After a very short night’s sleep, which we are actually getting used to, we decided to explore St. Louis. Because the weather was overcast and not the best for taking pictures, we decided to hit Union Station, where they had plenty of shopping to occupy a Mrs. Emily Hayes. Union Station was an old train depot that had been turned into a hotel and a shopping mall. There were a bunch of little stores that sold the local trinkets and postcards galore. We hung around there for a little while and then decided that we were again hungry!
With our stomachs leading the way, we headed down to the Walk of Fame where the Blueberry Hill Cafe was located. The street was lined with eateries and quaint shops, and the sidewalks were lined with stars recognizing the local St. Louis celebrities. We parked the car, snapped a few photos and headed into the the Blueberry Hill Cafe. This restaurant has been recognized for its exceptional decor, nostalgic collections, and delicious hamburgers. We decided this was a place we had to eat. I will let Emily fill you in on the details, but it was a very fun meal.
After finishing our meal we did a little more shopping and photo taking and then made our way to the St. Louis Arch. We were quite excited to see this because it just looked cool! There was an underground museum that displayed artifacts from the days of the pioneers making their way across this great country. We had joked earlier in the trip how it took us about 23 hours of driving to get from Orlando to Appleton. The entire time we were averaging about 65 miles per hour. Can you imagine what it must have been like to travel from New York to California going about 5 miles per hour? Oh yeah, and they didn’t even have McDonalds!
After taking a few pictures of the arch we decided to purchase the tickets that took you up in a “tram” to the top of the arch so you could take pictures. Well, we thought we had to do that since we were here and all. Some of you are like me and when they said tram, you pictured a spacious cabin that brought you to the top. I should have known based on the size of the structure that the “tram,” as they called it, was anything but spacious. I am posting a picture here so you can get an idea of just how spacious this is. I didn’t mind the ride nearly as much as Emily did, who fought off a panic attack in the first 30 seconds after the doors closed. As you can see there are five seats in there; luckily we only had one other passenger besides Emily and I on the way to the top. The ride took about 4 minutes to the top, but it felt a little longer than that.
Once at the top we took some photos. Unfortunately the weather was still overcast, but it was still very cool to be up there. Very much anticipating the enjoyment of the ride back down, we decided to get it over with. We were placed in the above “play-doh can,” as Emily called it, with two other passengers and made our way back down to earth. We were glad we did it but decided we didn’t care if we were to ever do it again.
After watching a short film on the building of the arch, we decided that we needed to head to our next destination, Memphis, TN. That’s right, we’re going to Graceland!
The drive to Memphis was pretty uneventful and was only about 4 hours or so. When we arrived we checked into our hotel, which was located in the heart of downtown Memphis. After getting our bags into our room we asked the bellman what a good restaurant would be if we wanted to taste the local flavor. He quickly pointed down the alley by our hotel and said “Rendezvous would be the place I would go if I had to pick 1!” As we peered down the alleyway we decided when in Rome and went for it. This might have been the best decision we made the entire trip. We enjoyed some dry ribs that Memphis is famous for at this really cool restaurant. For those of you wondering if the entrance was actually in an alleyway, above is the picture. Hard to tell but trust me.
After enjoying this fantastic meal we decided to walk down Beale St. and take in the local flavor. It was a short but sweet walk (we totally fit in, as it was “bike night” on the strip and there were thousands of bikers everywhere), and afterward we decided to call it a night. It is amazing how much stuff you take in in one day when you are on the road. Lots of fun!