Hello peoples :)
I love traveling. Its as simple as that. I love seeing different parts of the world and getting to experience new things. Something that I think many people forget about when they decide they want to start traveling is their own home country. While international locations may appear to be more attractive, there's something to be said about the simplicity (and cost effectiveness) of exploring your native lands. I've lived my whole life in America but have yet to really see many parts of the country. To rectify this issue, I decided to visit my friend in St. Louis, Missouri and see what the Midwest is all about.
This vacation wasn't about rushing all over the city to see every last tourist attractions. Instead, I wanted to spend time with my friend (whom I haven't seen in a few months) and see St. Louis leisurely. Although I was in no hurry to see everything in St. Louis, I did have a list of must- sees and a loose schedule on when I wanted to do everything. Traveling is all about organization and background research. The worst thing any traveler can do in a place they have never visited before is to come unprepared. If you don't know anything about the city you are in, why did you even come tour it? I've never been one of those people who travels to a destination just to say they've been there and check it off some imaginary list they have. So before I came to St. Louis I compiled a short list of major attractions such as, the Gateway Arch, that I definitely wanted to see. Because my friend is somewhat a local, I also left many aspects of this trip up to her. Here's how I spent my first day in St. Louis!
Day 1- Classic SL
Obviously we chose to visit the most famous St. Louis attraction first! The gloomy day didn't stop us from taking the tiny white pod up the Gateway Arch and enjoying the views from above. The Arch is something I've only seen in pictures on the internet, so getting to see it up close and even travel inside it was an interesting experience. The white pod you take up the Arch is not for the claustrophobic! Its literally so small that the door is under 4 feet tall and it seats 5 people side by side. It only takes 4 seconds to reach the top of the Arch and the views are definitely worth the trip (and the wait). One side of the Arch allows you to see downtown St. Louis and the other side overlooks the Mississippi River into Illinois. The windows are tiny and viewers have to lean over to look through it. I've been up several types of towers to see city views, but I have to say the Arch was a truly unique experience.
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| A windy day can't stop me from visiting this famous landmark! |
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| Old Courthouse |
The first day we also toured the Old Courthouse (across from the Arch) where the famed Dred Scott case occurred and walked through some of Forest Park (a Central Park imitation).
I also got to walk around the Washington University campus since that's where my friend graduated from. WashU has one of the most beautiful campuses I've ever seen- the buildings look like they belong in Europe or... Hogwarts lol.
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| Longhorn in Washington University! |
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| Entrance to the University |
Because I had an early start that day (I flew in from Houston), we decided to have an early night too, BUT not before going to Jilly's Cupcake Bar! Jilly's is famous for its huge delicious cupcakes that won twice on the Food Network's Cupcake Wars. Eating my giant Reese's cup inspired cupcake was truly one of my favorite moments of the day (spoken like a dessert lover).
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| I have the biggest sweet tooth around... |
It was so cold and windy today in St. Louis- much colder than what I'm use to back in Texas. But I survived my first day in the city! I'm excited for the coming days and being able to explore more of this interesting place.
Love,
Kathleen
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