St. Louis

Things We Liked

Kiener Plaza
I am not sure how safe the steep, wet steps are, but Oscar and all of the other kids and adults playing had an absolute blast. I wish we had something like this, perhaps with less-steep steps, here in our city. What a great idea!


Kiener Plaza - Source

Citygarden
Oscar had fun running around in the water and jumping from rock to rock. I think he liked Kiener Plaza more, but Citygarden is less dangerous.


Citygarden - Source

Citygarden - Source

The Arch
I made reservations in advance on the internet, so I was surprised that we still had to spend 90 minutes waiting in lines. Oscar handled all of the waiting very well, and he had so much fun and was so excited when we finally made it to the top of the Arch that it was all worth it. It would have been nice to know in advance to set aside at least two hours for the Arch experience.

Arch - Source

Riverboat Cruise
We had a great time on the boat. Oscar sat really well the entire hour, and we had fun seeing the less-beautiful parts of the city and taking pictures. The Riverboat gift shop is tiny but has things that the Arch gift shop does not (snow globes!!!).


Arch Riverboat - Source

The St. Louis Zoo
We spent five hours at the zoo and had so much fun. We both loved the train, which has four stops and goes through tunnels. Oscar really loved seeing the cocoons and chrysalises and the Butterfly Dome in the Insectarium. The zoo is laid out well, and the exhibits are neat. I can't believe admission to a zoo this size is free.



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Bailey's Range
Bailey's is famous for its shakes (made from homemade ice cream) and burgers (made from Missouri-raised, grass-fed beef). I had a salted caramel shake, Oscar had a chocolate shake, and we split a Smoke Bomb and fries with chipotle ketchup. The Smoke Bomb is a smoked beef patty with chipotle cashew butter, red onion, cilantro, fontina, and chipotle mayo. We skipped the red onion. AMAZING. I would eat there every single day if I could.


Bailey's Range - Source

Sauce on the Side
Sauce on the Side is a calzone restaurant. Oscar and I split a Meat Me in St. Louie, and it was amazing. The Meat Me in St. Louie has pepperoni, Italian sausage, provel, mascarpone, and ricotta. Bonus: They have Mello Yello. It's a neat, clean place with friendly owners and employees and excellent food, and so I was surprised by how empty the place was.


Sauce on the Side - Source

Things We'll Do Next Time

City Museum


City Museum - Source

Grant's Farm

Grant's Farm - Source

National Park Trips

Oscar and I love hiking and exploring the outdoors, and I would love for us to visit a few national parks in the 14 years between now and when he goes to college. Here are the five national parks that I currently think about the most.

1. Glacier
Oscar really wants to head out west, and Montana seems like a good place to start. Glacier National Park is huge. It looks like people hotel hop to be near different trail heads every few days. We will take the Amtrak to Glacier, pay for a cheap shuttle to our first hotel, and then use the free shuttle to hotel hop. We will definitely take a boat ride and hike our hearts out. The park recommends bringing bear spray. Oscar is already looking forward to writing that description into our budget spreadsheet (we add notes to items in certain categories since I do not save receipts after entering an expense into the spreadsheet). Glacier looks amazing.

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2. Crater Lake
I have wanted to visit Crater Lake ever since I saw a picture of it on a card I received 15 years ago. Oscar, who keeps track of what states he has visited, will be happy to be in Oregon for the first time. I have not done too much trip research on Crater Lake National Park at this point, but I am sure the hiking trails near the lake are amazing.

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3. Mesa Verde
This national park is a bit of a drive from the nearest Amtrak station, but I have a feeling it will be worth the effort to get there. Just viewing the pictures available on the internet leaves me awestruck, so I am sure actually visiting will have quite an effect on both me and Oscar. This trip will probably be a few years down the road because I want Oscar to really appreciate what he will be seeing there.

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4. Hawaii Volcanoes
Natural land features and natural disasters have both always fascinated me, so seeing another volcano would make me very happy. I did a volcano project for science fair in second grade, I had the opportunity to stand atop Mount Vesuvius in the late 90s, and I took a fascinating geology course on volcanoes as an undergrad (volcanology has nothing to do with Star Trek - apparently that confused a lot of people). Volcanoes fascinate me, and I hope Oscar finds them interesting as well. This trip is probably a few years down the road, too. I would love to bring my mom along and stick her on the Hawaiian beach for a week.

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5. Zion
Cory posts so many beautiful pictures of Zion that I have decided I must see the park for myself one day. I have not looked into visiting Zion, but I know that I would like to see it at some point in my life. It is difficult to imagine living so close to something so beautiful and having the opportunity to run there on a regular basis. Lucky Cory.

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April Favorites

Pancakes
Oscar was sick on Wednesday, and so we both took off a day and stayed at home. The poor little guy really wanted pancakes for dinner. I found a great recipe and made some delicious pancakes, and then he changed his mind about wanting pancakes for dinner. He hardly ate that day. I enjoyed my pancakes Wednesday night and Thursday morning and Friday morning. These are the best pancakes ever, and I look forward to making them again soon, hopefully when Oscar's appetite returns.

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Jason Statham
I love action movies, and Jason Statham is one of my favorite actors. Last night I watched Safe, and of course it was wonderful. The little Chinese girl was amazing. I don't believe I have ever seen a Jason Statham movie that I did not enjoy. My favorite thing about his movies is that the (usually limited) drama never gets in the way of the action. I can't stand it when romance or some overly-complex plot overshadows the action.

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John Sandford
Sci-fi and crime books are my favorites, and my dad, a big reader who shares my taste in books, passes on lots of great reads. Last night I started my first John Sandford book, Buried Prey, a great novel about the unsolved kidnapping of two young girls whose bodies are found 25 years later. It's a real page-turner, and I'm already looking forward to checking out Sandford's other books at the library. I like that Sandford captured my interest in the first few pages and then backed into the story, and I like that there are no boring, unnecessary parts that beg to be skimmed rather than read.

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U.S. Vacations

1. Amtrak Tour
Oscar loves trains, so taking a vacation on a train would be perfect. He is a great traveler, but I will probably wait a few years before taking him halfway across the country via public transportation. Our plan will be to drive five hours to the nearest Amtrak hub (Amtrak only stops in our city in the middle of the night), take a train to a national park, hike, catch a train back to the major hub, and drive home.


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2. Niagara Falls
We may even cross the border so that Oscar can call himself an international traveler. My mom took me, my little sister, and my best friend to Niagara Falls, and I remember every detail of that trip and of the stories of the Falls almost two decades later. Niagara Falls makes an impression.

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3. National Parks
Oscar and I are hiking enthusiasts, and I am hoping he will share my appreciation for the beauty of natural land features. I am putting together a short list of parks we want to visit. We recently visited Mammoth Cave and loved it so much that we will likely venture there again for more hiking and cave touring.

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4. Disney
Disney is so expensive that it pains me to add this to the list, but Oscar loves and really wants to meet Mickey and his pals. If he still loves Mickey next year, I may bite the bullet and plan the trip. I want him to be young enough for the experience to feel magical but old enough to remember it.

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