St. Louis redux

Man, I really like St. Louis.  Of course I love Chicago too.  I grew up in the suburbs and in the summers when I was only 14 I used to take the train to the Loop and wander the Art Institute and walk all over downtown.  Hard to imagine now.  And of course Ernie and I lived there for many years, got married there, saw lots of music there, had a fantastic apartment there....  Perhaps it's because it's so familiar that I don't feel the urge to go there as much as I would have thought.  I thought perhaps I just liked St. Louis so much because it's a smaller city, pretty easy to navigate and it unfamiliar to me.  But then I thought some more and realized that Indianapolis really doesn't do a whole lot for me....so I think I just really like St. Louis.  Of course I love the early building stock  there.  Every time we go there I tell myself I'll just wander and take some pictures but somehow impatient and/or exhausted children seem to preclude that.  One of these days Ernie and I are going to try for a weekend by ourselves.  HA!

 
  

Our first stop in town was Euclid Records to look around and see our friend Steve. Steve was wonderfully perfectly as Steve as ever and it made us very  happy---it was great to see him!  Ernie was relatively restrained, buying just a few things but Owen and I threw a couple of things in the mix as well.  I mean when a little blonde boy comes up holding the reissue of the first Ramones album and begs for it so he can have one of his very own......well what the hell are you SUPPOSED to do?  Then we headed off to the hotel.  Leo approved of it.  We walked in the lobby and he said, "pretty nice place."  It's always good when you can please Leo.  Of course the boys thought the most important thing was exploring the hotel room, getting their Lego out and planning to go to the pool.  Ernie and I let them play while we had a drink at the bar and then we went to the pool because we are dutiful parents.  The hotel was on the top floor which the boys thought miraculous.  By the time that was all done it was getting late and we realized we were in for the night so we ordered pizza and paid an outrageous price to watch The Wimpy Kid movie together. All worth it because it made my sweet peas happy.

The next morning we headed out to the City Museum which had been a huge success with both boys last time we went.  This time?  Not so much.  I think the sensory overload was just too much for Leo.  And I gotta say I understand....the noise and crowds can get to me as well.  Owen was as happy as a clam at high tide but Leo had a tougher time.  We decided to split up which led to the boys fighting over which one got to go with Ernie.  Gee thanks.  Oh well, I suppose an old, overweight mother with bad knees isn't the most fun.  I'd say that's why you're supposed to have children younger but I gotta say, apart from the fact that I was a bit thinner and cuter with better knees----I really wouldn't have been any more fun for them then either....

We went up to the roof and Owen ran around like crazy and went into the school bus that is cantilevered over the edge of the building.  I asked Leo if he wanted to go but he said it was sticking out too far.  I assured him that they had made it very safe but he just looked at me sideways and remarked dryly, "I'm not trusting my luck on that" so we waited by the fountain.  Overall, Owen could have spent the entire day there happily and Leo was ready to go after about 30 minutes.  Oh well.  At one point, when Ernie and Owen were doing something and Leo was recounting his hatred for the place, I said, "well, honey, you don't have to come here ever again."  We were both quiet and then a few minutes later Leo said, "I bet Owen's really gonna cry when he hears that he can't come here again."  I said, "I NEVER SAID OWEN WOULDN'T COME  AGAIN!"  Cracked me up.

 
 
 
Then we met our beloved Rob Arrol downtown and went to Papa Fabarre's on the second floor of Macy's (I was charmed by the candy counter on the first floor as well).  I think I'd have to say Rob experienced the full range of the family.  Owen was chatty and relatively charming (even if he did tell the waitress that if she were to ever come to our house she wouldn't even be able to WALK inside our house because of all the Lego) and Leo silently went into misery mode.  Later on I tried to get him to tell me what the problem was and he told me he'd tell me later on.  So today I hit him up again and first he tried to tell me he didn't want to talk about it but finally he said, "to tell you the truth Mom, I don't have any idea."  I thanked him for his honest answer and told him I loved him.  What the hell else are you going to do?  The restaurant was absolutely perfect and I had a PATTY MELT---woo-hooooo!  Rob bought us lunch and we certainly owe him a meal one of these days----it was wonderful (and Owen keeps talking about the picture of his daughter with her finger in her nose.  It was a highlight for him)!

  

  

 

The rest of the trip was made up of a visit to Crown City Candy (thanks for the recommendation Steve) for fabulous milkshakes (water for Leo of course), more swimming, spending too much money on food from the hotel but all in all a good time was had by all. 

  

 

  

You'll find no pictures of Leo here because every single one looks like this (the boy has impeccable timing):

 
During the night Leo woke up feeling sick and crying with a headache.  We got him a cool cloth for his head and a glass of water and I curled up and slept next to him.  I hate to have him sick but I love it when he lets me lay next to him and tell him how much I love him.  He still didn't feel good the next day so I guess perhaps this explains some of his meltdown the day before.  He slept much of the ride home which isn't like him at all.  Before we left though we stopped at Soulard Market which was fun (and in a great building) but I guess I've been spoiled by everything being local at our farmers' market.  We did get some beautiful blueberries, green tomatoes and mushrooms however.  And they have one thing at their market that I am extremely jealous of.....you can buy a Bloody Mary!  Brilliant.  Not that I'd want one every weekend....but once in a while?????
 
After that we stopped at a couple of stores in the Italian district of The Hill.  Talk about fun.  I spent a fortune....here's Owen with just ONE of the boxes we carried out of Viviano's.....

 
 
Then I bought a bunch of salami and sausage at Volpi's.  Mmmmmmm.

 

So we didn't do half of what we planned but there were some wonderful moments and I have a refrigerator full of Italian sausage and cheese.  I didn't feel great last night either so I stayed home with Leo while Ernie went to Linda and Rob's party and had a great time.  Sorry to have missed it but it felt good to just be at home curled up.  Leo and I both feel a bit better this morning....so who knows what the day holds.  It should hold lots of weeding but who knows.....