Leaving St. Louis

It's a strange feeling leaving St. Louis after a week here, and somewhat sad. I know I'm flying to New York this evening and it's highly likely to be considerably more exciting than anything I've ever experienced. Still, this part of the trip has been a nostalgic experience as much as revisiting the city through more 'adult' eyes.

The beautiful building that is the  Washington University in St. Louis.

The city itself hasn't changed too much, although some things are different (or perhaps they seem different to me). However, I think it's myself that has changed more in the 13 and a half years since I first came. That's not surprising, given I was only 15 when I last came, but it certainly makes for some interesting observations on things I didn't even notice or think about last time.

Morning refreshment at Kaldi Coffee CO.

Anyway, this isn't a blog piece down memory lane or a place for my philosophical musings (which you all probably know I'm bad for), but a summary of the trip. Our last full day yesterday was spent mainly around the arch - we finally made our way back to the top in one of the tram/cable cars that pull you up one leg and then back down the other (after some time at the top).

Looking up at the arch from ground level.

Going up the arch is an, or even the essential experience to undertake when coming to St. Louis. The true scale of the structure is only apparent when you get to the top, and unlike other more linear structures the sensation of walking on a curved floor reminds you where you are and is quite astounding. The lack of a large steel arch in the view over the city is slightly perturbing, but it gives you a chance to see other landmarks you may not have focused on from down on the ground.

Inside the arch at the very top, 630 feet up.

We spent around 20 minutes up there taking photos and generally taking into account just where we were, 630 feet off the ground. The arch cost $15 million to build and we discovered that the architect, Eero Saarinen, who designed the monument didn't even live long enough to see construction begin - quite a tragedy really, but at least his memory lives on.

Downtown St. Louis as seen from the top of the arch.

We didn't really do much else for the rest of the day. We took the metro back to Union Station and I returned to the Schlafly tap room to buy my cycle jersey (I just couldn't leave it). We then returned to the hotel via the supermarket to get some last night snacks and headed back to pack. Checkout from the hotel is in 10 minutes so it's time for one last trip downtown to do my whiskey distillery tour at Still630 distillery, then lunch at Broadway Oyster Bar before heading back to the airport.

View of St. Louis as seen through a window of the arch.

It's been a blast St. Louis. Who knows when I'll be back again, probably not for a while, but I definitely hope to return in future, even if just for a few days. I probably won't spend a week here again, but then there's still a lot of the US left for me to explore! Montana next year anyone? In the meantime, New York here I come!!!!

Star wars, cycle jerseys and science museums

Today dawned cloudy as per yesterday, and with a little rain but fortunately no storms. Our first destination was Forest Park, as we had decided to finally do the Science Center. The Center was very loud and full of school kids and reminded me of a kids play area back home which my nieces love. Still, we weren't there to explore the museum so much as to go to the IMAX cinema we'd visited previously in 2002. Admission was $9 and we saw an inspiring film about a group of three people exploring America's national parks and trying out all sorts of adventurous activities, from ice rock climbing to mountain biking in and around famous canyons and climbing tall rocks.

Ceramic Star Wars mugs on display at the Science Center - shame they're not for sale!

The cinema itself is astounding, and whilst not in 3D, the films present on a huge domed screen (the largest I've ever seen) and you literally feel as if you're right there with the guys in the film. You climb up to your seat and the seats are arranged in such a way that you immediately lean back in your seat and look skywards. It's quite an experience and one I won't forget in a hurry. Prior to going to the cinema we also had a brief look around the Missouri History Museum, which stocked a great range of books and relics from American history.

The pretty awesome film we saw at the Omnimax theatre.

We headed back downtown afterwards as when we left the museum the weather had improved dramatically and we decided to take our chances and go up the Gateway Arch whilst it was nice. Unfortunately tickets had sold out for the day so we bought them for tomorrow afternoon and watched the 30 minute movie detailing the arch's construction. To say it's 50 years old the quality was amazing and they clearly went to special lengths to document the construction of the arch. It's a real find and definitely worth watching as a tribute to this historical monument.

Pretty cool merchandise and memorabilia on display - love the bike theme!

We were getting pretty hungry by this point so headed over to Union Station towards the Schlafly tap room, home of one of the local breweries and offering a good range of hearty food in addition to a range of beers on draft. They also sold some cool merchandise so I picked up a cool tshirt, a couple of bottle openers and an awesome poster print detailing the local breweries in St! Louis overlaid on a map.

A map of local breweries on display at the tap house.

I really had to resist getting one of the cycle jerseys they had on sale for $60 as I felt I'd spent enough over the course of the day and couldn't really justify buying it (I have a pretty sizeable collection at home). That's not to say I won't return for it though! On the way back to the metro we took a slightly different route back that revealed some fantastic views of the old Union Station and I couldn't resist the photo opportunity. We also checked out the very classy hall inside where you could sit for drinks etc. - presumably this was the old waiting hall for trains, and was ever so majestic, now part of an expensive (and tasteful) hotel. We also got to look inside the station as the food court was open which overlooks the former shopping area. Only two food places were open and it really does look a shadow of it's former self. Such a shame to see a really beautiful building ( partially) gone to waste.

The oh-so-cool cycling Jersey from the Schlafly tap room.

There was a bit of trouble on the metro on the way home with a local gang of some sort having a bit of a to-do with each other. Fortunately the security on the platform at Forest Park station courted them off and we were able to continue our journey. Unfortunately we ended up missing our hourly bus connection due to the trouble so ended up staying on the train to the airport then coming back just to kill some time.

The glorious Union Station, no longer a railway terminus.

Tomorrow is our last full day in St. Louis so we're going to finally ascend the arch ourselves (if the promised storm doesn't come) and may check out another record store we've been recommended. Then it's off back to the hotel to pack our suitcases and spend our last night relaxing before boarding our plane back to New York where the real fun is set to begin!

Sounds of St. Louis

Today has been a pretty good day, with the exception of the weather. As I write, the sky is being lit up brightly by lightning outside the window of our hotel room, and by all accounts we missed a huge hailstorm earlier - somehow we seem to keep avoiding them with no apparent knowledge!

Colourful hotel sign indicating where my Dad stayed in 1999.

We started the day in somewhat nostalgic fashion, taking Dad to see the Residence Inn where he'd previously stayed whilst working here in 1999. The friendly staff at the reception asked us about our stay here and showed us inside one of the self-contained apartments which Dad said hadn't changed too much from the time he first came here.

One of the nice apartments where my Dad guested.

Afterwards we moved on to the Galleria shopping centre just across a wide highway from the Residence Inn. As with most shopping malls it was the usual not-so-eclectic mix of clothes shops, electronics and food places, together with other high end goods, but at least it got us out of the rain which started just before we got in there.

The very wide road near the Galleria shopping centre.

I did have a look in American Eagle's clothing store which had a few nice t-shirts and a good range of boxer shorts, as well as H&m which had a nice New York T-shirt I hadn't seen in the UK. I also bought some luxury Belgian chocolates from Godiva in the lower part of the mall. We didn't hang around but instead had a quick coffee and a snack at St. Louis Bread Co. before going back to the metrolink station.

The pretty cool and quirky area known as the Delmar Loop.

We got the metrolink to Skinker station (funny name) which is just on the edge of Forest Park and also a short walk from the Delmar Loop. The Delmar Loop is a long street of shops and eating places, and seems to be more sure of itself than other areas we've explored in St. Louis. It has a lot of neon signs and tram tracks laid down (seemingly with no trams running) and feels a bit like old world America, if such a thing exists, kind of like the setting for Hill Valley in Back to the Future (!)

One of the many colourful signs in Delmar Loop.

Whilst on the street we ventured into a place called Subterranean Books (curiously with no downstairs) and a record store called Vintage Vinyl. This store was particularly cool and had wide ranging sections from blues, folk, soul to local and world music, as well as a whole section dedicated to Prince. Some good prices were to be had as well as some rarities, and I took a chance on a folk/roots/bluegrass album by New Yorker Eileen Ivers (appropriate), as well as a compilation of local artists traversing a number of genres including blues, folk, country and rock which seems pretty appropriate for music from this neck of the woods.

A couple of CDs by a mix of local artists and a native New Yorker.

As it turns out both CD's are excellent and seem set to be good reminders of my time here (although I haven't gotten to New York yet). I left the store feeling very satisfied and wondered what other cool record stores I might find in New York (Rough Trade aside). Whilst making our way slowly back to the metro station I took the time to study the LA-esque stars in the sidewalk commemorating local legends and those with a link to the city -  including Tina Turner, Chuck Berry and Pierre Laclede, after whom Laclede's Landing is named downtown.

Statue of Chuck Berry.

There was also a statue of Chuck Berry just off the sidewalk, as well as a number of cool coffee places selling great coffee and interesting flavours of tea. The whole area has a cool vibe but is not too crowded, and is definitely worth a visit. Lastly, I picked up a copy of the latest Riverfront Times, a cultural guide to what's hot and what's not in the city, as well as detailed listings. There's a live blues band on in town tomorrow night so may make an effort to get there and see that. For now it's time to settle in with some more TV (once the signal comes back on 'cos of the storm!

Latest copy of the Riverfront Times - cool cover!

On a parting note it's struck me that when I wake up tomorrow it will be two days until we're bound for New York. Excitement is definitely starting to build but I'm conscious of the fact I need to make the most of my time left in St. Louis, as I'm not likely to come back here as soon as I am to New York. Chances are I won't even have time to blog in New York, but here's hoping I will try!

Fish, crisps and Central West End.

Today was something of a mixed day, in the sense that it was enjoyable but nothing really out of the ordinary. When we woke up for  breakfast, the weather was very cloudy and the rain was coming down fast. Gone were the shorts of yesterday and out came the long trousers! However fortunately after breakfast the clouds cleared and the rain stopped - not long after we went out the sun came out and it actually became very hot.

Downtown St. Louis.

To start the day off we headed to the Gateway Transportation Centre, otherwise known as the main railway station, served by Amtrak trains to Kansas etc. and by Greyhound and Megabus to other destinations. Unfortunately, railway station is something of a misnomer. The place feels more like an outdated waiting room with not a train in sight and not even a departures board.

Self-indulgent picture in downtown St. Louis.

It certainly can't hold a candle to the wonderful building that is/was Union Station, and I presume that this is the price paid for low cost air travel - still, St. Louis isn't on most tourist trails and therefore probably isn't as well served as other places. Nonetheless, I did pick up an Amtrak leaflet for the 'Adirondack' service between New York and Montreal, which I hope to complete (in full or in part) maybe next year.

The Old Courthouse with the Arch in the distance.

After this brief detour we headed back downtown so my Dad could buy a jacket he'd been hankering after to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the arch construction. Whilst he did so I headed upstairs in the courthouse to get the view from the top of the building and to see the old courtrooms previously used. It really is a stunning building, so unassuming on the outside but wondrous in it's myriad of rooms and staircases inside.

Glass model of the Old Courthouse.

Next up we caught the metro train to Central West End, a concentrated area of cafés, restaurants and shops, something which seems curiously missing downtown. I say concentrated, but the wide leafy cafe-strewn avenues are still broken up by long wide boulevards teeming with traffic. What the area sets out to achieve is nice, and towards the latter end it succeeds, but the wide traffic choked highways which break it up make it seem artificial somehow. Still I found an interesting local eco-friendly grocers (with no prices on anything) and an independent bookshop called Leftbank Books stocking a good range of local literature and books on the region.

One of the courtrooms in the historic Old Courthouse.

We ate in a Welsh bar today which had some excellent beers on draft, however I broke with  tradition by having a lovely cider from Urban Chestnut Brewing Company. Also tried a small sample of their pilsner which was utterly delicious and different to those I've tried before. Food was fish and chips which did in fact come with chips (i.e. crisps). Strange but surprisingly tasty.

Tree-lined streets in the Central West End.

The craft beer scene is clearly booming here as everywhere and with such tasty (and unique) brews on draft I just can't see why big corporate breweries making fizzy pig swill such as Anheuser Busch continue to exist. Still, there's no accounting for taste and each to their own I guess, I just prefer a quality taste over carbonated water :).

Llewellyn's Welsh pub in the Central West End.

Leaving the West End we decided to head back to the supermarket near our hotel which had grabbed our attention from the bus window. I know to some people this may be a bit weird, but I just love checking out local supermarkets when I'm on holiday - the shelves full of unique and colourful products that are different to those you see in tesco or sainsburys every day is just fascinating.

A selection of local beers from the supermarket 

In the end I came out with seven sachets of different flavoured hot chocolate, a nice warm up meal made fresh on the premises to take home and a 'summer patio pack' of beer bottles from the local Schlafly brewery. Twelve bottles for $12.99 with three of each style: Yakima wheat beer, Raspberry hefeweizen, summer lager and grape fruit IPA. The store also sold bottles of fireball cinnamon whiskey for only $12.99, with miniatures for just over a dollar, although I was more interested in the somewhat pricier (but still good value) local bourbon on display.

Evening time view from the hotel room.

I got back to the hotel to find I'd gotten email confirmation of the Still630 whiskey distillery tour I've pencilled in for Saturday before our flight. These are a local distillery who's name reflects the height (in feet) of the Gateway Arch previously mentioned. More on that later! Tomorrow it's off to Soulard (said to be like Brooklyn without the crazy prices) and maybe the St. Louis Science Centre. For now it's time to put my feet up and finish watching Back to the Future on CMT (once the commercials end)!

Beer, baseball and... rain

It's our second day in St. Louis and it dawned cool and cloudy, but by no means cold. We woke slightly earlier than yesterday due to the earlier breakfast time, together with the added excitement of yoghurts to the breakfast mix as well as actually having some waffles. We ventured out of the hotel about half past 10 to begin our second day exploration in  earnest.

Ballpark village next to the baseball stadium.

Our first port of call was the Busch Stadium, famous home of the local baseball team The Cardinals, and currently in it's third incarnation. Last time we were here the stadium was a circular Romanesque structure which looked like a Roman coliseum. However, this was flattened in 2006 to make way for the current replacement structure. Like it or not, the current structure looks pretty cool, although I think I preferred the old structure as it was more iconic. Still, things change and you have to roll with the punches!

View of the Gateway Arch from the Cardinal's home ground.

After visiting the baseball ground we made our way down south towards Lafayette Square, an elegant district of old Victorian homes and quality independent shops, and centred on a sizeable park. We didn't venture into park due to the rain, but ducked into Park Street Coffee, a local joint selling a good range of coffee, but not before going in a shop called Four Muddy Paws which sold the most amazing dog biscuits with icing that looked good enough for us humans to eat!

The most colourful dog biscuits in the world?

We then headed into the coffee shop, which stocked a wide range of the locally traditional (and famous) gooey butter cake. I had the key lime variety, a simple twist on the original recipe but utterly delicious with my cappuccino. The cafe also had big (454g) bags of coffee on sale for between $14 and $16 - not bad value when you consider the size and the quality of the coffee. Nonetheless I didn't buy any at this point and we moved on to our next stop.

Traditional gooey butter cake at Park Avenue Coffee - a local delicacy.

This was a store called Looking Glass Designs run by a local woman who must have been approaching 70. She spent around half an hour just chatting to us about the city, our travels and what to see and eat in the city. This seems to be a habit of people here but it's nice and I ended up buying a lovely pair of owl earrings as a present before moving on. The lady wrapped them up so nicely and even gave us a nice jewellery roll made of cloth to keep them nice for travelling.

Traditional Street sign in Lafayette Square.

By this point we were getting hungry so went into Square One Brewery and Distillery, a restaurant and bar that brews it's own beer and distils it's own whiskey, rum etc. You'd be forgiven for thinking the place might be overstretching itself with all that going on but it manages to be great at all three of them. I had a sample rack of four beers; Park Avenue Pale Ale, Single Malt Scotch Ale, In Hawaii and a truly delicious Maple Stout infused with maple syrup from Vermont as the name suggests.

Delicious local beers from Square one brewery and distillery.

All the beers were delicious and it was great to see all the different colours lined up on the tray together. To accompany the beer I ate a Stout-braised pot roast served with mashed potato and green beans. To end my stay here I had a look around and saw both the mash tun where the whiskey is distilled and the barrels where the whiskey is kept through a glass section in the floor. To end the visit I bought one of the small glasses and a neat looking old style whiskey glass.

Local brews on sale in the Field Foods supermarket.

Last stop for the day was a local supermarket called Field Foods specialising in local produce and  products. I bought some Salted Caramel coffee (!) and spent a while perusing the craft beer section although I noticed many of them were quite expensive, ($7 and up), so I didn't buy any at this stage. I was pleased to spot  6 packs from the local independent Schlafly brewery though, with some very interesting flavours and for only $9. I'm planning to visit the Schlafly bottleworks and tap before I leave town so with luck I'll be able try some of their brews too.

Local supermarket specialising in local products.

Now it's time to sit back and enjoy some quintessentially American television! Until tomorrow.

Gateway to the West

Today was our first full day in St. Louis, Missouri after a mammoth 22 hours on the go yesterday including a flight from Manchester to JFK, a transfer from JFK to Newark and then onwards to St. Louis with a pickup in Chicago. We had the pick of plane seats on the first leg, but after Chicago the flight was full. It's such a short flight from St. Louis to Chicago that I barely had time to drink my coffee! Fortunately the flight was generally smooth and we arrived at our hotel just after 10pm. We had a gas station supper due to the late hour (read: chicken burger and poptarts) from the gas station next to the hotel, following which I crashed into bed and was asleep in what felt like milliseconds.

View of the garden from our hotel room.

We woke the next morning to have breakfast in the hotel which was pretty decent (I got fairly excited by the waffle iron) and then decided to head downtown to see some old haunts. First up was Union Station, a former railway station turned shopping mall, which unfortunately has now closed for renovations and will be 'opening soon'. Nonetheless I had a pleasant time feeding the fish in the pond outside for 25c from a vending machine. I also discovered out the back of the 'station' some US railroad wagons which my Dad said he'd seen in 1999 when he first came here, but definitely didn't show me when he brought us here in '02.

Restaurant outside Union Station.

Next up we got back on the metro from Union Station to 8th and Pine which is the stop for the Gateway Arch, a humongous 630ft steel arch erected in honour of Jefferson's role in the westward expansion of the US in the 19th century. It's as wide as it is tall and dominates the skyline over the river Mississippi. It is a beautiful thing to behold and never fails to take my breath away.

First sighting of the arch from Union Station, downtown.

Unfortunately there are building works going on around the base of the arch at the  moment, so it is less than scenic on the ground. Still, it should look great when finished and with most eyes faced skyward it doesn't matter too much. You can still go up it, but the underground museum where you enter the cars which take you to the top is temporarily placed in the Old Courthouse, which you now pass through on the way to the arch.

The Old Courthouse.

The Old Courthouse was as such our first port of call, and is an amazing building in itself. The building is (or was) as the name suggests and, and is dominated in the middle by a tall dome with ornate columns on the balustrades of the second and third floors overlooking the rest of the building. It's possible to climb up to these and the sensation is quite thrilling and dizzying. It really is a beautiful building and I plan to return before the end of the trip.

On approach to the Gateway Arch.

The gift shop had a great range of books, models of the arch, DVDs and other things and didn't seem to suffer from the same fate as others being full of nothing but tatty tourist junk - even the t-shirts were nice! I bought a nice metallic bookmark of the arch and a reprinted newspaper print detailing the completion of the arch in 1965 - amazingly, it celebrated it's 50th anniversary last year. I also got some saltwater taffy!! Fruit flavoured candies at 10c a pop which are just delicious. As with many things about the US I heard about these from an episode of Friends - don't judge me too much!!

One of the steel legs of the Gateway Arch.

OK enough about the arch. We were trying to take today steady so as not to overdo it after our long day yesterday. We headed over to Laclede's landing, one of the more historic cobbled districts of St. Louis. It's very compact and has lost a lot of the antique shops it once had. Still, it's narrow tree lined streets make a nice change from the more built up parts of St. Louis. We had food at the Morgan Street brewery, complete and with a pint of locally brewed black lager (delicious) and, in my case at least, a blue cheese burger with bacon and fried mash balls - hey, it's our first day in America!

One of the cobbled streets in Laclede's landing.

Afterward we headed back to the hotel which took a while as we just missed a connecting bus from the transport interchange at North Hanley station. On the metro train back we bumped into a woman who had been chatting to us with her friends on the train into town for a baseball game - The Cardinals lost. Little did we expect that on the train back we would be engulfed by the returning fans! The games are really well attended, and seem very popular with older residents even more than the young! They were a cheerful crowd though and didn't seem to be like hooligans at all, unlike many football fans in the UK. Time for bed now, as today suddenly feels longer than it has been. Here's to another day of exploration tomorrow!

Two weeks to go

I'm now two weeks away from my trip to New York and the USA and the reality of it all is now very much dawning on me. I keep wandering around in a state of shock, unable to believe that I'm actually going and it's only round the corner. I finally bought some dollars this week as the exchange rate hit $1.44 and that made it seem even more real. I still have more to get but that doesn't change the fact that this is a huge deal for me.

I know transatlantic travel is easier (and cheaper) now and more people than ever are travelling around the world on a regular basis seeking fortune  and, in my case, adventure. For me however, this still isn't something I do regularly or am able to as this trip has cost me about a month's wages (not including spending money). I could potentially have done the trip a little cheaper but the US isn't cheap and I'm not going all that way to share a small hostel room with several other people (at least not on my first time out there for 14 years!).

I don't know too many people who can just decide they're going to America and actually do it - families, mortgages to pay for and children all cost money. All of which reminds me I'm simply not ready for that (and maybe never will be!)  I'd much rather spend my hard earned cash at this stage on an exciting adventure such as this one. My living costs are lower than many other people's I know but it still isn't an easy trip to make with all the planning involved and getting time off work.

Anyway enough waffling. I've got my sights so far set on visiting the 9/11 memorial museum, Ellis Island and the New York Transit Museum, as well as seeing the street with the Friend's apartment building on it, just to convince myself it really does exist!! Let's not forget of course that New York will come second, and I'm staying in Brooklyn first, not Manhattan (kind of a mistake on my part, maybe?).

Also, the first stop before New York is St. Louis, for fun and relaxation, but I'm expecting New York to be the big hitter, where I cram in so much and still only scrape the surface. I can already see myself leaving the city wanting more, and will hopefully return the following year during my *gasp* 30th year. Possibly not in May, like this year, but maybe in September - the other time when the city shouldn't be too hot! Here's hoping the next few weeks pass with relative speed...

Over and out.