Travel Guide

Travel Guide: St. Louis, MO

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“Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair . . .”

Reference? Get it? Get it? Yes? No? Look it up.

Teehee.

Last weekend, my friend Lucas and I visited Ally, another friend, in St. Louis, Missouri. Ally has lived in St. Louis since we started college many moons ago, and now that we’ve been out of college for a few years, we decided that it was high time to visit her. Lucas lives in California now and I’m moving to Malaysia in August, so it was a “now or never” kind of trip. Ally was an excellent tour guide for the four days that we were there. She took us to fun places and great restaurants and introduced us to her life in the Midwest. There’s a LOT to do there and I would definitely go back.

I wasn’t entirely responsible with taking pictures when we were away; Lucas took on most of that responsibility. Here’s a little taste, though:

Thursday night Cardinals game
Thursday night Cardinals game
St. Louis Arch
St. Louis Arch
Did you know it's as wide as it is tall?
Did you know it’s as wide as it is tall?
Delicious, refreshing, summery beverages
Delicious, refreshing, summery beverages
The outdoor area of the City Museum, a magical place where people of all ages can run, jump, climb, and exlplore
The outdoor area of the City Museum, a magical place where people of all ages can run, jump, climb, and explore
One last hurrah
One last hurrah

If you’re intrigued, here’s a list of places we went (in the order that we went to them):

  • Cardinals Game
  • Kemper Gallery at Washington University
  • Washington University
  • St. Louis Arch
  • Missouri Botanical Gardens
  • Climb So Ill (this is the climbing gym where Ally belongs – LOVED THIS)
  • City Museum

And for those inclined in the food direction, here’s where we ate and drank (in the order that we tried them):

  • Broadway Oyster Bar
  • Hartford Coffee Company
  • Cafe Osage
  • The Royale
  • Pi Pizzeria
  • Rise Coffee
  • Sassy Jack’s
  • Cafe Mochi
  • HandleBar
  • Oceano Bistro
New York

Room for cream?

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I’ve always taken my coffee black. I started drinking coffee in college, not because I needed the caffeine but because getting a cup of coffee was often more convenient than getting a meal. I didn’t start having coffee in the morning until my second year teaching, actually, and even then it was more for the taste. My mum used to make her coffee with a bit of milk and a bit of brown sugar, but my dad never did. Mum stopped drinking coffee when I was 14 (long story that involves a bad cup of joe on an airplane) so my dad was my role model. Nowadays, I like to think that I drink coffee for the taste, but I do find myself with a headache around noon if I skip a morning cup. Addicted? Yes, I’d say so.

This afternoon I went to Pour Coffee Parlor with a book. I ordered just a regular cup of coffee and was delighted by the presentation:

Afternoon cup of joe

Pour also has a very trendy, hip vibe. This isn’t the greatest picture (my table faced the window) but hopefully it gives you an insight into the industrial yet welcoming feel of the place. The flowers on the tables are a nice touch.

Interior of Pour

Room for cream? No, but thanks for asking!

New York

By the Water

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My roommate’s family has a cottage on Cayuga Lake, one of the finger lakes here in upstate New York. Mitch and I spent July 4th there with Emily, her family, and her boyfriend, Tim. We had an awesome time and I can’t wait to go back! Wine tasting, kayaking, tubing, boating, eating, drinking, more eating . . . hard life, I know. Here are a couple pictures that I took at sunset. Cayuga Lake                                  Tree You’ll notice that the second picture is simply an isolated shot of the tree at the right of the first picture. The colors of the sky were stunning. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you already know that I am infatuated with water and sunsets. Mother Nature may be fickle, but she never ceases to amaze. Today I was back at work on the Sam Patch, a replica of an 1800s packet boat, on the Erie Canal. I did a lot of posting about the boats and my summer gig back when I was doing the 365 Photos project that started this blog. Click on the tags – you’ll see! It was a rather gorgeous day on the canal, too. Another picture of water . . .

From the Sam Patch

I grew up with the Erie Canal practically in my backyard, but it wasn’t until college that I really began to appreciate the natural beauty of upstate New York and everything our waterways have to offer.

 

Photos, travels, musings, and ideas on education by someone trying to make the world a better and more peaceful place