A-Train to Denton. Lunch at Cartwrights. Changes Are Astonishing Downtown.

 Well, I backed out of hitting Senior's Day at the State Fair in Fair Park. If it had not been for the Coronavirus, I might had gone. Exploring options, the trip up to Denton to Cartwright's for lunch out on the sidewalk across from Courthouse Square, won out. It had been a couple of years since making my last trip up to have Cartwright's Ranch House cook my meal. They are noted for their Chicken Fried Steak Lunch Specials. Last time, it was a burger with all the trimmings. But, breakfast was only a sausage on an  English Muffin toasted with orange juice before leaving the house. Chores were light, too. Took the garbage out, got the mail in, stopped to talk to a couple of neighbors before walking down to the bus stop. 

Yesterday, the research showed that a bus from the train station went directly to the train station at the transfer point to the A-train. So in two bus trips the time leaving the bus, catching the elevator up to the A-train's platform, the A-train was there.The first time riding the A-train up to Denton, the Denton Country Transit Authority had only one of the new engines from Europe and they pulled the old Budd Companies passenger cars.  Of course that's all changed now and the new passenger cars are running as envisioned. It's quiet,smooth, but not a rocket, so to speak. It took 45 minutes to get up there from the hour and 45 bus rides Still,two and a half hours isn't bad for the distance. But, on the other hand, 5 hours of travel for lunch and 60 shots isn't a game changer either. Never-the-less- I made  it home by 5:30 Central Time.  Actually, I feel pretty good. Not tired one bit. The weather was 85/15 perfect. Humidity and dew points were low.  The bummer was the three weather systems did pull the heat up to 95°. Our average daily high this time of year is 82°F.

So, in the past thirty days, train rides on three of the four rail lines have been ridden; DART to Terminal A at DFW; TEXrail from DFW to Grapevine returning later  on DFW Terminal B and walking over to Terminal A to ride DART back into the system home. That's 3 of the current 4 rail systems for passengers in the Metroplex. A few years ago riding the TRE to downtown Ft. Worth was made. Riding the TRE  in the same year as the other ones is being planned. However, this time it will include riding DART to the American Airlines Center, transfer to the TRE to Ft. Worth, walk over to the TEXrail platform and ride the TEXrail  to Terminal B, walk over to Terminal A and board the DART home. completing the south route to Ft.Worth by transfer to the north route and complete the circle of all three trains. Plus going north up to Denton on DART's Green Line enabled me to take the A-train. BTY, checked on new station construction at Addison Transit Center for the new Silver Line across the north on the old Cotten Belt Line and it is looking  good today.