Valerie and I went to Fort Smith for a girls day trip. Every time I hang out with her, I realize time and time again that she is the most beautiful woman I know. She is highly intelligent and has the best sense of humor. We had such a good time!

We wanted to check out the downtown area and Valerie used Google Maps and it led us to this great place called The Park at West End. It is a bit of magical sunshine glitter dust in the heart of downtown Fort Smith.

Parking

Parking space was not a problem at all. There was plenty of parking right out front.

Location

The Park was located at 115 Garrison Avenue. It’s pretty much right off the main strip of their downtown area.

First Impressions

The first thing we saw was the double-decker bus which was really cool and reminded us of our time in London together. The second thing we saw when entering the park was the ginormous 7 foot chicken. There is nothing that makes me happier and more at peace with the world than seeing a 7 foot chicken. Imagine the eggs they could produce!!! One egg would feed us for weeks! This one actually looks like a rooster…we had a rooster for about a year and it started attacking David and me so we had to make it disappear. It was so mean!! His name started out as Rosemary before we learned it was a rooster. Then we named it Mr. Chicken and / or Rose Harry. He was beautiful on the outside but hateful and mean on the inside. He had a heart of spiderwebs and evil.

The building with the spiral staircase was so beautiful. I could totally imagine Jay and I living in this when we retire….Drinking our tea in the morning on the balcony, me in my princess dress with ruffles and sparkles and my princess crown and Jay wearing his kingly robes. If you haven’t guessed, I’m the dreamer. Jay is the one who completely levels me out. He’s the voice of reason. I love you babe! The pop art on the building was pretty cool, too. Think of the planning that went into it. Whoever painted it is truly talented.

This park is super family friendly. Look at these great rules. My favorite rule is No Foul Language.

There was also an elephant, a zebra (not pictured), and a giraffe.

There was also a man on a horse. There was a sign beside the man on the horse that said “Please don’t get on the horse.” Umm, shouldn’t they tell the man to get off the horse?

The best part?? The 1935 fully functional hand-painted from Italy Ferris wheel!!!!!!!!! The Ferris wheel is 56 feet tall and was built for the 1935 World’s Fair in San Diego, California. It can hold up to 32 people. How cool is that?!?!? Guess how much it costs to ride it? No, really guess……only $1 a person!!! That’s such a good deal. I’m wondering if the owner knows about the economy and inflation. But, hey, I’m not complaining. I convinced Valerie to ride it with me and we were super stoked until we boarded and it started moving. It was the fastest Ferris wheel I’ve ever been on in my life. It went like 30 miles per hour. No joking. You’ll see when you ride it. It was a nice death-defying experience and Valerie and I sat as still as possible. There was a sign on the back of the seats that says something to the effect of Danger: Rocking is Dangerous. Oh how true. I imagined falling from 56 feet and the only thing I could think of was how much it would hurt. Not telling my loved ones how much I care about them, not even telling Valerie that I adore her. Just pain. And broken bones. And blood. Lots of blood.

This is the top of the restaurant. These kids need to come get their bikes down or they won’t have a ride home.

After our frightening adventure, we wanted to eat at the restaurant next to the Ferris wheel. It is an actual restored Pullman railcar and was done really well. Riding in a train in the “olden days” must’ve been so amazingly awesome. I bet this railcar has some stories it could tell.

The name of the restaurant is called Patrick’s Burgers Butcher Boy Restaurant. Or is it Patrick’s Butcher Boy Burgers Restaurant? IDK. I was only slightly disappointed that they weren’t wearing the aprons or the paper hats promised by the sign.

Selection of Food

Here is their menu:

Menus stress me out when I can’t look at it ahead of time. Does this happen to anyone else? Why? I’d love to know. So we kind of just told the boy in the red shirt, not the blue one like on the sign and no apron and no paper hat that we wanted two cheeseburgers with different toppings, an order of fries and two waters.

Typical Wait Time

There were only two customers inside and one was definitely on some illegal substance. How do I know? His speech, his demeanor, and his walking. You can just tell. I’ve been around drug use before (Jesus totally changed my life) and you can kind of spot the signs after a bit.

The boy without the blue shirt and no apron and no paper hat brought our food to us in about 10 minutes which is pretty quick to cook a burger.

Staff? Friendly, efficient, courteous, and knowledgeable waiter and waitresses?

There were three people working. One was a cook in the back. There was a boy (you know the one) that took our order and brought our food out and a female working ordering the cook to sharpen knives and other things. They all seemed friendly enough, but not overly friendly (the creepy kind of friendly). I was satisfied with the staff experience. We didn’t ask questions, so we aren’t sure if they were knowledgeable. **Note to self: challenge all future staff, waiters, and waitresses with difficult questions about the food and restaurant itself**

Seating Arrangements

There was a row of two tops and on the other side of the car was a row of four tops. It was cozy and wonderful. It really made me think about how it would be to dine in a railcar back in the 1940’s? 1930’s? Whenever those were popular. The only thing that would suck is if they didn’t have AC, which I’m sure their AC was no match for our AC of the 21st century.

Quantity and Quality of Food

The quantity was right along with my Americanized standards of food and the quality was good (except for the fries).

Beverage Selection? Wine List? Bar?

This park is an alcohol-free park. My hardcore Southern Baptist friends would be so happy to eat here. They basically had four or five sodas, water, and tea.

Children’s Menu?

There was a kids combo that included a burger, fry and drink that was like  dollars cheaper. I’m assuming that the patty was smaller? Who knows. Again, I didn’t ask questions like I should have, but again, I had my adultish teenager with me, sooooo…

Our Food

Valerie got her cheeseburger with bacon and grilled mushrooms:

And I got your run-of-the-mill items on my cheeseburger:

My burger was great. I ate it the way one should eat it. I eat the outsides so every time I get a fresh bite. I don’t eat the middle usually (unless Jay makes it and it’s just super yummy). Something about eating a bit of already bitten burger grosses me out. Again, why is this?

Valerie’s burger fell apart. The meat completely like crumbled almost like how your local public school does meat in their spaghetti. They never make the pieces little and broken up as one should do it. She also said her mushrooms tasted dirty. What does this mean? Who knows. I didn’t have the Chef with me to confirm or deny the ability of our taste buds to make an adequate observation. Also, the french fries tasted like they were fried in old oil. I didn’t eat but like one or two or maybe even three, you know, just to make sure they were all nasty-tasting. This sounds completely mad (the way the British use it, not mad like Americans use it.)

Dessert Menu? Made in-house?

There was sadly no dessert menu (like I need it). I would recommend them having the basic three flavors of shakes. That would be perfect for a hot day of riding 56 feet off the ground.

Reservations Available? Required? 

I know reservations are not required because we just walked in. I can’t imagine they would turn you down if you reserved a table. This just isn’t one of “those” restaurants.

Takeaway Available?

Takeaway was available, but we chose to eat in.

Prices?

We ordered two burgers, two waters, and one fry and it was like $22 tops. Not bad for the whole experience.

Acoustics? Music?

I don’t remember any music playing. I’m about 98% sure there wasn’t any.

Attractive décor? Well-kept and updated?

The decor was perfect for the restaurant. The walls were adorned with pictures of Marilyn Monroe (what’s not to like about her?) and other old (possibly dead) people that I have no clue who they are, but I’ve seen them before. (Anyone else terrible with names?) I’ve honestly worked with people for years and have no clue what their first names are….

Sanitation 

It was completely clean inside. Let me emphasize how important this is. You can have the best food on planet earth, but if the dining room is gross, imagine what their kitchen looks like. I love love love that this place was well-dusted and clean. It makes eating there a pleasure.

Bathroom Cleanliness? 

Patrick’s Burgers didn’t have a restroom, but the park did. It was a one stall room made with plywood, cement, and rock and adequate for a park. A man was talking to someone in the men’s side and I could hear him very clearly which made me wonder could he hear me???

Type of payments (credit cards, checks) accepted?

They accept everything except EBT. I’m assuming they accept the out-dated check. Cash is always king in the business.

Atmosphere? Romantic setting? Family setting? Singles hangout?

I would say that this would be a great date site whether newly met or married for tens of thousands of years (assuming you can still climb the steps to the railcar).  It’s great for families too.

Would I eat there again? Most definitely. Would I order fries again? Only after asking when is the last time they changed their frying oil.

Valerie recommends it 9 times out of 10.

The best part was definitely the experience as a whole. I plan to take David there so he can know what it feels like to be lifted into the air 56 feet high at 30 miles per hour. It’s important for him to value his life.