At the end of June, I roadtripped down to St. Louis, Missouri to visit some of my girlfriends. On the way down, I drove with a couple from my church who was headed to the Ozarks the following week and spent a night in our STL hotel with us. On the way back, I drove by myself and it was my longest solo roadtrip!
We arrived at our hotel (the Holiday Inn Express in Central West End) late afternoon on Friday and checked in to relax and get settled. After an hour or so we freshened up and headed downtown for the Cardinals v Cubs game at Busch Stadium. Before the game we went to Paddy-O’s for dinner and drinks. I ordered a cheeseburger which came with a bag of chips, and then headed over to the Deep Eddy’s Vodka truck for a cocktail. They had limited mixers so I landed on a Ruby Red Grapefruit and Sprite. Tasty, refreshing, and of course, pink.
After dinner and a round of bags on Paddy-O’s patio, we walked over to the stadium. It was a hot night for a game (the whole time we were in STL it was in the 90s actually), with hardly any breeze, so we had to step out for water at the concession stand and an A/C break in the team store.
I’m typically a Brewers fan, being from Wisconsin, but I was happy to assume the role of a Cardinals fan for the weekend (especially since they were playing the Cubs). Sadly, the Cards lost that night, but it was still a fun experience to see the stadium and enjoy the ballpark atmosphere.
On our way back to the hotel, I insisted we stop at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams (you’ll know Jeni’s is a favorite of mine if you’ve read my Columbus and Chicago blogs). I got a bowl of Wildberry Lavender and Sweet Cream Biscuits & Peach Jam. Fantastic as always!
The next morning (Saturday), we slept in and then got ready and went to Anheuser-Busch for a brewery tour. Unfortunately, they were all sold out for the day by the time we arrived, so we decided to stay for lunch and then booked a tour for the next day. I had the pulled pork nachos with beer cheese!
After lunch, we decided to grab a frozen cocktail flight from Narwhal’s Crafted to help us beat the heat. I tried the Strawberry Peach Bellini, Passion Fruit Punch, and the Watermelon Frosé. Yum, yum, and yum! We sat outside on the patio, and it was so hot, the drinks started melting almost immediately. They were delicious and refreshing, but I was grateful for the air conditioning when we left and went to the Arch.
If you know me, you know I don’t like heights, but what’s the point of going to the Arch if you aren’t going to take a rickety tram ride to the top? The trams looked like little space pods and were a bit claustrophobic. They each held only five passengers and from the side seats, I had to duck my head to fit! But despite the questionable ride, it was totally worth it for the views (and the experience).
Once we arrived safely back on the ground, we explored the museum and the Arch gift shop before heading to The Hill for dinner. The Hill is an Italian neighborhood, with more Italian restaurants than I could count. They were all very busy, and we put our name on three waitlists before eventually getting a table at Anthonino’s. We were still recovering from the heat of the day too much to drink anything other than water, but we ordered the toasted ravioli as a starter. It’s a St. Louis staple and absolutely delizioso! And as if that wasn’t enough ravioli, I ordered the “regular” ravioli with a house salad for my main. That was also delicious and the big portions meant I got to take a couple raviolis home for later.
We opted out of dessert at Anthonino’s, so we could make a stop at Gelato di Riso for well, gelato. I was in the mood for something fruity so I had the Blood Orange and Blueberry. After dessert we walked behind the building to Piazza Imo – an elegant courtyard with a marble fountain and tables set up for chess and checkers.
The next day was Sunday and we started it off with brunch at The Bellwether. I had the Cinnamon Toast Crunch French Toast and of course a mimosa.
Then we headed back to Anheuser-Busch for our tour! We arrived a bit early so we spent some time in the Biergarten where I tried Field of Dreams, a lager with a hint of strawberry from their Underground Collection. The tour was neat. It was cool learning about the brewing process and seeing all the different buildings, but my favorite part was getting to see the Budweiser Clydesdales, one of which was named Scott (my husband’s name if you’re new here)!
After our tour, we headed to Mission Taco for an early dinner (and more drinks). I had the Smuggler’s Blues which was house made frozen margarita swirled with strawberry-pineapple agua fresca and coconut syrup. Delish.
After dinner, we wanted to go to a karaoke bar because I’ve never done karaoke before, but sadly it was closed. We stopped at the Protagonist Cafe, a coffeeshop-bookstore next door instead. I found a used copy of “Beartown” by Frederick Backman that I had to buy; I read Backman’s “Anxious People” last year and I think it’s still my favorite book, so I’m looking forward to checking out another one by him.
We had wanted to rent a paddle boat in Forest Park after dinner, but we arrived a little too close to when the Boathouse closed, so we decided to walk around the park instead. We explored lots of paths, buildings, water features and fountains, and eventually ended up at the Jewel Box – a beautiful greenhouse that is also used as an event venue.
After our walk, we ended the night at Clementine’s Creamery where they make “Naughty” (aka alcohol-infused) and “Nice” ice cream. I sampled the Chocolate Cabernet (Naughty) which was tasty, but I ended up opting for the Honey Lavender (Nice).
The next day, Monday, was our last day in STL. After checking out of the hotel, we went to Salt + Smoke for lunch. I had the St. Louis Cut Ribs with fries and White Cheddar Cracker Mac. They had lots of sauces to try too – I loved the My Sweet Bestie. I also had LOTS of leftovers here that I took home and ate with Scott back in Wisconsin.
After lunch, it was time to get on the road so I could make it back by dinner time/before dark. I turned on my audiobook and made the five and a half hour drive back (with only one stop!).
It was excellent trip – s/o to St. Louis for being yet another Midwest city to surprise me!
Exploren with Lauren 