My 27th birthday was that weekend so it was sort of a mini vacation/birthday trip. It was also my first time to St. Louis. A few years ago on a road trip from Northern Illinois all the way to Southern Missouri, we passed by St. Louis from a distance. You could see the Arch. I told myself I WILL go there someday. And I WILL go up in that Arch. And that's exactly what I did.
St. Louis is an amazing city. I love what it has to offer. I loved the fact that we could walk almost anywhere from our hotel. I also loved that we had a spectacular view of the Arch.
My favorite photos of St. Louis from our hotel room:
The view from out hotel room was even more spectacular after dark!
Our first day in St. Louis we walked around downtown and just enjoyed each others company. Now is probably a good time to mention that my Aunt Terri and Uncle Steve were staying in St. Louis as well. Before St. Louis I hadn't seen them in a 2 years. It was SO good to be able to spend time with them.
Here are some photos I took on our walk around the city:
Our second day in St. Louis we headed to the Zoo. It was free to get in. Which in my opinion is awesome since you don't see many free things these days! Although parking was not...We had a great time and saw all kinds of cool animals, insects, birds and reptiles. Because really, thats what you do at a zoo! =]
After the Zoo we ate at a gourmet Italian restaurant. With real home made Italian food. It was VERY good. Four cheese stuffed manicotti topped with alfredo sauce and a side of garlic bread? Can't go wrong there!
After eating ourselves into a food coma we managed to make it over to the St. Louis Botanical Garden. Spring was all around us. This place was so beautiful. I am so glad we spent some time there. We took a tram tour around the entire place and then walked through the Japanese gardens. It was absolutely breath taking.
Our third day in St. Louis we ate at another delicious Italian restaurant. Then we headed over to Busch stadium to watch the Cardinals vs. the Padres. I hadn't been to a baseball game since I was a kid so it was a lot of fun. The Cardinals won by the way.
Later that evening we went out to dinner for my birthday This time it wasn't Italian but instead a delicious goat cheese burger. Yum-o!
Here is a photo of me that night by the Arch. (Please excuse the poor quality of this photo. It was not on the right setting for night pictures.)
On our fourth and final day in St. Louis we did the Arch tour. To get up to the top of it you have to ride in an egg-shaped tram that hold five people. It is extremely snug in there so if you are claustrophobia you have been warned. It was definitely worth it though. The view from up there was nothing short of amazing!
After the Arch we said our goodbyes and headed out on our 5 1/2 hour drive back to Chicagoland. I had such a great time in St. Louis. I was sad to leave my Aunt and Uncle because after not seeing them for 2 years, 4 days was really not enough. But I am looking forward to seeing them again in a few months. We are going to stay at their gorgeous lake house in Southern Missouri. And this time my son Tyler and Rob get to come! =]
Since I am taking a new approach on my blog I wanted to try something new. Since I absolutely adore traveling and going to new places, I am going to share the things I liked and disliked about each place I go to. That way if any of you are planning on visiting you will have some things to keep in mind. But FYI these are just my opinions.
Likes:
*There are tons of things to do there.
-The Zoo (free)
-Botanical Garden
-Watch a Baseball Game
-Cruise around downtown
-Tons of great restaurants
-Art Museum (free)
-Check out the Cathedrals
-Check out the Old Courthouse
-Tour the Arch (highly recommend)
-Hang out down by the Mississippi River
*If you love Italian food St. Louis is the place for you. They have tons of authentic, gourmet restaurants. Just make sure you bring a BIG appetite.
*The friendly people. Unlike Chicago, St. Louis was full of nice people.
*The hotels are really nice and they offer a great view of downtown, depending on what room/floor you stay in.
Dislikes:
*The water at The Brewhouse. It was horrendous. It tasted like toilet water. Not that I have ever tasted toilet water, but you get the point. The food was great but the water not so much.
That concludes my trip to St. Louis. Thanks for reading!
Happy Tuesday!
