STL
Sept. 3, 2008
We spent Labor Day weekend visiting our friends Erin and Jeff in their new apartment in St. Louis, Missouri. I've never spent time in STL before, nor have I ever ridden an Amtrak train, so it was a double adventure. Thomas loved riding the train. It was much more pleasant than driving since we were all able to take naps, walk around the train, and enjoy the view of cornfields and sleepy midwestern towns rolling by. The leg room on an Amtrak train is luxurious for someone used to air travel. The only downside was the return trip, where we had nearly a one-hour delay sitting outside of Chicago waiting for a track to open up. Also, the credit card machine in the dining car was broken so we missed out on lunch.
We met a nice German couple and their two adorable daughters, Greta and Ilya. Thomas and the two kinder colored together on the floor of the train for about an hour. I couldn't imagine doing something like that on a plane.
In St. Louis, we visited the awesome St. Louis zoo, tried Afghan food for the first time, played some fun board games, visited Tower Park, and just generally enjoyed the company. We also had a chance to visit with an old friend from UF and her husband. My general impression of St. Louis is that it is sort of like Chicago, except smaller, shorter, and less dense. Thomas also learned to say the word "Mississippi" while crossing over the river on a train.
It was a successful trip, even if Paci missed us the whole time.