« Practicing with Camera | Main | My St. Louis Zoo Pictures and Trip Wrap-Up »
St. Louis Gray Lines Tour
Yesterday we had tickets to take a ride on the Gray Line. We got up, had breakfast and were ready at the busstop where the people at the front desk told us to go by 9:50. We waited and waited and waited. Daniel happened to look up to the front door and there the bus was...turns out that we were suppposed to wait inside the lobby. Oh well, at last we were on our way.
Ann was our driver for the day and she was very knowledgeable, fun and eager to suggest places that were child friendly for us. The first part of the tour was a drive through the downtown historical area along with running commentary on what was what. One of the things I thought most interesting was a water fountain that depicted a woman (the Missouri) and a man (the Missisippi).
And our driver took us to a neat picture spot. So here we are at the beginning of the day looking rather fresh and peppy:
Ann also pointed on the flooding along the Mississippi as you can see in the photo below of the statue of Meriwether Lewis.
It is as if he is raising his hat to let us know he is still there and to please help him!
Then we went on a tour of the Anheuser Bush Headquarters. The complex covers 70 city blocks. The tour we took was about an hour. We saw some Clydesdales, how they make the beer, and learned that there are a lot of beer drinkers in the world! The AB Headquarters pay 1,000,000 a day in taxes!!!! WOW!!!
While on the brewery tour, we were delighted to see a bunny! Katrina wanted to take him home with her.
Later, Katrina was stretched out, trying to make the most of the breeze as the temperatures soared to the 90s and the humidity went up right along with it.
Here is a picture of the AB Clock tower. Ain't it purty????
Here is the Bud Light (number one seller) whizzing by...
After the brewery tour, we rode to Forest Park where we were let out at the Missouri History Museum so we could have lunch at the Merrimac Restaurant and wander about the museum. Lunch was very nice and we enjoyed the exhibit about Lindbergh.
Our last stop on the tour was The Cathedral Basicila of Saint Louis. I cannot begin to tell you how beautiful this Cathedral is. We tried to get photos, but lacked the proper equipment. If you click on the link, you will have an idea of the beauty, but it is truly a place that has to be seen in person to really get the full impact of it. I did get one okay picture of the Pentecost.
That was the last stop on our tour. Ann was kind enough to let us off just a couple of blocks away from the Arch instead of at our hotel. Going to the St. Louis Arch is a bit of a task. Once you arrive, you have to go through security to get inside, then you have to get in line to get your tickets, then you have to get in line for the tram...We watched a movie about Lewis and Clark...truly amazing individuals, along with every man and woman that was part of their expedition. Then we took the tram...which is when you get in this little pod that looks like something out of 2001 and go 630 up in about 4 minutes. You get out, wander around the observation deck and take pictures, then you head back down. It was hot up there and we were tired. We didn't stay too long, but here are some pictures from the top of the arch and from the Westward Expansion museum.
This is probably the coolest picture I got from the arch...of its shadow on the muddy Mississippi.
Jack and Katrina still looking lively despite the heat, humidity and tired feet. (It is now about 6:00 - we started at 10 and this is after the big zoo adventure on Friday)
Jack is astonished as he sees Daniel and Katrina in the path of a bison!
After we were done at the Arch, we walked towards home. We stopped for dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Not only was the service excellent, the atmosphere charming, and the food terrific, they had Spumoni ice cream. I love spumoni ice cream, but it is not easy to find in our neck of the woods. I haven't had any in probably 20 years....
We came back, exhausted and happy. We weren't awake long.
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: St. Louis Gray Lines Tour.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.whattofix.com/blog/mt-tb.cgi/1951
Wow. I'm tired reading about your adventures! When we were in St. Louis, my hubby was going to make us all go up in the arch. Thankfully, we didn't have time to wait the hours for our turn. (I HATE heights!) We had fun at the museum, though.
wow that river looks seriously swollen
sounds like a GREAT day
I LOVE that photo of the arch in the water though you must have been high up which would freak me out
You hit all of the spots. Too bad you didn't have time for a few smaller towns in Missouri that are beautiful and have wonderful wineries! Next time and I will join you! I see you made it to Anheuser Busch! I am glad. Take care, Cindi (And the Spaghetti Factory)! Yum.