For four years, I called this place home. My high school is one of the “big four” of the Tulsa County Schools, and it lives up to its name. Two stories high, two lunchrooms, a performing arts center, and a second building across the street, it was definitely intimidating walking in here as a freshman. They even hand out maps so you can navigate to your classes, something that seemed ridiculous, but was needed when I had no clue there was a second story to begin with. There are road signs on each hallway to help you find your way. The wall colors ranged from red, black to tan, and the carpet was grey with colors to match.

One of the downfalls is the lack of windows in the classrooms, I felt like I was in a shoebox and wouldn’t mind if there was some natural light. We do have skylights that are on the second-story ceilings, that allow natural light to come through in the hallways, but it was drowned out by the incandescent lights lining the hallways. There really isn’t anything special about the building that stands out, but I’m probably biased after being there eight hours a day.

Last spring break, I went to New York City with my family. We went to all the places that you are “supposed” to visit, and thankfully one of them was Metropolitan Museum of Art. Before this, I had only seen this building in pictures from the Met Gala, so when I saw it in person, I didn’t expect it to be that big. I thought it was two stories max, so when I accumulated 5,000 steps inside, I was surprised. I also had no idea so many famous paintings called this place home. I will say that even though this place is amazing, navigating it was something completely different. I got lost about three times, even with a map. One room led into the next and I wasn’t sure if I was in going in a circle or through a maze.

I was in awe of how many different exhibitions there were, and how each one had enough room for everything. I not only took notice of the exhibits, but the rooms they were in. Like each one was picked simply to compliment the architecture of the building, it helped tell the story of the artifacts.

For my senior year of high school, I was allowed to choose a place that I wanted to visit, so I decided on Washington, D.C. I really enjoy history, I know kind of weird, but it always fascinates me how everything came to be, and so I wanted to be able to see how America came to be. My family and I went to many places, but the Library of Congress was one of my favorites. Every single part of the building seems to have been built with precision in mind. From the entrance, the two main staircases, to the main reading room, it was surreal. It felt like I was in another world. It was very intimidating to be in such a big room full of so much history.

Like many other people, the main reading room was my favorite to view. It is a two-story circular room full of literature, desks, and holds figures of men and women who represent: Religion, Commerce, History, Art, Philosophy, Poetry, Law and Science. Painted on the ceiling, on the highest part, is a woman in the middle of two cherubs. This is meant to lift the veil of ignorance, move toward intellectual progress and persist in our pursuit of perfection.

https://www.loc.gov/visit/online-tours/thomas-jefferson-building/main-reading-room/

The BOK Center is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma and many big events are held here. From concerts, sport games, and graduations, there is usually an event for everybody. It is the closest arena to my hometown, and also known for its circular structure. The designer was actually asked to create an architectural icon for Tulsa. When you first see it, you can see that almost half of the building is windows. There are staircases inside that follow the windows all the way up to the highest seats in the building. Almost 20,000 seats and each one makes you feel as if you’re right on stage. But I have noticed that if there is a stage that isn’t also circular, they close off the back half of the arena. So, artists who have designed a stage that isn’t round, they lose out in almost fourth of the ticket sales. I have been here many times for concerts, basketball games, and other events, and each time feels like a new experience. They obviously decorate the inside to coincide with the event, but the building itself always adds drama to your experience.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BOK_Center

This museum holds art exhibitions and has amazing gardens. It is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma and is in the former home of Waite and Genevieve Phillips. I have visited Philbrook many times, because there really isn’t much to do in my hometown and this museum always has new exhibitions and events, but it’s also amazing to see that a family once lived there. It’s easy to just focus on the art and gardens, but I find it to be more of an experience if you also focus on the building it’s placed in. It’s massive, to say the least, and intriguing to know it was built in the 1920’s, with how detail-oriented the architecture is, inside and out. It has many windows that allow you to feel the sun from outside, or the clouds, but whatever the weather, it helps set the mood of the rooms. I wonder if this is why the city chose this homestead to hold certain art, or if it was just another building to put art in. Either way the Philbrook Museum of Art is beautiful, and I recommend it to anyone who visits Tulsa!

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