Dateline: September 12, 2014, St. Louis, Missouri
I dozed until an unheard of 8 am because the room was so dark I couldn’t get a sense of time- decided not to try to ride the bike in Illinois with such a late start-and it is downright chilly- in the 50s with mist and a steady river wind. It’s museum day! But not before I prove just how dark the room is when I turn off the lights to conserve power (coal trains running full here) and trip over the bicycle and nearly break a full length mirror in my handicap accessible room. Almost needed it there!
I drove over to Forest Park, the site of the World’s Fair, held in St. Louis in the early 1900s. It is bigger than Central Park, full of museums and zoos that are FREE. I spent 2.5 hrs at the fantastic Missouri History Museum and only saw the half of it.
St. Louis sits at the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri (remember the nude statue?) and so it was a huge center of trade in furs, lumber, and, yes, slaves. I’m writing many months after being at the museum, and I have forgotten way more than I remember, but it was fascinating. I had just finished reading Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker, so the fact that they had an audio of Elizabeth Keckley’s voice was stunning to me.
So hungry I could learn no more, I texted Emily, who was psyched to go for lunch. We headed to the Loop, a wonderful, walkable, eclectic neighborhood with every cuisine you could covet, and I succumbed to the regional pressure and dived into succulent ribs with a popover and 2 salads and ate every bite.
We walked back to Em’s apartment in University Heights and I met all her closest buddies and we had a nice chat. Em had work to do and has her own life to lead so I let her off the hook and went to the Art Museum and did a solid hour of European painting until I couldn’t appreciate another brushstroke.
I don’t want to bore you with paintings but suffice to say, it was very hard to choose only a few. I finished my Forest Park day at 5 pm at the JFK Memorial Forest, with a short walk in the last remaining forest in the park. Home to my room in Clayton, emails from referees for my women’s soccer team, talk with Kip, problems with taxes, life intruding on this solo time. It’s almost time to go home. Hoping for Illinois tomorrow- I don’t want to overstay my welcome with Emily though I love this hotel and I could get used to living in this wonderful city.
