SHOW ME!

We staggered out of bed Monday morning, after a long Sunday, and set out for another full day. We had planned on visiting the Arch, and then a Cardinals game at night. First we grabbed breakfast/lunch at a local restaurant, then walked to the park and the Arch. The people of St. Louis were all so nice, in fact an usher at the Reds game told us we would be amazed at how nice everyone was. And she was right! While it was a little hot, everyone was doing well with that and the walking. I don't know if it was because they were excited to be in a new place, or what, but all the kids really got along great. It was so nice to spend the fun time with them, when they were all so happy to be together. As we walked around the city, I told the kids that their Aunt was born in St. Louis, and that I had lived there when I was just a little boy. They thought that was cool.

We got to the Arch and it was fantastic! There is a tunnel that runs underground between the two legs, that is 630 feet wide. Underneath, they have a wonderful museum that depicts Lewis and Clarks' travels across America. Since that was going to be a large part of our future travels on the trip, it was a real treat to see the kids point out and ask questions about whether we were going to this place or that.

After about 90 minutes, it was our turn to get in line to ride the tram to the top. They have a Disney-like setup, where you wait in this area for a while, then in that area for a while, then in the last area for a while. That was pretty tedious, but the kids hung in there great. Although the Bear did have some strange film on the inside of her mouth, we never did figure out where that came from. Anyway, we finally got to the trams, and HOLY COW WERE THEY TINY!! We barely fit all five of us into the compartment, and that was with the CEO and I leaning forward the whole time. The ride took about 5 minutes, and then there we were, 630 feet in the sky, looking over the city of St. Louis! The view was spectacular, even though the CEO felt a little uneasy. We stayed up top for about 15 minutes, pointing out different things in the city, we had a great view of the park and our hotel, and the Mississippi River. Satisfied that we had seen it all, we got back in the tram car and rode to the bottom.

Next we left the Arch and walked over to the Mississippi River, which is right next to the Arch. The river was really high, the kids couldn't believe it. They dipped their feet into the water, splashed for a minute or two, and it was back to the hotel to get ready for the game.

It was a special afternoon, watching them learn so much about St. Louis, and really enjoying the learning. Running in the park, darting from one part of the museum to the next, gaping out the windows to see down below. It was special too because I enjoyed learning about those things too. Of course, as the Bear always says though, the best part was sharing it with my family.