Where to Nerd: Oklahoma City

Plopped right in the middle of this great country of ours is the fine town of Oklahoma City.  I don’t believe I have to inform you of what state its located in…and if I do you might want to invest in some old Carmen San Diego episodes and learn some geography.  But I digress.  OKC, as it is known, is a sneakily fun city. I made my second trip here recently and got to create my own covered wagon-style nerd trail through the area. Oklahoma City has a solid amount of nerdiness that it can offer to you if you’re willing to search it out. Heck, the first time I came to the city I randomly walked up on Optimus Prime just chilling on the corner! (2 handsome devils right there with hard physiques)

Needless to say, I was pretty happy to come back to OKC to see what kind of pure nerd life things I could get into and be able to share with all of you.  While Optimus had apparently relocated elsewhere, I was able to hit up some really solid nerd spots that you can put on your travel itinerary when you make it to OKC.

MY CHIC GEEK

I have to say that this store is one of my favorites that I’ve had the pleasure to visit on my nerdy travels. My Chic Geek lives up to its name because they really do have very distinctive and classy items for the nerd in your life (and yes that includes yourself, because, you’re special too). They have clothing, accessories, and amazing prints that cover all scopes of nerdom. One thing that sets them apart from the majority of similar stores is that they don’t sell memorabilia. Everything they sell is unique and with a touch of upscale. The Star Wars section caught my eye of course, but they also offer articles from Harry Potter, Star Trek, Disney, and even Firefly, which was particularly awesome. I had to pick up a few of the specialty prints they sell, which you can get framed or just get picture by itself. Two local artists from Oklahoma City provide the artwork and I highly recommend you visit the store if you’re in town or order from My Chic Geek’s website which I listed below. I loved the bathrobes that they sell at the store as well.  Basically my life would be complete without the old school Wolverine costume robe w/hood (note to my wife for any
holiday.)

Their tagline “Gifts for the elegant to awkward” is absolutely perfect for this store. So check out My Chic Geek in the store or from the comfort of your own home on their website and add to your collection of nerdiness with style!

Website: http://www.mychicgeek.com
Like them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mychicgeek/

FLASHBACK RETROPUB

I really have to admit that I love the trend of the retro video game bars opening up all over the country. There seems to be at least one in every city that I end up in and I’m perfectly ok with it. The great thing about Flashback is that they fully embrace the old school arcade feel with the retro video games but also with a DJ that spins all of the favorite hits from the 80s and 90s while you rack up the high score on Galaga.

My coworkers and I popped in to Flashback on a snowy Friday night and were surprised at the nice crowd that was occupying the place.  It’s not the largest establishment but its still easy to get from game to game or shake your rumpous to some Culture Club on the dance floor. One of my favorite features, as small as it may seem, are the cup holders they placed on the side of the machines so you can conveniently have one of their various, solid selections of beers or 80s themed cocktails and dominate Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles like we did. 

Now the thing that truly sets them apart from some of the other places with the same scheme that I’ve seen is that they have a “User Lounge” which is geared toward people that have a membership with Flashback. Think about the scene. You walk to the back of the bar and there’s a velvet rope that separates you from a dark room with neon lights and the sounds of action beckon you.  With the User membership you get access to specialty games that normal patrons do not. Its a true VIP treatment for the hardcore retro gamer.

So if you love classic video games, good drinks, and a fun atmosphere, be a social nerd and check out Flashback RetroPub!

Website: http://www.flasbackretropub.com

NEW WORLD COMICS AND GAMES

Naturally I have to let you know about a traditional comic book store in Oklahoma City because some of you are old school and like to peruse the stacks and search for something classic or new. On your nerdy journey through OKC you can’t miss New World Comics and Games. A fairly good sized location, New World provides you with what you’ve come to expect from a local comic book store. They have the majority of the middle of the shop taken up with well organized bins of your favorite comics that are categorized by the comic maker and then by subject. You can find some really great comics going back to the earliest years of your favorite characters. They have a nice assortment of collectibles that they sell in kind of a grab bag style where they have random figures packaged together for you to buy and are ideal if you bring a kid and they can’t leave without having a toy. 

Website: http://newworldcomics.net

Well there you have it.  Sometimes when you go to cowboy country, you gotta drop off that nerd bomb and get around to some spots that you’ll truly enjoy.  Thanks for the good times OKC!

Until next time, travel well and nerd often.

Check out some of the other entries in our Where to Nerd series below!