St. Louis

So it was a fairly uneventful 2 day train run to St Louis which is fine as it gives Tweedy a chance to recover from the six pack weekend. I may not work now but I can still remember how tiring it can be to do shows back to back trying to find some time during the day to actually eat, knowing that you can't actually stop for a second because you know that would be the end of any energy you actually have. I am so pleased we don't drive. With the weather changing and the views not being that striking on this run less time was spent of the vestibule, though that doesn't mean it wasn't a good journey. I love train runs for so many reasons.

The season has definitely changed and we arrived to a wet, muddy train yard. It almost feels like we are back home. I wish the weather had been better as St Louis seemed to have a lot going for it and I think if it had been nicer weather we may have done a bit more, like go to the park with a free zoo and science museum for starters.

One of the must see tourist things to do in St Louis is 'The Gateway Arch' and since it is so tall (America's tallest man made monument in fact) it isn't actually that hard to see it. You can take a tram ride to the top of the arch but we didn't bother as there were days when you couldn't see the top because of the fog so thought we probably wouldn't get the best views. We did visit the Museum of Westward Expansion beneath the Arch though so even though we didn't go up it we did go in it.

The architect is very odd in this city, interesting but odd all the same. It seems a really mish mash pickle all layered on top of each other. You would turn a corner and some amazing building would be just sat there among all the others.



The City Garden was quite nice with loads of sculptures, water features and art dotted around. On one of the walls is a large TV that shows short films. The one we watched was called 'The Way things go' which was a chain reaction film using fire, water, chemicals and gravity. It was very odd sat in a chilly park watching TV.



The City Museum, is not really a museum, it is an artistic playground mainly for adults, made from recycled things collected from the city, including a couple of airplanes and a school bus. The building use to be an old shoe factory and there is still evidence of this today and you can slide down one of the original shuts after you have climbed the seven store high windy staircase. There are caves made from the skeletons of dinosaurs and some holes so small even Willow struggled not to get stuck. The ball pit is filled with real balls of various sizes, the sort you kick not the small plastic things ball pits are usually filled with. There is the roof top with a Ferris wheel, a fire pit for marshmallows, a bar to drink, live music to listen too, the list goes on and on and on Friday and Saturday night open till 1am. If I lived here I would be a regular that is for sure, no words can do this place justice. If you are even just passing through St Louis and you do nothing else you must go here.