Friday, June 17, 2005
Day 22: Chicago to St Louis
June 17: Today, I headed to St Louis for a very last-minute organised weekend with some family friends very close to my heart. Will be returning to my planned itinerary on Sunday when I head down to Orlando, Florida.
In short, Lisa is like my god-mother, Alan is her husband, and Ben, Josh and Dan are like younger brothers to me. They moved to the USA a few years ago and I really haven't spent much time with them since they left Syndey over 12 years ago (where they then headed to Melbourne).
After being greeted at the airport, I got a scenic route home of St Louis and the beutiful homes and tree-lined street of Clayton (suburb). With Ben and Josh (university age, home for the summer), we went down to 'the loop' for lunch at the famous Blueberry Hill cafe/bar where Chuck Berry started his music career (and I got to taste toasted ravioli, which is a specialty here), and drove around the well-known Washington University campus area.
We then went over to the city downtown area, to walk along the riverfront of the Mississippi River (where I saw that the state of Illinois is literally on the other side of the quite narrow river), and visited The Arch - St Louis' most famous site. It's the largest monument in the USA standing at over 630 feet tall. It's a massive arch made of steel, and it symbolises the 'gateway to the west'. Underneath is a museum about the Westward Expansion, Lewis & Clark's journey along the Missouri River (note: The Mississippi and Missouri Rivers meet in St Louis), and we watched a documentary on the making of the arch, which was quite interesting, but due to a few late nights lately, I almost fell asleep!
Had a great afternoon with the boys, it's been a long time coming. I've heard a lot about St Louis and their lifestyle here, so it's great to finally be here, spending time with the whole family. I think I'm spoilt having them all here at once, as nowadays the boys are usually at college or away in the summer - just good timing I guess.
Dinner was a nice home-cooked meal... and my first shabbat dinner while away. A nice relaxing evening was had, along with a good long night's sleep.
In short, Lisa is like my god-mother, Alan is her husband, and Ben, Josh and Dan are like younger brothers to me. They moved to the USA a few years ago and I really haven't spent much time with them since they left Syndey over 12 years ago (where they then headed to Melbourne).
After being greeted at the airport, I got a scenic route home of St Louis and the beutiful homes and tree-lined street of Clayton (suburb). With Ben and Josh (university age, home for the summer), we went down to 'the loop' for lunch at the famous Blueberry Hill cafe/bar where Chuck Berry started his music career (and I got to taste toasted ravioli, which is a specialty here), and drove around the well-known Washington University campus area.
We then went over to the city downtown area, to walk along the riverfront of the Mississippi River (where I saw that the state of Illinois is literally on the other side of the quite narrow river), and visited The Arch - St Louis' most famous site. It's the largest monument in the USA standing at over 630 feet tall. It's a massive arch made of steel, and it symbolises the 'gateway to the west'. Underneath is a museum about the Westward Expansion, Lewis & Clark's journey along the Missouri River (note: The Mississippi and Missouri Rivers meet in St Louis), and we watched a documentary on the making of the arch, which was quite interesting, but due to a few late nights lately, I almost fell asleep!
Had a great afternoon with the boys, it's been a long time coming. I've heard a lot about St Louis and their lifestyle here, so it's great to finally be here, spending time with the whole family. I think I'm spoilt having them all here at once, as nowadays the boys are usually at college or away in the summer - just good timing I guess.
Dinner was a nice home-cooked meal... and my first shabbat dinner while away. A nice relaxing evening was had, along with a good long night's sleep.
# posted by mishij @ 8:11 PM 
