Spending a week at St. Louis with Glenn and Kim, we had copious categories of activities to choose from, much of it free to the public. In fact, it would take months to just visit them all. We took the informative, educational, and entertaining docent-guided Trolley Tour, for an extensive overview of the city attractions, followed by lunch in the Laclede’s Landing neighborhood.
Of course, we began our exploration with the world-famous, stainless steel Gateway Arch/Museum of Westward Expansion and Busch Stadium, home of the 11-time world champion, St. Louis Cardinals.
We explored Forest Park, with all it cultural venues, and the Zoo. Afterwards, we treated ourselves to the scrumptious, Ted Drewe’s ice cream and in a gluttony fashion, sampled gooey butter cake. To confess our sins, we attended Mass at the Old Cathedral(1834). For penance, we toured the Anheiser-Busch brewery, to visit the Clydesdales, and see how Budweiser is made.
Another outing included a visit to the Science Museum, followed by lunch at “Sweetie Pies”. In the afternoon, we toured the Old Courthouse and Museum, offering a fascinating glimpse into the early judicial system “West of the Mississippi“.
Today, we visited the old Union Station, now renovated into an upscale shopping, entertainment, and dining venue. The Grand Hall and Hotel, based on the Romanesque style, are a showplace, reflecting the grandeur and opulent interior spaces of the National Historic Register Landmark.
Next, we visited the New Cathedral Basilica(1907). The extensive mosaics, largest collection of mosaics under one roof in the world, depict the life of patron, Saint Louis IX, King of France, and the story of the Catholic Faith, from creation to the last judgment. This Cathedral is as impressive as any that I ever saw in Europe (excepting Saint Peters in Rome).
We munched a fine picnic lunch at Forest Park and then headed to the “Delmar Loop”, a very engaging west-St. Louis neighborhood, around Washington University. The “St. Louis Walk-of-Fame” along both sides, honors the famous folks of the city.
During our St. Louis week with Glenn and Kim, we drove ourselves about each day, perusing the neighborhoods and various sections of the city. From our RV site on the Illinois side, in Cahokia , we ultimately crossed each of the magnificent bridges, old to new. St. Louis has fascinating architecture, historic attractions, vibrant landscaping, ethnic neighborhoods, multi-cultural dining, exhausting shopping, and lots of entertainment opportunity. It would be necessary to dwell a year in residence to experience it all. Maybe we’ll do that sometime!
9-20 Today, we head over to Madison, Indiana for a visit and Amy’s Birthday.
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