pedestrian bridge by the Eiffel Tower hardly had any.

Were the hawkers providing an engraving service for their padlocks.
So that the sentiment wouldn't wash off in the Paris acid rain?

Say . . . (hawkers) . . . What about the Skydance Bridge as a venue for this sort of thing?
Maybe something involving Origami Cranes? Biodegradable ones?
That won't interfere with the flow of traffic?
Or create a litter problem . . ?

shawnw
06-13-2014, 12:44 PM
The vendors are hawking them as fast as someone gets close to the bridge, at least the main one over by Notre Dame. When we were there last September, the bridge was full of locks.....but the pedestrian bridge by the Eiffel Tower hardly had any.

The one by Notre Dame is where I'll be in like 9 days.

Bellaboo
06-13-2014, 12:47 PM
The one by Notre Dame is where I'll be in like 9 days.

We loved Paris, we actually walked to most of the sites, have you been before ?

Bellaboo
06-13-2014, 12:49 PM
Were the hawkers providing an engraving service for their padlocks.
So that the sentiment wouldn't wash off in the Paris acid rain?

Say . . . (hawkers) . . . What about the Skydance Bridge as a venue for this sort of thing?
Maybe something involving Origami Cranes? Biodegradable ones?
That won't interfere with the flow of traffic?
Or create a litter problem . . ?

It should be done over water, due to the danger of 'watch out below' coming down. I'd say build a pedestrian bridge over the river and have at it.

RadicalModerate
06-13-2014, 12:53 PM
I love the idea of the chalkwalk being our thing!

Horizontal [as compared to] Vertical Graffiti . . . hmmmmmmm . . .
somebody needs to jump on this concept and patent it!
why . . . if we came up with a game like . . . HopIrish, it could be a multi-tasker!
fun, art and exercise all at the same time!

(missus a-wiggin's . . . get my lawyer or his secretary on-a the in-ter-com immediately!)
(c/o Tim Conway. Back in the days of Hood Ornaments. A.D.)

RadicalModerate
06-13-2014, 12:56 PM
It should be done over water, due to the danger of 'watch out below' coming down. I'd say build a pedestrian bridge over the river and have at it.

Origami Cranes never hurt anyone.
Throwing keys in the river aren't good for the fish.
It makes them lazy and leery about going after spinner baits.
Of course, on the other hand, the people who fell into the river when that tiny section of the railing collapsed are a different matter altogether.

shawnw
06-13-2014, 01:03 PM
We loved Paris, we actually walked to most of the sites, have you been before ?

Nope, we plan to walk everywhere also. Only once is the metro on the agenda. We're taking the train in from London and are staying right between the station and the Louvre, so most things are walkable from where we are.

Just the facts
06-13-2014, 01:23 PM
Just be careful walking in Paris - it is real easy to get lost because the roads run at angles to each other. A walk around the block can involve anywhere from 3 to 6 turns. A little trick I learned is that every bus stop has a map that show where you are. I would take a picture of the map so I could reference it later while walking to our next destination.

shawnw
06-13-2014, 02:33 PM
I always buy a borch map of every city I go to that has one and take it with me... best maps out there IMO

TheTravellers
06-13-2014, 08:09 PM
I always buy a borch map of every city I go to that has one and take it with me... best maps out there IMO

If you haven't been before, always (always!) say Bonjour upon entering a shop/restaurant/anything/food cart/anything, and always say Merci or Bon Nuit or something like that when leaving, you won't be hated as an ugly 'murcan tourist that way... If you've been before, you know what I'm talking about. :-D

kevinpate
06-14-2014, 03:38 AM
... Also, I'll be trying very hard to get my teenaged daughters with boyfriends to NOT participate...

Sounds like someone needs a DADD shirt to wear on vacation.
dads against daughters dating t shirt - Google Search (http://tinyurl.com/DADDshirt)