Springfield trip report! :)

[NOLA2SGF]

Maybe someone else has a trip report for you, LJ - - - but we reluctantly decided to cut our trip short (due to the cold front and possible ice). We are back in Louisiana.

We got to do everything on my "list". Real estate drive-bys, Bass Pro, antiquing... it was such fun! I am already looking forward to our next trip to Springfield. There is so much left to see and do. Maybe we can come back over Mardi Gras.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

[mrsgenealogy]

Hi! My notes are in blue and mixed in with your post!

Originally Posted by NOLA2SGF

...

If we are going to adapt to a new place, I think we need to appreciate what it has, rather than being such a food snob as I am sometimes tempted to be. ... We are determined to find the best Springfield has to offer, to deal with it, and to learn to appreciate it for what it is. Eventually we will even be brave enough to try Lambert's with the "thowed rolls", too. Just not quite yet.... baby steps!

I like the way you think, NOLA! Being from CA, we struggle in the same way with adjusting to the MO version of CA foods. I've got to warn you 'bout Lambert's, though. It is definitely NOT for babies! Trust me! The soft drinks are served in BIG MUGS (but my mother asked for a smaller one and the waitress was happy to provide it for her. Believe it or not, some of the dishes are served in skillets!!! And there are always servers walking around with extra sides, over and above the two sides you get with your meal. Those include fried taters and black-eyed peas and others. They DO NOT allow plate sharing and they DON'T take credit cards or checks!!! So come hungry and bring some green stuff!!

I am back in New Orleans already. We beat the front, so didn't get much rain on the drive. All in all, it was a wonderful trip even though we did cut it short.

I have to tell you that the weather forecasters around here tend to play it safe, so to speak, often giving worst-case scenarios just to be sure no one finds themselves unprepared. When we first moved here, we were like all the time!!! Hahaha! If the locals could have seen us!!! Now, we know that they don't know who/where a storm will affect, so they lump us all together and warn us all, even if the chance is small. Just a little FYI for future visits.

...

GregoryS, ...Don't feel I am "putting down" Ozark - - I think it is a terrific place for many people, but many of the homes are newer and so they don't suit my particular tastes. That doesn't mean that I think it is a bad place to live, at all!! It all depends on what you want.

I'm sorry but I've got to kinda laugh at that part about Ozark, NOLA. Ozark is a unique town with several different areas, each one different from the next. While there are a lot of those newer brick homes, I still feel they are definitely in the minority. There are a whole lot of older homes from a lot of different years. It isn't a new town at all...it's just been a hotbed for building for the last few years!

You undoubtedly didn't get to see all of Ozark and missed some of those charming older homes. My husband and I did that several years ago when we were looking to buy in the So. CA mountains. As soon as we arrived, we took a wrong turn and wound up only seeing an undesirable part of town and thought that was it. For a long time, I told my husband I wasn't interested in moving there. He had been there several times and didn't realize that I hadn't seen all that he had or remember that I had only seen one sort of sub-town in the outskirts. Then, one day, when we had exhausted all other available homes in the other towns, we went back to that town he kept mentioning and I discovered the other part of town. Now for the rest of the story...we wound up buying a great home there!

Thanks for sharing some of your "travel diary" with us! It's been fun and enlightening!

[NOLA2SGF]

Thanks, Mrs. G. - - We will have to check out more of Ozark the next time we are up there. We got off at the first Ozark exit and (after checking out the antique stores) we got lost in the area where the new developments are. I got so turned around that I couldn't tell Frank which way to drive. I also lost the map of Ozark that I had printed out to take with me.

So, I thought we had seen the whole town or most of it, but it sounds like we (accidently) didn't. Next time we will have to go there with a map, so we can find the rest of the town.

And you're so right about adjusting to the local version of foods. You expressed that very well. I grew up in Hawaii, and believe me, the Chinese food here in New Orleans would NOT go over well in Hawaii, any more than JParrino's would go over well in New Orleans. But I enjoy local versions of food for what they are, and we probably eat at a Chinese restaurant every week or two here in New Orleans, happily too, I might add. Adjusting to the local version of foods is just part of adjusting to a new home (rather than simply visiting as a tourist), for me.

Speaking of food, I gained SO much weight while we were up there, and Thanksgiving down here didn't help with my weight, either. We ate out, and I had blackened chicken fettucini which was made with probably a pound of butter, not to mention French bread and more. So, this morning I am off to the gym!

[mrsgenealogy]

Originally Posted by NOLA2SGF

Thanks, Mrs. G. - - We will have to check out more of Ozark the next time we are up there. We got off at the first Ozark exit and (after checking out the antique stores) we got lost in the area where the new developments are. I got so turned around that I couldn't tell Frank which way to drive. I also lost the map of Ozark that I had printed out to take with me.

So, I thought we had seen the whole town or most of it, but it sounds like we (accidently) didn't. Next time we will have to go there with a map, so we can find the rest of the town.

Oh, yeah...you definitely did NOT see Ozark! By the way, I think that is the area where Ozark is spreading out the most. I know I didn't say that right but I'll say it another way...as Ozark grows (it is one of the fastest growing cities in the state), that area is one of the areas where the new stuff is being built. Whew! Did I get my point across, after all??? It is 3 miles to the next Ozark offramp and another mile past that to another part of town. Most of it is on the east side of the freeway but it is on the west side, too. Don't feel any pressure to buy...I just wanted to be sure you'd seen it before you made your final decision.

We left our map of Branson at home when we visited there, too...talk about a BIG MISTAKE!!! It's embarrassing to say but we even wound up on the wrong side of the lake!!! Don't get me wrong...it was BEAUTIFUL but when we did find the tourist section, we also found the traffic jams! It was NOT a good way to visit Branson so if any of you are going there, stop at the tourist centers and get a map BEFORE you get there!!! Better yet, if you're looking to buy, call Lake Junkie, instead!

And you're so right about adjusting to the local version of foods. You expressed that very well. I grew up in Hawaii, and believe me, the Chinese food here in New Orleans would NOT go over well in Hawaii, any more than JParrino's would go over well in New Orleans. But I enjoy local versions of food for what they are, and we probably eat at a Chinese restaurant every week or two here in New Orleans, happily too, I might add. Adjusting to the local version of foods is just part of adjusting to a new home (rather than simply visiting as a tourist), for me.

Thanks! Isn't it amazing how our taste buds adapt? I mean, there are limits to what we can stand () but I'm amazed at how something seemed new when I first tried it but later, it becomes what my taste buds expected!

Speaking of food, I gained SO much weight while we were up there, and Thanksgiving down here didn't help with my weight, either. We ate out, and I had blackened chicken fettucini which was made with probably a pound of butter, not to mention French bread and more. So, this morning I am off to the gym!

Ouch! Well, I can see you DO have great taste, NOLA! I hope you are successful at getting back in shape soon...and before Christmas and New Year get here!!!

Isn't it amazing that you are still learning even after arriving back home! Ya'll come back now, ya hear?

[manmana]

Wow - You did great!! It sounds like you got a good feel for the city. If you visit Ozark again, be sure to take the exit at the Finley River. That's "old" Ozark. The first exit was a field 5 years ago, so it's not really refined yet. I happen to live off that exit now, but in the Nixa direction. There are some nice places to live over my way.

I used to live in the SE area at Battlefield and 65 - close to Blackman Road. That is one of the most expensive areas in Springfield, although we had a house in one of the less expensive neighborhoods. (200-300k) It is the best location in my opinion because it has easy access to 65 and shopping in the Battlefield Mall area. We are selling our house there now. We would have loved to get a larger house in that area but we wouldn't have been able to afford what we wanted so we moved to the Nixa/Ozark area.

By the way, Lexington Square is subdivision with houses close to one another, but they cost $200-280k. Our old residence is one street over from Lexington Square. We had a cul-de-sac behind us and an empty lot so it was a little more private than most. The Terraces is along back of Lexington Square and those houses are $600k and up, but they are on large lots (3/4 acre+)... another reason for the $$$ price.

You're right about the "scarier" places that aren't really that scary, but I wouldn't call Kearney to West Bypass scary at all. I'd call it a poorer part of town, but not necessarily bad. The scary places are closer to the center of town, west of National over to Kansas Expressway and further west. There are pockets of less scary everywhere though.

[NOLA2SGF]

Originally Posted by manmana

Wow - You did great!! It sounds like you got a good feel for the city. If you visit Ozark again, be sure to take the exit at the Finley River. That's "old" Ozark. The first exit was a field 5 years ago, so it's not really refined yet. I happen to live off that exit now, but in the Nixa direction. There are some nice places to live over my way.

I used to live in the SE area at Battlefield and 65 - close to Blackman Road. That is one of the most expensive areas in Springfield, although we had a house in one of the less expensive neighborhoods. (200-300k) It is the best location in my opinion because it has easy access to 65 and shopping in the Battlefield Mall area. We are selling our house there now. We would have loved to get a larger house in that area but we wouldn't have been able to afford what we wanted so we moved to the Nixa/Ozark area.

By the way, Lexington Square is subdivision with houses close to one another, but they cost $200-280k. Our old residence is one street over from Lexington Square. We had a cul-de-sac behind us and an empty lot so it was a little more private than most. The Terraces is along back of Lexington Square and those houses are $600k and up, but they are on large lots (3/4 acre+)... another reason for the $$$ price.

You're right about the "scarier" places that aren't really that scary, but I wouldn't call Kearney to West Bypass scary at all. I'd call it a poorer part of town, but not necessarily bad. The scary places are closer to the center of town, west of National over to Kansas Expressway and further west. There are pockets of less scary everywhere though.

Thanks for this great information. The next time we get up there, we'll be sure to check out Ozark at the Finley River exit.

I guess from what you are saying, Lexington Square won't have the large lots I like. There is no way that I am going to pay $600K for the Terraces, since I know I can find something that would suit me for much less. I am an independent sort of person, and would rather not be in a subdivision with a homeowners' association and fees anyway. So, I'll probably look at 30-50 year old parts of south Springfield, even though I could afford something newer. One of the attractions of Springfield to me is the relatively reasonable housing prices, so it makes sense to pay less for a house than I can afford, I suppose. Then I'll have more for other things, like updating if I end up with an older home.

As for checking out the scarier places closer to the center of town, west of National to Kansas Expressway and further west, we'll try to do that too. We want to become familiar with the best and worst of Springfield before we retire there (in two years).

[babyfaceminerals]

Originally Posted by NOLA2SGF

Thanks, Mrs. G. - - We will have to check out more of Ozark the next time we are up there. We got off at the first Ozark exit and (after checking out the antique stores) we got lost in the area where the new developments are. I got so turned around that I couldn't tell Frank which way to drive. I also lost the map of Ozark that I had printed out to take with me.

So, I thought we had seen the whole town or most of it, but it sounds like we (accidently) didn't. Next time we will have to go there with a map, so we can find the rest of the town.

And you're so right about adjusting to the local version of foods. You expressed that very well. I grew up in Hawaii, and believe me, the Chinese food here in New Orleans would NOT go over well in Hawaii, any more than JParrino's would go over well in New Orleans. But I enjoy local versions of food for what they are, and we probably eat at a Chinese restaurant every week or two here in New Orleans, happily too, I might add. Adjusting to the local version of foods is just part of adjusting to a new home (rather than simply visiting as a tourist), for me.

Speaking of food, I gained SO much weight while we were up there, and Thanksgiving down here didn't help with my weight, either. We ate out, and I had blackened chicken fettucini which was made with probably a pound of butter, not to mention French bread and more. So, this morning I am off to the gym!

Hey Nola, I'm in Ozark
I originally wanted Nixa but found Ozark to be just as good and seems to have more rolling hills. I think either one is a great choice.
We actually live close to Nixa down the way from Fremont Hills whcih has a country club and oh man, you got to check out the houses in there
I think we will drive through there to check out Christmas lights.

Good Luck

[NOLA2SGF]

Originally Posted by babyfaceminerals

Hey Nola, I'm in Ozark
I originally wanted Nixa but found Ozark to be just as good and seems to have more rolling hills. I think either one is a great choice.
We actually live close to Nixa down the way from Fremont Hills whcih has a country club and oh man, you got to check out the houses in there
I think we will drive through there to check out Christmas lights.

Good Luck

Thanks, BabyFace! Next time we get up there, we'll definitely check out Ozark some more. We really like Springfield itself the best so far, but wanted to check out some nearby areas too.

Another reason I wanted to find out more about Ozark is that I heard there are a lot of antique stores there. I love antique furniture, and will need to buy some after we move up there. So far, the antique stores we found were disappointing because they did not have much antique furniture at all (mostly flea market knick-knacks instead). We will look more the next time we are up there.

It's fun to drive around and look at the Christmas lights this time of year! Frank and I did that last night here in New Orleans. Next weekend we will go to see "Celebration in the Oaks" (holiday lights and music in City Park, here).

[Ozark-Baby]

Originally Posted by babyfaceminerals

Hey Nola, I'm in Ozark
I originally wanted Nixa but found Ozark to be just as good and seems to have more rolling hills. I think either one is a great choice.
We actually live close to Nixa down the way from Fremont Hills whcih has a country club and oh man, you got to check out the houses in there
I think we will drive through there to check out Christmas lights.

Good Luck

Howdy neighbor!!! We live in Nixa off of Gregg Road. Nice to meet ya!!!