Benny's big ten

Some time ago Jane dreamed up (or learned of) this idea that for each grandchild, once they turn 10 years old, we will take them to the destination of their choice for a weekend. And it would just be us and them - so they get the spotlight all to themselves. I think it's a swell idea! 

Anna was first and she chose the zoo in Cincinnati, because she's all about animals. Ironically, Bennett also chose a city in Ohio. He is into dinosaurs, and COSI (Center of Science & Industry) in Columbus is having a big dinosaur exhibit right now. There is also a Lego store, so off to the Buckeye state we went!

Columbus is a mere 2 hours 45 minutes from Fort Wayne via route 33. It's not a bad drive at all, and the weather was fantastic for early February. We arrived Friday evening just after dark and returned home Sunday around noon.

I did a little checking and determined it would maybe be best to stay near the Easton Town Center Mall on the northeast side. There are tons of hotels, restaurants, and shopping, and that's where the Lego Store is. We could then just drive into downtown when we visited COSI. It worked out great!

We stayed at the Hampton Inn Columbus-Easton. Any of the hotels there would be fine, but this one has an indoor pool, free parking, complimentary breakfast, and is right next to Chick-Fil-A (his favorite place to eat). It was nice. I did splurge and pay an extra $10 for the "city view," and don't regret it.

Saturday morning we got up and had hotel breakfast (Mmmm, biscuits and gravy!), then headed to COSI. It was maybe 20 minutes away and traffic wasn't bad at all. We found our way right there, arriving just after it opened at 10am,  and parked in the underground garage ($10). 

Bennett wasn't much into reading all the plaques and descriptions, but he did enjoy the dinosaur bones and some of the interactive displays. We also ate lunch there, and took in the 'Dark Universe' show in the planetarium. I think he was most interested in getting to the Lego store though, so we headed there around 2 pm.

Once we looked through a zillion lego pieces and he decided on a couple things, we made our way back to the hotel. He assembled the kit he purchased fairly quickly, then wanted to go swimming. Mid-afternoon is a good time for that and there were only a couple people in the pool. I'd forgot it was a saltwater pool until I got in. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't overly warm! 

For supper Saturday night Bennett just wanted his leftovers from the previous night at Chick-fil-A, so Jane and I had the not-so-wise idea to order carryout at the Applebees down the street. Ugh. Remind me to not do that again! It wasn't going to be ready for an hour and twenty minutes, and when I arrived I stood there for ten minutes before anyone even acknowledged me. It was another five or ten before getting our food. We both ordered the top sirloin ,which I realize is not the best cut of mean, but it also shouldn't be the worst. I kid you not, I could not even eat mine! Literally!! I wasn't able to cut it with the plastic silverware we had, so I just used my hands and bit off chunks. The best I could do was chew a bite for awhile, then spit out the gristle. It was the most disgusting piece of meat I have ever had! I guess at least I didn't overeat.

Anyway, that was really the only bad part of the trip. The weather was nice, the hotel good, travel uneventful, and most importantly... Bennett seemed to enjoy himself! 

We had a good weekend and now have a year or so before the next Big Ten Birthday!!!