Eastern girl coming for a short visit.

Arriving near Christmas...then heading further west....

What%26#39;s a good hotel (don%26#39;t like the Econo chain)? Anyone been to Biltmore?

Where%26#39;s best shopping (general mall stuff)

Best coffee?

What MUST I see before leaving?

Eastern girl coming for a short visit.

I would say do not stay at the Biltmore...It is run down....Many chain hotels on Meridian around the Biltmore that are much nicer....Most of the hotel list on TA will say airport near them in that area

Best shopping mall is Penn Square on NW 63rd and Penn about a 10 minute drive from Meridian

Eastern girl coming for a short visit.

I agree that the best general mall is Penn Square.

I think Easy must have been thinking Northwest Highway and accidentally wrote NW 63rd.

To be clear: Penn Square is located at the intersection of Northwest Highway and Pennsylvania (normally shortened to Penn).

Must see: The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. Fantastic art of the west and much, much more. It is also located on Northwest Highway. (Closed Christmas Day and New Year%26#39;s Day.)

If Penn Square and the Western Heritage Museum interest you, you should consider staying on Northwest Highway. There are a number of hotels in the area of Penn Square, a Marriott, a Holiday Inn Express, and a few others I can%26#39;t recall.

It%26#39;s an easy drive back to I-40 via the loop, I-240.

I%26#39;ll advocate downtown. If you like boutique hotels, the Colcord property recently opened. It is expensive ($300+) but sooo worth it.

http://www.colcordhotel.com/index.htm

If not, the downtown convention hotels are nice: the Sheraton, Courtyard Inn, or Renaissance offer you ways to soak up the city before you head out west.

The best coffee downtown IMO is at The Buzz at First National Center at Robinson and Park. However, it is a business day operation; for extended hours try Uncommon Grounds in Bricktown. However, if you can take a car around, the best coffee in OKC can be had at Cafe Bella at SW 89th and Pennsylvania.

You are in luck: December is the best time to enjoy downtown, for there are some activities to pass the time. There is ice skating at Civic Center Park (the performing arts center) and snow tubing the the Bricktown Ballpark.

downtownokc.com/DowntownInDecember/tabid/136…

For the musts, check out the Chihuly glass collection at the art museum (http://www.okcmoa.com/) and the moving national memorial and museum (http://www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org/), and the aforementioned Cowboy and Western Heritage center. OCMOA also screens films.

There are also several great restaurants to suit your palate downtown. The art museum%26#39;s Museum Cafe offers excellent French fusion while Trattoria Il Centro (a couple of blocks south) is an elegantly fun Italian spot where everything is made from scratch.

Bricktown is a great place to people watch, with historic buildings, clubs, water taxis, a theater cineplex, fountains, and for December, dazzling lights. For the ';Oklahoma experience'; I usually point people to two restaurants themed after two Okies: Toby Keith%26#39;s, a restaurant/country music venue, and Mickey Mantle%26#39;s, a classy steakhouse with memorabilia of the Yankee great.

For addresses and events, check out Downtown OKC%26#39;s website.

http://www.downtownokc.com/

And I third Penn Square. The carolers and other live music will delight you!

Be safe and have fun during your stay! Tell us how it went!

Thanks so much for the heads-up about the hotels! I stayed at the Hyatt Airport (AmeriSuites) on Meridian. Very nice.

Sooooooooooooooooooooooo gflad I by-passed the Biltmore. Heard horror stories! Enjoyed my short stay at OKC, mostly hung out with friends....

I shall return to do my obligatory ';tourisy-stuff';.

Thanks so much!