St. Louis

Sadly we had to leave our Airb&b oasis, but we comforted ourselves with the thought of returning to St Louis with Pete. We had so much fun the last time we were there, we were looking forward to doing it again, plus adding in a couple more things. 

As soon as we got to town we went to the arch. They were working on the park all around it two years ago and, while it's not quite done, it was much more green and lovely by the Mississippi River. 

Arch

Pete and jax had thought about going up into the arch itself (hard no from lea and I), but after seeing the ride, they decided to pass. Whew. 

Yeah. No. 

We then walked over to Citygarden, a smallish park a few blocks away from the arch. There were neat sculptures and some fountains designed for splashing and wading. 

View of the arch en route. 

FYI, jax reports that it smelled terrible inside that head. I did not confirm. 

Sumo wrestler!

Jax decided to go whole hog. It was refreshing on a very humid day. 

We then worked our way over to our hotel to regroup before heading out to The Shaved Duck for dinner. The kids and I ate there the last time we were in town and had been talking about it ever since. It did not disappoint at all. So glad we went back. 

So yummy! 

Next morning I got out for a quick run and saw a sleepy Saturday morning St. Louis. It was very pretty. 

I don't know what this is a picture of, but it was really pretty. 

Yeah, same. 

After breakfast we went to the city museum. Again, we had been trying for two years to explain to pete what it's like, and now he could just see it. 

Ok, it looks like he's sitting in a bus. But you have to know that bus is halfway over the roof of a 10 story building. 

A tiny fraction of the chaos. 

The view along side the 10-story slide. You read that right. 

Bonus: the roof was open this time. 

View of St. Louis 

Ever ridden on a Ferris wheel on a roof? 

We did! 

We were really high off the ground. 

We took a little break to have a delicious lunch at Rooster (another repeat from last visit, also lived up to memory). 

Am I tired of biscuits yet? No, I am not. 

After many hours climbing, sliding, exploring, and City Museum-ing we were pretty tuckered out, but needed to rally for a Cardinals game! It's always fun to see a game at another ballpark, and even lea, our non-baseball fan, agreed it was a pretty good time. We had great seats. Plus, the Cardinals won! (Jax and I got pretty invested in the game by the next). 

Perfect night for a ballgame. 

Wholesome, American family fun. 

And that was it! We were a whirlwind through St. Louis, and we've already arrived & spent the afternoon in Chicago! More later! 

The arch is lovely at night. 

This was on our way to the hotel after the game. Think it's a courthouse? Looks like someone randomly stacked the parthanon on top.