The B&B Cats

We have two cats here at our Tulsa bed and breakfast. Pictured is Holly. She showed up as a stray weighing 4 pounds and nearly bald. Of course, I had to feed her and now she is a fat and happy. In fact, she has a little eating disorder. If there is no food in her bowl, she starts pulling her hair out. The vet suggested putting her on an antianxiety medication, but I opted on no kitty Xanax.

You may or may not see Holly on your visit to the Inn at Woodward Park. She is a little shy.

Not so with our other cat, Miss Kitty, the queen of the cats. Miss Kitty feels that everyone that enters the Inn wants to see her. She runs to the door whenever anyone new arrives and sits there waiting for her royal subjects to pet her. Miss Kitty is a silky Maine Coon that we adopted from the shelter a few years before we opened.

I realize some folks don't care for cats and some people are allergic. I do state that we have pets on the premesis on our website. We have hardwood floors and I vacumn and dust daily. The cats and guests are told the cats are not allowed in the guestrooms. I regret that we miss some business because of the cats, but I don't want anyone to be miserable during their stay.

Most people love having the cats around. They say they have cats and our pets make them feel more at home. Guest leave comments in the journals for the cats, take their pictures and one guest even drew Miss Kitty's portrait.

So come see us. Miss Kitty is waiting for you.

The perfect gift

It is the week before Thanksgiving and some people have all their holiday gifts bought, wrapped and hidden away. Well, I am not one of those people.

If you are not one of those people either, book a stay at the Inn at Woodward Park and get a start on that holiday shopping at one of the many shopping areas in Midtown Tulsa.

The closest and most chic shopping area is Utica Square. Located less than two blocks away you could walk there. But then again, you might need a vehicle to haul all your great finds back to our Tulsa bed and breakfast. Utica Square has over 50 shops, some are well known names and some are unique locally owned shops. Clothing stores include Saks Fifth Avenue, Chicos, Gap, Ann Taylor, A Pea in a Pod, Miss Jackson's and many, many more. There are jewerly stores, kitchen stores, furniture stores, candy stores, a pipe shop and on and on. If you get hungry with all that shopping, there are many dining options. Queenies offers great sandwiches, the egg salad is legendary. Wild Fork and the Stone Horse Cafe are two other locally owned wonderful restaurants. The chains are well represented with P F Changs and the Olive Garden.

I keep a well stocked supply of gift wrap, ribbons and bows for guests to use. It is great fun to sit at the dining room table with friends while wrapping the perfect gift, sipping on hot tea or cocoa and nibbling on cookies.

Brookside and Cherry Street are just blocks away and also offer some unique, one of a kind, shopping experiences. Tulsa has several malls if you prefer that. Make your reservation today and I will happily supply you with a map of Tulsa with all the shopping areas circled in red.

Oh, and the absolute perfect gift, a gift certificate to the Inn at Woodward Park, of course.

Have you always dreaming of owning a B&B

This is a question I hear often from guests. I have to answer, "No, it was the house's idea."
My husband and I stumbled across this property when we were hunting for investment real estate. We were intrigued by the low cost per square foot for a house in this historic neighborhood. We made an appointment with a realtor who met us there but set in her car as we toured the place.
It was a dreary winter day and inside it was even worse. The first floor windows were boarded up, the walls were cracked. The second floor had ivy growing in the windows and squirrel's nests in the corners. There was no way I was going in the basement.
My husband and I didn't have much to say to each other as we make our way through, but the house was whispering in my ear. I turned to my husband and said, "This would make a great bed and breakfast!' He looked at me as if I had lost my mind and said, "We are not buying this place."
I dropped the subject and we left. Three months later I saw the house advertised as a tear down. I couldn't bear the thought and convinced my husband to go back for another look. I had been thinking of changing careers after 30 years in the health care field and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
A different realtor was there, very nice woman that would become our neighbor. The boards had been removed from the windows and the dirty carpet pulled up to reveal hardwood floors. As we toured the house this time, I was excitedly sharing suggestions with my husband of all the things we could do to make it a successful B&B.
The clincher was when we stood on the front lawn gazing across the street at Woodward Park just starting to bloom out in all it's spring glory. My husband turned to me and said "Let's do it."
Today the house has been transformed from a sad, neglected dump to a happy, loved home filled with people and fun.
And sometimes I hear the house whisper, "Thank you."

Downtown Tulsa on an Autumn afternoon

I just spent a couples of hours in downtown Tulsa this afternoon. It is only a 6 minute drive from our Tulsa bed and breakfast. My first stop was Mod's coffee and crepes for just that. I sat at one of the outside cafe tables located at 507 S. Boston while enjoying a pumpkin pie crepe filled with pumpkin, pecans, graham cracker crumbs and whipped cream. I sipped a freshly brewed cup of peaberry coffee and did some people watching. I then took a stroll around the surrounding blocks being careful not to step off the curb because I was looking up to see the beautiful art deco architecture. I wandered over to the Mayo Hotel to peek in at the lobby. It was gorgeous with marble walls and gigantical chandeliers. I felt as if I were in Paris what with people watching, crepes and that lobby.
Back to my car to make sure I hadn't gone over my 75 cents for an hour and a half parking meter and drove a few blocks to Dwelling Spaces. Located at 119 S. Detroit, Dwelling Spaces is everything Okie, from T shirts to local art to greeting cards to Christmas ornaments. If you need a Tulsa souvenir, this is the place to go. I was after a long sleeve T shirt now that the weather has cooled off. It was a hard decision between the big foot sighting and the blue whale.
Next time you are in Tulsa, stay at the Inn at Woodward Park and go explore downtown Tulsa.

Something wicked this way comes

Wicked, the musical is returning to Tulsa at the Performing Arts Center located at 3rd and Cincinnati, a short 6 minute drive from this Tulsa bed & breakfast. The dates for this performance are November 17th through the 28th.

Wicked was here last year and we had several guests and friends who attended. Everyone raves about it. I didn't see it before. I am going this time for sure. The Inn has some rooms available for some of the dates. You may check availability on our website www.innatwoodwardpark.com

Tickets to a musical, a delicious dinner downtown, a night at a B&B with breakfast in bed the next morning. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it?

If country music is more your thing, that cutie Brad Paisley will be playing at the BOK event center downtown Saturday November the 20th. The next day, Sunday, the 21st is the Route 66 marathon. The runners go through Woodward Park and we watch them from our front yard. The Tulsa Run was last weekend and thousands of runners went right in front of the Inn. Not a runner myself (unless something that bites or stings is chasing me) but I certainly admire them.

I'm more into eating and Thanksgiving is coming up. I have already ordered my free range turkey from the organic food co-op that I belong to. Although I only fix breakfast for my guests, I will be glad to share left overs.

A couple of years ago, we had a couple here from South Africa during the Thanksgiving holiday. They had never expereniced the holiday before and really enjoyed it. The Inn was filled with good smells and family and guests and laughter that day. Well, that is everyday but turned up a couple of notches on Thanksgiving.

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving filled with good smells, family, friends and laughter from the Inn at Woodward Park.