Dallas

With the recent long weekend for MLK Jr. day Russell and I decided to take a little road trip to Dallas, TX.  No specific reasoning behind this destination other than its relatively close proximity to OKC (3 hours) and the fact that I'd never been to Texas before. So after watching the Patriots lose on Sunday we got on the road. This was Okie's longest road trip yet. We're slowly preparing her for the move to CA. 

The Elegante Hotel suited us well for a night of rest and in the morning we checked out a Martin Luther King Jr. parade. We weren't expecting to be part of the entertainment but everyone seemed to be more interested in Okie than the actual parade. Beyond Okie's cuteness, the fact that we were some of the only white people at this event made us really feel like we stuck out. We were even interviewed and photographed for the local newspaper. We enjoyed ourselves and thought it was interesting to see the differences in culture.

 

After the parade we made our way to the Twisted Root Burger Company. We heard of this local favorite on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" and thought we should try it out.  Russell and I are always up for a good burger. At this "joint," as Guy Fieri would say, they give you a famous name when you order. Russell was happy to receive Tony Stark from "Iron Man."  Of course, I had my usual plain cheeseburger and Russell was daring and tried out the chipotle, cheddar, and avocado burger with onion strings. We both were very pleased.

On the way to our next venture we walked a little around downtown Dallas and were persuaded into buying some roses from a man on the street. He told me I could have them for free if I kissed "my man," but then proceeded to expect Russell to give him ten dollars. Either way, they ended up being some of the most beautiful pink roses I've ever gotten. :)

To finish our day in Dallas we visited the Dallas World Aquarium. It was amazing! This is more than just an aquarium. It's more like a little jungle in the middle of Dallas, TX. All of the exhibits are surrounded by beautiful greenery and you walk on a wooden plank path that makes you feel like you are somewhere very exotic. They have beautiful birds and fish, huge crocodiles, a shark tunnel, and my favorite surprise -- the enormous manatee. It was well worth our trip to Dallas.

Date Night in Moore, OK

There's a theatre in nearby Moore, OK, that has balcony seating and other old-school accoutrements, so Katie and I decided to have a date night involving a movie and dinner nearby. Most of the fare near the theatre is of the Sonic and Chick-fil-a variety, so I searched four pages of Google Maps before finding even one restaurant that looked somewhat nice.

Banchetto's italian restaurant has a very nice website complete with wine glass and fancy-looking napkin. We drove down the street looking for it, but had to turn around when it was obvious we had gone too far. The reason we could not spot it on the first pass soon became apparent: It was nothing more than a small room in a strip mall, with a few bare tables and a take-out counter, similar to several inexpensive Mexican restaurants in the area.

We were so disappointed by the lack of ambiance we didn't even go in, electing instead to drive around and see what other fine establishments Moore, OK, had to offer. Ten minutes later, the only likely candidate was an Irish pub. We entered, but found no sign advising whether to wait to be seated. No hostess appeared, so I asked a waitress at the back whether we should seat ourselves. She said yes, so we sat.

Several couples came in after us and faced the same confusion, eventually seating themselves. After fifteen minutes during which no waitress even looked our way, never mind bringing water or menus, we left. Chili's was the next stop, but everyone had apparently already realized Chili's was the nicest restaurant in Moore, and there was a 40-minute wait.

We resigned ourselves to a Quizno's sub, but found a nearby local restaurant called Harry Bear's that had adequate food, although we were by far the most nicely dressed couple eating there. Next stop: theatre.

Movie was sold out, no other movies until at least an hour later. We stopped at a Red Box (out of order), stopped at a second Red Box, got a DVD, and scurried back home to prevent any further failure.

Next time, we'll just go to Bricktown.