6. Missouri

Month: March 2015

Location: Saint Louis

There was a time when I had thought that I would end up in St. Louis prior to moving to Chicago.  Despite the proximity, I had never visited the city and so made it a destination for this month.  I was going to be in the city for just one night, arriving on Saturday morning and leaving Sunday evening, meaning that I should have planned everything in detail so as not to miss out.  I of course, did nothing.  All I knew was the name of the Hotel that I would be staying in.  I had seen online that there was a train that would take me from the airport to downtown and so the first order of business was to find the said train.  There were signs which took me from the terminal and through a parking garage to the train station…which was really a platform adjacent to the garage.  The first thing I did when I arrived there was to look for a ticket dispensing kiosk and since I didn’t locate one, assumed that one could buy a ticket on the train which had just arrived.  As soon as the train was underway, I read a sign that said “Valid Ticket required for boarding the train”.  Well then, 10 minutes in and I had already broken the law!

'The Gateway Arch'

I was nervous throughout the train ride, especially when some folks looking like officials got on board.  I mentioned to my fellow passengers that I was unaware of the fact that the machine was on the platform – apparently hidden behind a column – and I would just have to plead my case if someone caught me.  They sympathized saying that there were many who traveled without buying a ticket and wished me luck.  After living dangerously for 40 minutes, I arrived at my stop and literally raced out to the streets before anyone could approach me.  I set off in the direction of the hotel and it’s always interesting for me to come from the crowded streets of downtown Chicago to almost vacant downtown of another city.  My hotel was on the banks of the Mississippi, meaning the grand ‘Gateway Arch’ – the cornerstone of the city – came into to view soon.  It really is a fantastic monument and pictures and TV do not do it justice.

I checked in and my first question to the ‘Concierge’ was, “Where do I go to eat?”  The answer in this case was instantaneous – ‘Rooster Café’.  I walked over to the place and I could see why.  It was packed to the seams and after putting my name down for a table, I ordered myself one of the House specialties, a ‘Bloody Mary’.  After getting a table, the server recommended another drink – something ‘Sunrise’ or ‘Sunset’, but it came with ‘Sparkling Wine’ and in a brilliant color.  I also ordered a dish called the “Rooster Slinger” which had in it every good thing that makes brunch special.  I asked the server, whose name was Rachel, what I should do for the rest of the day and she recommended the ‘Botanical Gardens’.  But before that, there was one other place to go to, the magnificent ‘Cathedral Basilica’. 

The magnificent 'Cathedral Basilica' 

One of my favorite places in the world is New York’s ‘Cathedral of St. John’s the Divine’ and it is incredible.  ‘Cathedral Basilica’, while not as big as that one, is quite impressive in itself.  The time I spent in the Cathedral this afternoon was as expected, serene, and I left after lighting some candles and picking up souvenirs.  I took a cab to my next destination, which was ‘Missouri Botanical Garden’.  After getting a coffee in the Café, I entered the gardens and for the next couple of hours explored the place, walking alongside small ponds and waterfalls and at one place, navigating through a maze.  Being the 1^st week of spring, the garden wasn’t in its full bloom yet, but it was still a place worth visiting.  There was an ‘Orchid’ exhibit and I stopped to see that; remembering a photography assignment that I had done in a similar exhibit a lifetime ago.  I decided to take a break for an hour or so and made my way back to the hotel to recharge.

An evening on 'Washington Street'

In the early evening I came down to the lobby and once again, asked the ‘Concierge’ where I should go for the evening.  The recommendation was to go down ‘Washington Street’ – a few blocks away – as that was where the folks usually came out on Saturday evening.  My first stop was at a place called “Robust Wine Bar’, a nice and relaxed place.  I sat at the bar with a flight of ‘Sparkling Wine’ and 'Cheese Plate' and chatted with the gentleman over there about the city and the wine.  Then I set off down the street and past dozens of restaurants and bars along it, thinking about where to go next.  It was a lovely evening and I found myself getting charmed by the city.  I peeked inside a window and saw a good looking bar inside ‘Renaissance Hotel’ and so went in for a cocktail.  I looked around me and saw an interesting sight.  Dozens of people were dressed like they had stepped out of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ video.  Either there was some sort of ‘Zombie/Horror’ convention in town or I was severely under dressed!  

Even better at night

After that I went over to another wine bar called ‘Copia’ for dinner and a fishbowl sized cocktail, after which I was ready for the hotel.  The walk back was lovely, since in the background was the ‘Arch’, beautifully lit and always the dominating presence.  I saw people riding in carriages which looked like set pieces from ‘Cinderella’ and a coffee shop – which was closed – but advertised St. Louis’s best ‘Gooey Butter Cake’, whatever that meant.  I made a mental note of looking that up and if possible coming here to try it out in the morning.

Carriage seats inside the 'Arch'

The next morning I had tickets to go up the ‘Arch’ but I did want to try the ‘Butter Cake’.  So I walked up to the self-proclaimed champions of that dessert - ‘Park Avenue Coffee’ - to try it out for myself.  Now, while it is certainly a delicious concoction, it is also extremely dense and like the “Elvish Lembas Bread”, I was satisfied after a few bites.  I then made my way to the ‘Courthouse’ to pick up my tickets for the ‘Arch’.  As I approached the monument, its grand scale became evident.  I must admit that there was a sense of vertigo as I stood under the ‘Arch’ and looked skyward.  I went inside the building at the base and stood in line with some of the other tourists to get inside the small trolley that takes people up to the apex.  And when I say small, I mean really really tiny.  It is nothing more than a box with 5 seats, which rises laterally through the sides of the ‘Arch’.  A young couple was supposed to ride in my carriage but at the last minute the lady saw the claustrophobic interior and burst into tears.  She said that there was no way that she wanted to be in there and urged her companion to go up with us and he did.  Once on top the view was spectacular but the observation deck itself was a narrow corridor, which due to the curvature, presented an unsure footing.  But it did give us a good look at the city and the Mississippi.

I came down and walked about a bit in the fields and went back to the ‘Courthouse’ to take a look at some of the exhibits in that building.  It was close to lunch time and I picked up my bag at the hotel and headed back to ‘Rooster Café’.  If there’s one thing I do during my travels, it’s that when I find a good place to eat, I extract maximum out of it.  I found myself at the same table and Rachel recognized me from the previous day.  This time she recommended that I try the ‘Crepes’ for which they are known, and then visit the ‘Saint Louis Science Center’ before my flight in the evening.  I spent the afternoon in the museum, which is very unique in the way it uses “hands-on” technique to educate kids and adults alike on scientific principles. 

I took a cab to the airport after a short but enjoyable visit.  I had been in Saint Louis for just over a day, but that had been enough for me to appreciate the city, which is more than just the 'Gateway Arch'.  It had been another successful stop on the ‘51/51’ tour.