Cynthia's Chat

Do you ever wonder if you can check up on your Real Estate professional and see how he/she rates against other Realtors?  Well, you can!  I have taken the training to become a platinum certified Quality Service professional.

You can check my profile here.

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After your purchase or sale, you will have the opportunity to fill out a survey on my service that becomes a part of my permanent record for all to see. The entire survey process is administered by an independent research company, and is not conducted by my brokerage.

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The sale or purchase of your home is one of the most important financial and personal decisions you will ever make. Working with a QSC real estate professional who is consistent, reliable, accountable and responsive assures you a better experience.

In light of the price of gas, I thought maybe we could brainstorm some ways to go on vacation and stay right here at home.

I've already told you that my favorite place is the pond on our farm.  That says "vacation" to me. 

I thought I would plan a three day vacation right here in Oklahoma City and see what it looked like.

I would definitely like to take in some museums and I've really wanted to see the Oklahoma History Center.  So Day one will be reviewing Oklahoma History.

The Oklahoma History Center is conveniently located on the northeast corner of N.E. 23rd & Lincoln Boulevard, across the street from the Governor's Mansion.   The museum opens at 9:00 so I would be there when it opens (after enjoying my morning cup of coffee out at the pond).

            Museum Hours                                        Museum Admission

Adults	$5.00
Seniors (age 62+)	$4.00
Students	$3.00
Children (5 & Under)	Free
Family/Dual	$15.00
Group Rate (10 or more)	$4.00/ person
OHS Members & OHC Patrons	Free
OMA, AAM, & Smithsonian Institute & Affiliate Members	$3.00

Monday - Saturday:	9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday:	12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Days Closed:	New Year’s, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day

I could stay all day here, but will probably just stay the morning and head for lunch at Cattleman's Steakhouse across town in the Historic Oklahoma City Stockyards.  My mouth is watering just thinking about this!

Cattlemen's Steakhouse
1309 S. Agnew .. Oklahoma City, OK .. 73108
405.236.0416 .. fax 405-235-1969

Presidential Choice T-Bone Steak - This hearty portion is 'two steaks in one.' It combines the full flavor or the Strip Sirloin, the impeccable tenderness of the Filet, both joined together by the famous 'T." This is the steak President Bush preferred when dining in Oklahoma City.

Cattlemen's Strip Sirloin - Think center cut strip sirloin
Top Club - Cut extra thick for extra goodness from aged beef
Filet Mignon - A choice cut of beef tenderloin with all the savory juices seared in, wrapped in bacon and broiled to your taste.
Small Filet - Cut special for our patrons with smaller appetites. Wrapped in thick sliced bacon.
Rib Eye Steak - Perfect center cut from the eye of the rib.
Dinner Steak - Small top sirloin steak.
Chopped Sirloin - Freshly ground Sirloin Beef broiled over flowing embers
Pepper Steak - A small sirloin topped with our special Peppercorn Sauce.
Ham Steak - Served with red-eye gravy
Cattlemen's Chicken Fried Steak
* All steaks include Cattlemen's Salad, Baked Potato and Homemade Rolls 

I think I will have the Small Filet.  And then off to wander around the Stockyards.  Maybe do a little shopping for something rustic.  I can already smell the leather, can't you?

After traipsing around the Stockyards, I'm going to be tired and will call it a day.  Back to the serenity of the RV at the pond.  A good night's sleep before Day Two.  (Oh! Tonight's dinner is our leftover's from Cattlemen's.  I couldn't possibly eat another big meal in one day.)

Total spent for day one.

Gas -                         $16.00

Admission to Museum    $9.00

Lunch                         $45.00

Shopping                     $100.00

Total for Day One        $170.00

Day Two

The second day of my vacation is going to be all about the arts!  Contrary to views from outside of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City has a rich cultural tradition.  So on the second day of my  vacation I am going to explore this tradition.

We are going to start out and spend the day in Bricktown and Deep Deuce.  Later in the evening, we'll go to the theater.

First stop is The Painted Door in Bricktown for some shopping and browsing.  Many of the products here are Oklahoma made and the place is brim full of charm.

1 Mickey Mantle Dr.
Oklahoma City, OK
PH: 405.235.4410

After an hour or so of shopping/browsing, we will head over to Nonna's for a "Lunch and Learn" with a guest speaker.  The menu is:

Cedar Springs Farms House Salad

Nonna's Chicken Enchiladas

Lemon Bars

Apricot Tea

The cost is $30.00 per person and includes valet parking. 

With a full tummy, we walk to Deep Deuce to the Unitled [ArtSpace]

This is a free and unique art gallery with exhibits and educational programs.  The featured artist this month is Narciso Argüelles, with works from Joe Ramiro Garcia and Luis Jiménez.

Taking the Oklahoma Spirit Trolley, we move from Deep Deuce to the Civic Center area.  Bill and I can ride the trolley for a dime each!  The perks of being a senior citizen!  Late afternoon schedule is a tour of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art
415 Couch Drive
Oklahoma City, OK 73102

Here you will find periodic exhibitions along with an outstanding permanent collection of art.  Several days in needed to do this museum justice, but the focus for this day will be the European collection.

And the museum offers a top quality Cafe where we will eat dinner before walking across to the Civic Center for tonight's Lyric Theater's performance of the Sound of Music.

Dinner selection for Bill and myself will be:

Grilled Atlantic Salmon  $21     
Grilled salmon, tomato, shallot and thyme confit, boursin whipped potatoes, roasted tomato basil vinaigrette

and

New York Strip   $29  
12 oz. Black Angus grilled New York Strip, boursin whipped potatoes, sage and pearl onion bordelaise sauce

The Lyric Theater is playing The Sound of Music.  We ordered tickets online and will pick them up at the box office at the Civic Center Music Hall.

Lyric Offices and Academy:
405-524-9310
Ticket Office: 405-524-9312
Box Office Hours:
Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm

Wearily, we head back to the RV at the pond for some well needed rest.

The total spent on day 2 of my vacation is:

Gas:                    $10.00

Lunch                    $60.00

Shopping                $100.00

OKC Museum  of Art  $21.00 (with audio tour)

Dinner                    $75.00 (with drinks and tip)

Lyric Theater            $105.00

Total for Day 2        $371.00

Day 3 of my Oklahoma Vacation will encompass a trip to Ponca City to tour the Marland Mansion, and other area attractions.

After coffee and rolls at the RV, we will head North on I-35 to Ponca City.  Lunch will be a picnic of fruit, cheese, sourdough bread and water.  I'm bringing extra bread in case we can feed the ducks.

Our first stop before we go into Ponca City is the site of the 101 Ranch.  The site is on the National Register of Historic Places, but there are no buildings left on the site.  Here we will picnic after reading the monument and rambling around the old crumbling foundations of the buildings there.  By the way, the ranch is famous for more than just it's colorful past.  It seems that there are still occupants of the ranch - namely ghosts!  That's why this stop is a daytime stop!

Heading into town, we stop at The Pioneer Woman Monument and museum.

701 Monument Road
Ponca City, OK 74604
(580) 765-6108

Admission

	Adults $3.00
	Seniors (+65) $2.50
	Students (6-18) $1.00
	Children under 6 free

 The Pioneer Woman Museum showcases the history of women in Oklahoma and their influence on the development of the state and nation and preserves the legacy of women from all races, creeds, and nationalities who have made significant contributions to the history of Oklahoma. The world-famous 30 ft. tall bronze statue commemorating the heroic character of the women who braved dangers and hardships to settle in Oklahoma is featured.

And right down the road from the museum is the main purpose of this trip.....The Marland Mansion!  For any of you who have not seen this, it is well worth the drive to Ponca City.  The home was built by E.W. Marland as he rose to prosperity in the early Oklahoma oil boom.  It was a mansion set on the prairies.  Marland was the founder of Marland Oil Co, which later became Continentel Oil Co (Conoco).  No expense of luxury was spared during the construction and Marland found himself unable to afford this lovely home later on.  The entire story of Marland, who was one of Oklahoma's notable and storied governors, is one of the most interesting in Oklahoma's short history.  The story unfolds as you take the guided tour - the guided tour is a MUST!!

901 Monument Rd
Ponca City, OK 74604
(580) 767-0420

ADMISSION FEE
Adults - $7.00
Seniors 65+ - $5.00
Students ages 12 to 17 - $5.00
Students ages 6 to 11 - $4.00

The home, grounds, cottage and artist studio deserves more time than an afternoon, but this is a start and we are eager to start the tour.

After a wonderful tour of the mansion, we leave the rest of the estate to tour another day and head toward Head Country Barbecue Restaurant.  Ponca City is the home of Head Country Barbecues sauce and I have heard that the restraurant is a sure bet for BBQ connoisseurs. 

Bill and I share a sampler plate and we both have lemonade.

Sampler (includes ribs, brisket, ham & hot links) with any 2 vegetables

Yummm!

We have an hour or so to kill before our next event so we drive around and look at the architecture in this pretty little Oklahoma city.

We end the evening at the Poncan Theater for a tribute to Jimmy Buffet.  The theater is a spectacular tribute to art deco style and has been fabulously refurbished.

"Son of a Sailor" - A Jimmy Buffett Tribute

7:30 p.m.

Ticket Prices: $32.35, $26.95, $21.55, $18.31.

There is not a bad seat in the theater, so we buy the medium range tickets for $21.55.  After rocking and singing with the band, we take our tired little selves back to the pond for the final evening of our "mini vacation".

The total spent on day 3 of the vacation:

Gas -                         $50.00

Lunch                        $10.00

Museum and Mansion    $17.00

Dinner                        $25.00 (with tip)

Concert                    $43.10

Total                        $145.10

Total for 3 day vacation     $686.10

Now........tell me what you would do on an Oklahoma Vacation.