New Oklahoma City Slogan: ‘Real Chill’?


In the most underrated travel story of our young decade, veteran NBA guard Kevin Ollie spoke to ESPN about his new home, Oklahoma City — a place that has the reputation as something of an “NBA purgatory.” Ie The last place you’d want to be traded to.

But Ollie joined fellow Thunder players to defend it, and talk up post-game ballyhoo around Bricktown’s Flaming Lips Alley, food at Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse, before returning home to “play the crib” early.

Ollie said, “It’s not LA or Miami, but it’s cool here. REAL CHILL.”

The Oklahoma City CVB should take note. Currently Oklahoma’s capital — and one of a handful of cities I’ve voted as the best made-over ugly-duckings around the USA — has no tourism pitch phrase, slogan, moniker.

How about ‘Oklahoma City: Real Chill’?

Though one anonymous player whined that the “selection of women here isn’t exactly off the charts,” star forward Kevin Durant, who grew up in DC and spent a year at the University of Texas at Austin, joined the defense:

“People always ask, ‘Wouldn’t you rather be in Miami or L.A.?’ I always tell them, ‘No.’ This place is perfect for me… You can get tired of tall buildings after a while. Man, I live across the street from a farm.”

“Perfect,” he said, not purgatory.

Seeing an alternate view in a place that gets one-sided treatment from most? That’s a travel writer’s job. Maybe NBA players should chip in more?

About Robert Reid

Robert Reid is a travel writer (Lonely Planet, New York Times, ESPN), travel expert (Today Show, CNN's Headline News), travel videographer (76-Second Travel Show) and travel artist (don't ask).
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2 Responses to New Oklahoma City Slogan: ‘Real Chill’?

  1. tom caw says:

    I like it, but the first few times I looked at the slogan I saw “Real Chili.” Real Chili is a Milwaukee institution: http://www.thedeliciouslife.com/forecast-chili-today-real-chili/

  2. Anonymous says:

    great post

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