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Perfect Spot In Town
A view of The Gateway Arch behind the Old Courthouse behind the fountain Another first for me was to take the train on an interstate trip. We took the
Amtrakfrom Chicago Union Station to St. Louis Gateway Station (STL). I was looking forward to a scenic 5-hour trip, but there was not really much to see except for the Silver Cross Field at Joliet and the lush greens.
We arrived at STL at noon and that's when the view got interesting. The train crossed the
Mississippi River which borders the two states, Missouri and Illinois. Our friends picked us up at the St. Louis Gateway Station which was also filled with people travelling via the bus liner, Greyhound.
First stop, the farmer's market
There's one major thing that my friend, Maret and I have in common -- we both love to cook and talk about food! Obviously, our first stop was the Soulard Farmer's Market which was established since 1779.
The sun was glaring and we could really feel the summer heat. Despite that, it was a pleasure roaming around the fresh market filled with very affordable produce. I felt quite jealous when Maret says this market is open year-round! With Chicago's bitter cold winter, such is impossible.
We drove around
town and passed by the Busch Stadium, the Purina headquarters, etc. We wanted some crab legs and squid for dinner so we went to an Asian seafood supermarket and there I saw some Manila clams! In the Philippines, we call it
halaan. (Manila is the capital of the Philippines, in case you don't know. So, I wonder, do Manila clams really come from the Philippines?)
We all had a great time chopping up the fruits we got from the farmer's market. We were cooking and chatting and having a wonderful time! I was so happy when Maret cooked the squid Adobo-style. She was the answer to my Filipino food craving! She's a fabulous cook who doesn't measure her ingredients. Instead, she relies on her senses... a dash of vinegar, a little more of soy sauce, a leaf of bay leaf... tada!
Adobong Pusit (Squid Adobo)! So yummy! It was even better the next day! We had a fun night of food, Wii Rockband (which I tried also for the first time), and videoke. I think I have some potential with the drums!
The way to The Gateway Arch
Our friends drove us around downtown St. Louis for the day.
Fresh local produce
At Soulard Farmer's Market We passed by the St. Louis Riverfront and snapped pictures at the President Casino which looked like a floating casino of some sort. In a few minutes, we were welcomed by the sight of The Gateway Arch. It was starting to drizzle but that did not dampen our spirits to enjoy the day.
Inside, we took a little ride (tram) that brought us up the arch. There's like this ferris wheel built inside the arch. The cars were relatively and reasonably small. Atop the arch, we see every landmark in the city through small windows rectangular windows. I appreciate how the city is layout in such a way that the important structures were built close to each other. We took the tram back down to see the museum where we saw Indian American statues and various replicas. It was where I first read about the Lewis and Clark Expedition -- which sounds like the Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, which I am familiar with. It's just amazing to learn something new!
We walked a few blocks to get to the Capitol. We even witnessed a ceremony where people were taking their oath as new citizens
of the United States. Oh, they had free fans! We all took one because it was very warm walking in the sun. We had snacks at Saint Louis Bread Company which is actually Panera Bread that is known all over the country! I learned that Panera came from Saint Louis!
Budweiser Anheuser-Busch Plant
Saint Louis is popular for having the Budweiser Anheuser-Busch Plant. We booked a free tour in advance which last for about an hour. The tour guide gave us an overview of how beer is processed from grains of barley, also known as malt. There are lots to see in the plant. I am especially impressed with the very healthy horses in the stable. Still, I wonder if they were there solely for the purpose of showing how the company used to transport bottle of beer. The tour ended with free beer at the plant's cafeteria. And because it was July 4th, we were all treated for a free round! Fortunately for my friends, I do not like the taste of beer -- I never did. So I munched on the free pretzels instead while they take my 2 glasses of beer.
We went back to
my friend's house for a quick dinner. We hopped into the car and parked it at the train station. We decided to go back downtown for the fireworks via train because parking will obviously be very difficult. Unfortunately, we didn't make it early enough so we only saw the last 2 minutes of the fireworks show. The commute going back was a lot more difficult but we amused ourselves by people-watching and making the most of our time there. My favorite part was walking along
Laclede's Landing where there were cobblestone streets and vintage warehouses that now have little shops and restaurants. The streets were very much alive and people were in the mood to party all night.
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis
The next day was a Sunday. We heard mass at the Basilica which boasts of its two massive towers and a green-tiled dome from the outside. Inside, it is studded with intricate mosaic art. There is so much mosaic art in it and I have never seen anything like it! I am not quite surprised to know that it took almost a hundred years to get all that mosaic done. Every part of the basilica had
a story to tell. They depict the life of Jesus or of the saints. I can only imagine how much work, time and money has been spent to get this beautiful church done.
Best BBQ in Town
My friends have never heard of Pappy's though they've lived here for some time. I asked if we could try it out and I have TravelBlog to thank for this piece of information. Our meal was fabulous! It was a feast of pork goodness! We had ribs, and pulled pork sandwiches. For our side dish, we had sweet potato fries, potato salad and coleslaw. I heard that there were days when they run out of ribs to serve as early as lunch time. I am so glad that there were not many people in the restaurant at that time and so we had a pleasant and peaceful meal. My friends came back a few weeks after and can't believe what they saw -- a very very long line of people waiting for their turn to have a rack of perfectly cooked ribs.
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