A Day in St. Louis

In our community, when people (especially those of a certain age) say they are going to St. Louis for a couple days, other people grow serious and say in hushed voices "take care of yourself." For central Illinois dwellers, St. Louis, while also being a source of culture, entertainment, sports and shopping, is often a place of excellent, specialized medical care. We go to St. Louis the way our grandparents went to the hospital: when hope dims.

But not this time. This time, Dick was going to St. Louis to take a class required to maintain his Professional Engineer status, and I went along. The class was held at the Holiday Inn Forest Park, right at the edge of The Hill district and that's where we stayed, checking in the evening before and enjoying dinner at Rigazzi's: stuffed artichokes, pizza and all-you-can-eat mostaccioli.

The next day, while Dick spent a gorgeous April day inside with other engineers, I explored.

First stop: The Missouri Botanical Gardens.

I've been a regular visitor to the Mobot website since we moved downstate ten years ago. I especially love the Japanese Gardens. I had no idea how much there was to see. My favorite spot was the English Woodland Gardens. The only photo I took was of the cherry blossoms lining the path. I promise to do better next time.

After a late lunch at the Sassafras Cafe in the visitor's center, I spent some time exploring The Hill. The Hill is an Italian neighborhood, settled in the late 19th century by Italian immigrants coming to fill jobs in nearby factories.

Statue at St. Ambrose Church, dedicated to the Italian immigrants who established The Hill

It's an old style urban neighborhood: narrow streets lined with tidy houses interspersed with shops, groceries, restaurants, schools, and churches.

I picked up coffee and chocolate chip muffins from Shaw's for later, then stopped at Gelato Di Riso for lemon gelato. The gelato was delicious and the cup full to overflowing. Fortunately, they have a hand washing station!

By the time I'd finished, it was time to pick up Dick, leave the bucolic streets of the Hill to navigate through the horrific tangle of interstates that greet visitors to St. Louis, and race north against the weather coming in from the west. We made it as far as White City, IL before we had to pull off of I55 and circle wagons with a half-dozen or so other vehicles to wait out the storm.

Each time the wind tried to pick up the car, I pushed on the brake with all the strength my titanium hip could muster! We made it home safely, with a few scratches on the trunk from flying debris. And four days later, I'm still limping.

But ah, the cherry blossoms, the stuffed artichokes, the gelato, the chocolate chip muffins we ate while waiting out the storm . . .