Now, the Springdale Diner is all of one town – 10 miles- from our house.  It’s nothing much to look at, and in fact, I drive by it at least once a week on my way to gymnastics class.  It’s on our errand route – near CVS, gymnastics, and Stop and Shop.  In other works, the Springdale diner is part of the landscape of our ordinary days.

But Sarah insisted that we forego the train trip to NYC and head to the diner.  And I, with little enthusiasm, agreed to try it.  We met at the train station in our town.  Hit #1?  The ticket machine.  Every kid – all 5 of them – did their own ticket transaction, and 15 minutes later, we were ready to go.  The train arrived, and we happily boarded and chose our seats.  Because the train was relatively empty (mid-day on a weekday), the ticket collector was gracious enough to chat with the kids about how fast the train can go, who drives it, how often it crashes (their question, not mine), and every other train question – not to mention airplane, UFO and rocket ship question- you could ever think of.

Three stops later we pulled into the Springdale station and disembarked.  We walked the few hundred yards over to the diner and happily, there was a booth available (again, the perks of adventuring mid-week).  I ordered an omelet – I’m a sucker for diner omelets – and the kids ordered burgers and grilled cheeses.  And, because it was special trip, we indulged in milkshakes.  The food was nothing special, but it was reasonably priced, and the kids would have been happy eating anything.

We hopped back on the train at the adjoining station and again enjoyed the 10 minute ride back to our town.  My kids were delighted, and spent the rest of the afternoon peacefully playing train trip, a game which seems to involve packing every duffle bag and suitcase we own.  Odd, given that we didn’t take any luggage with us on our train adventure, but hey, when they’re playing peacefully, who am I to argue?

Now, we didn’t abandon our more far flung adventuring plans, and the next day we were off to the Aldrich Museum in Ridgefield.  But thanks to Sarah, I’ve been reminded trips that seems mundane to adults are fascinating for kids.  So pick a little diner, bookstore, or ice cream shop near a train station, and head off on an adventure.  For less than $30, we had a fantastic outing.  And as it turns out, little adventures are sometimes the biggest hits amongst smaller fry!

Springdale Diner, 901 Hope Street, Stamford, CT 06907, 203.975.1343