Kicking off a family roadtrip from Oklahoma to North Dakota – re-engaging in our plan to visit all 50 states together. The boys may or may not have dubbed this “the Boring States” trip, but from our initial stop, we aren’t experiencing it that way. We arrived mid-day into Oklahoma City and headed straight to the American Banjo Museum. Quite the collection of Banjos from the earliest used through jazz age and current. After visiting, Steve Martin donated the banjo that was built for him in connection with his Mark Twain award.

Afterwards we visited the Bricktown Brewery to refresh and have a snack. We then walked around the Bricktown canal for a bit. Fun area and imagine wld be great to visit in the evening.

We checked into our hotel, the National afterwards- a beautiful bank restored to a boutique hotel. Our room was spacious and lovely. We enjoyed a drink in the lobby, a gorgeous space with vaulted ceilings and a bank vault represented as the center bar area.

We had our special treat meal of the trip at Stock and Bond, recently appointed the top steakhouse in OKC. Shepherd opted for the filet with au poivre sauce, William the ribeye with whiskey butter, Rawls the pork duroc and me, short rib ravioli. Great setting, incredible service and delicious desserts to end the meal. Angelica our waitress was so much fun.

In the morning, we visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial remembering those who died in the 1995 domestic terrorism attack of the Federal building. The memorial was incredibly moving – it flanks the location of the prior building with 9:01 and 9:03 captured on each side – illustrating the impact of the damage that happened at 9:02 on the day of the attack. There are 170 seats facing the space, sized for adults vs children recognizing these seats are missing from the respective family dinner tables. The boys appreciated the survivor tree, the elm that withstood the attack and is recognized as a symbol of the good that can withstand such a terrible act.

Before getting on the road, we had brunch at Kitchen No 324- such a great spot! The boys loved their stuffed French toast, I had a great salad and William the lox and salmon roe plate. Our server was also genuinely friendly. The Midwest friendliness was fully our experience of the visit. Felt like authentic interest and kindness in all of our interactions. On the road to Kansas now with great memories of our stop in OKC!