Canals and Cowboys
Trip Start
Apr 27, 2009
1
30
76
Trip End
Apr 27, 2010
Where I stayed
Jonessa's House
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Monday, September 14, 2009
As the weather forecast didn't look so good for later in the week we decided to head downtown on Thursday to the Oklahoma City bombing memorial and museum. I've been to see quite a few statues and memorials during my trip (hmmm, that sounds a bit weird but hey-ho!) but the one in Oklahoma was definitely one of the most poignant. They have a beautiful tranquil reflecting pool where the street used to run in front of the federal building with gates either side representing the times before and after the bomb went off. In the area where the building used to stand there are chairs representing each of the people who died - big chairs for adults and small chairs for the children. At night they light the chairs up but we didn't see that. We also went into the museum which is excellent, especially for people like me who know that the bombing happened but don't really know much else about it. There are a huge variety of items on display from one of the support beams and part of the truck that contained the bomb to dozens of pairs of glasses, sets of keys and individual shoes. Everything is laid out to give a timeline of the bombing and the recovery efforts, right through to the police investigation and the trial of the men who were responsible. I got so engrossed in it I totally lost track of time and poor Jonessa had to go put some more money in our parking meter! It sounds a bit morbid and depressing but it was really interesting and some of the stories from that day are amazing - I don't really know how to explain it.
After the museum we headed into Bricktown for lunch at a Mexican restaurant before going to the Crystal Bridge which is a tropical rainforest in an unusual looking building. There were all sorts of tropical trees and some unusual little lizards which were very difficult to spot. After a wander through the gardens outside we went back to Bricktown for a trip on the canal that was built in 1999. The canal runs in between some old warehouses, many of which have been converted into bars and restaurants, and past some newer buildings that have been built in the same style so that they fit in - including the new baseball stadium. It was an interesting and informative trip and I'm glad we had time to do it.
On Friday we headed to the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Museum (phew!) where there are a huge variety of items related to both cowboys and Native Americans. It was an enjoyable visit - some of the paintings are so lifelike you'd think they were photographs, it's amazing. After watching the videos of the rodeo shows though I'm glad we didn't go to one of those - it looks scary! For dinner we met one of Jonessa's daughters, Karen, and her family at a Japanese steakhouse where they cook the food on a hot plate in front of you, brilliant! The steak and chicken were delicious and I very generously passed my vegetables on to everyone else (particularly Jonessa), selfless eh? Afterwards we went back to Karen's house for a chat and a nice glass of wine beside their swimming pool, lovely.
We had a quiet weekend except for trips out for ice cream and donuts and a quick trip to find the Amtrak station so we knew where to go on Monday morning to catch my train. It was nice to relax and catch up with some tv viewing. For my final night we went out to dinner with Jonessa's other daughter, Helene, and her family at the Elephant Bar. They cooked the food in a more traditional setting (i.e. the kitchen!) but it was equally delicious and I really enjoyed it.
I had a great time in Oklahoma City, it was nice to meet Jonessa's family and have some home comforts. Thanks Jonessa! I enjoyed the Amtrak train so much I've booked another journey on it to Chicago - a shorter journey this time though....only 21 hours!
