oneonta

Ahhh on the road again, its been a long dry spell of no travel.  I really have not minded the dry spell, it was nice to be home with my boys and enjoying their games and school events.  But there is something in me that just desires and thrives being on the road and discovering new areas.  If my boys could be with me on these work adventures that would be incredible.  Instead they are home playing baseball and attending school, but they are in my thoughts and I can not wait to bring them with me to Oneonta in the future.
You never really get to know a City till you spend ten hours or more everyday walking every single street and talking with its residents.  Oneonta I must say is filled with very friendly and helpful citizens that are more than happy to tell you all about their City.  So far they have suggested enough restaurants to keep us well fed for every night of our 10 day stay, plus some more to come back and try next time we are passing through.  The choices range from BBQ to Cajun to Thai and Sushi oh and don't forget all the pizza shops and burger places oh and the different Cafes.  Wow, I am very glad I am walking all day, otherwise I may gain back all the weight I loss in the past two months.
Today I happened to come across a really neat restaurant for lunch called The Depot Restaurant and Tavern.  As the name implies it is an old train depot. 

I learned how Oneonta was once a big, I mean huge train town where it helped shape this wonderful city.  It had the largest turntable and roundhouse in the world, my goal for this trip is find out where this turntable was located and to see if it is still visible.  I never would have known this fact if I had not come onto this wonderful restaurant for lunch today.  It is hard to find if you don't happen to be walking every street in Oneonta, but I would highly recommend the challenge of finding it and checking out the décor and food.  I was told the garbage sauce is wonderful, so wonderful you have to buy a jar of the sauce to take home with you.
After walking around for just 10 hours today, for dinner I decided to take a car ride to another highly recommended restaurant located just outside of town; Brook's House of Bar-B-Q.  Now this place claims they have the longest BBQ pit east of the Mississippi, its as big as a small barn, so I believe them.  And let me tell you they know how to use the longest grill east of the Mississippi; the ribs fall off the bone, there is no chewing on the bone to get all the meat off, all the meat just melts off the bone and into your mouth.  The chicken is juice and with just enough seasoning to awaken your taste buds.  The BBQ sauce is wowing, I have to say it and please all my fellow Syracuse fans forgive me for saying this, it has Dinosaur BBQ beat in taste, hands down.  It is so good, I am bringing some home with me.  The décor at the restaurant is inviting and casual, they have chicken wallpaper, for goodness sake who has chicken wallpaper?  Not only are you eating chicken here but you are seeing it everywhere, but its done in a way that its surprisingly not tacky.  They have a bar area where it winds around like a centipede and allows you to cozy up with your neighbor and possibly make a new friend; although you may not do a lot of talking as your mouth is filled with BBQ.  I tried the sample platter with chicken, ribs, smoked turkey and smoked beef slices; not only did I walk away from the table very full but I have leftovers for two sandwiches and breakfast for tomorrow.  All of this for only $10, you could easily feed a whole family for under $50 here with a dessert to share too. 
Brooks House of BBQ is not just a restaurant, they are a bottling plant with a gift shop and a park for the little kids to work off some of their dinner.

 I wish my kids were still little enough to play in this park so I would have an excuse to play on the vehicles.   I have never seen a monster truck made out of wood before, it is  very impressive.  The ladies in the gift shop were very friendly and helpful, not only did they help us decide on which sauce to take home but also added to our list of restaurants to try while we are staying in town. 
I am eager to try more of the wonderfully recommended restaurants here in Oneonta throughout this week and to keep tantalizing my taste buds.  I am just even more thankful I am walking all day long, I don't know how people stay so fit in this town with so many choices or narrow down their choices every day. The citizens are very proud of their City and I am just beginning to find out why. I am a very thankful and a very full arborist gypsy tonight, stay tuned for more adventures from Oneonta in the days to come :)