"Why Waco?" you may ask. For the Dr Pepper Museum, the Cameron Zoo, the historic houses, and more and more...
Day 3
Unfortunately our last day in Waco was dampened not by spirit but by rain. Our original plans were to see the Governor Bill and Vera Daniel Historic Village, which was celebrating Pioneer Heritage Days. Prior to the heavy rain, their plans for the celebration included old-fashioned games, crafts and country foods to sample, complete with Bluegrass music to enjoy. Oh well, that will leave something for us to see next time.
Coincidentally, we decided to drive to Crawford Texas, about 15 miles from Waco, on the same day that President and Mrs. Bush were on their ranch hosting Prime Minister Tony Blair. As you can imagine the roads were filled with cars either holding police, secret service, or gawking onlookers like ourselves.
Entering Crawford Texas
The town of Crawford is only about two blocks long, but the ranches and the countryside within its boundaries were endless. Again coming from the crowded streets of Brooklyn, I had never seen such vastness. We passed sheep, cattle, horses, an overabundance of cacti, and fields of Bluebonnet flowers. I thought, "This is what I imagined Texas to be". I was not disappointed. The town is trying to build itself up, and has only recently found its place on the map so to speak. President Bush had bought his sprawling ranch while he was governor but once he took office as President the ranch was dubbed "The Western White House".
All of a sudden this "hamlet" was thrust into a national limelight, and they are rising to the occasion. The town now has about six or seven gift shops to promote Crawford items. The newest store to open is "Crawford Country Style", which held their grand opening on March 30, 2002. The owner Norma Crow moved about the bustling shop like a proud mama showing off her latest offspring. She offered us coffee and cookies, as she made sure to give everyone entering a friendly "How y'all doing"
Coffee Station Restaurant in Crawford
Norma had an eclectic blend of items on display from pine wood furniture to the mandatory Bush souvenirs to works by local Texas artisans. It is a unique and friendly store, housed in what was the original town Post Office, circa 1892.
After shopping a little and signing each guest book with our names and Brooklyn, NY we were inundated with remarks about how far we were from home.
We ate lunch at the one and only eatery in town. Perhaps because the President had given a press conference from the local elementary school, the tiny restaurant had a line out the door and to the gas station attached. As we ate our fried jalapenos and chicken fried steak, we noticed all eyes were constantly on the door. They hoped that President Bush or perhaps a famous reporter would come in for a local bite to eat. The line only got longer since everyone lingered for as long as possible. As everywhere else in town, photos of the President and Mrs. Bush with local proprietors were hung on the walls.
We were definitely in Bush Country as nearly every bumper sticker proudly proclaimed this. We did see plenty of reporters and men that had the distinct aloof air of Secret Service, but unfortunately they weren't the type that you would rush for an autograph.
Lunch was delicious with or without President Bush popping in.
RiverSquare Center
Our last night in Waco was spent at an Italian Restaurant again in the RiverSquare Center, called Gratziano's.
The Place was crowded, as we have found all of the dinnertime eateries. We tried two of their specialties. For an appetizer we had Bruschetta Gratziano which is lightly grilled Italian bread topped with melted mozzarella, fresh diced tomatoes, olive oil and basil. Delicious but so filling that four of them was too much for two of us to finish. Each piece of bread was the size of a half a hero.
For dinner I tried the chicken Gratziano, which was a pan sautéed breaded breast of chicken, topped with a cheese sauce, bacon, tomatoes and basil. It came with a side of creamy fettuccine alfredo.
My Italian grandmother used to warn me never to have Italian food outside of her kitchen or a New York restaurant. Except for not serving cappuccino, this restaurant proved Grandma Christine could be wrong. The Italian food was good, even to this Italian.
Well that was our trip to Waco. The video sent to us by Lori Jarvis certainly did not disappoint us. So now when folks ask "Why Waco?' I have many reasons to tell them. In a few days time, we ate at some great restaurants, learned a lot of local history, enjoyed Dr Pepper, explored a first class zoo, and even fit in some mandatory shopping.
If your travel plans include Texas put Waco on your itinerary and don't forget to get the tape! Call Lori and tell her Janet sent you.
