Okie Toddler: Fort Worth Party Train

Hello friends and family!

This is probably going to be a bit of a split post. On one end, it's for our moms and others who want to see everything Charlie does when they're not around. On the flip, it's pretty much a breakdown of how to take the train from OKC to Fort Worth for friends who've asked about the details. So if you're not interested, I'd suggest skipping straight to the pics!

The Train:

We left OKC's Santa Fe Depot on the Heartland Flyer at 8:30ish on Saturday morning. For the record, that parking lot AT the station is not where you park. Santa Fe Garage (the one you use for Skirvin) is the closest and I think it was $6 overnight. Keep in mind that you'll have a walk. So if it's raining - like it was when we got there - that's good to plan for.

We were prepared for a long ride and brought along toys, snacks, books, etc. The whole trip was four hours. In a car, it's only three. You stop in Norman, Purcell, Ardmore and Gainsville. But only for a few minutes. There are little boat/airplane bathrooms, changing rooms, and even a cafe. Note: we didn't think it would, but the cafe does sell alcohol. Tiny bottles ala commercial airplanes, which we did take advantage of on the way home Sunday night.

So here's how it breaks down for those of you who plan to do this. You leave pretty quickly after you get on, so don't dally. You line up to board in OKC, so getting a good spot in line is a good idea too. So try to get into the station around 8 a.m. Reserved seats aren't really so. It's just a reserved car. So if you care about where you sit, and who with, you want to be first in that line. Reserved seats are on top floor. Unreserved seats seemed to be underneath. Like in stowage. Much better views from above and I'll assume its a little quieter too. $150 RT for all three of us. Investigate how to book your trip here: (http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=am/am2Station/Station_Page&code=OKC)

Charlie was SO excited. And barring a minute or two of complete two-year-old behavior, he was great on the train. Most of all, we were so happy to do this for him. He loved it and now he'll be able to tell his kids, 'When I was a kid, my parents and I would take the train to Fort Worth..."

The Hotel:

We actually stayed here with Charlie last year. The waitress remembered us. Well, him. But I digress. This hotel is about a block off the train station. We got in about 12:15, walked over and checked in. We got there just in time to completely miss the rodeo parade, which was a bummer. But we had our share of lobby people-watching. It was a little girl cheerleader convention. I am convinced that the mothers of these poor little girls could write books and books on projection. For the most part, they were still small enough so one could avert one's eyes from the sexy costumes and makeup their Frappucino-guzzling mamas painted on them. Wait - the hotel.OK - big huge open lobby and giant atrium room to soak up a little sunlight even when it's chilly out. Good food too - same menu everywhere in hotel. We pretty much sampled the entire thing. Wings, veggie pizzas, meatball sliders and pasta all pretty good, esp. for food service. http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/FTWFWHF-Hilton-Fort-Worth-Texas/index.do

What to do:

Sundance Square is just a couple blocks off: http://www.sundancesquare.com/ The Flying Saucer never got our business, but we wish it had. There are lots of bookstores, cafes, street entertainment/musicians....plenty going on to keep a little guy's mind active. Sunday was lovely - got up to about 70 - so we took a cab to the zoo. http://www.fortworthzoo.com/ Cab rides = no car seats. This was a first for Charlie! He loved it. The zoo is top-five rated in the US, and they had great exhibits and smart design. We all loved it. I was especially interested in getting Charlie to see the elephants since we haven't seen ours (they've been spending so much time in Tulsa.) Most of all, he loved the "monkey show". Such nice weather made for very active chimps. VERY active. Side note: look for a baby monkey in the near future...

All in all, we had a good run. Loved it. Recommend it. Let's go again!