St. Louis

I just arrived back from a wonderful weekend trip to St. Louis. It was a last minute trip, that my fella' and I found when searching for really cheap plane tickets to, well, anywhere. Milwaukee and St. Louis were the runners up, and as much as I'd like to see a Brewer's game, St. Louis seemed a bit more....exotic?

Our first stop was at the Soulard Farmer's Market. It's located in a historic French neighborhood in St. Louis, and is one of the oldest communities in the city. This picturesque neighborhood is filled with restaurants, pubs, shops, and the farmer's market. As soon as we jumped the curb we were greeted with a jazz musician playing his saxophone, a man frying up fresh pork rinds, and a guy hawking tulips. My kinda place! I immediately immersed myself in everything. We tasted St. Louis' best mini donuts, Irish coffee and Landjaegers. There were fresh goat cheeses from a local dairy, vibrant green asparagus, and the most beautiful specimens of portobello mushrooms! With our arms loaded with fresh produce, we decided to head south.

An hour drive south took us to Appleton, MO, where my fella's family resides. We gave their grill a workout, grilling up marinated pork loin and the fresh asparagus we bought earlier. We took those portobello mushrooms from the farmer's market, grilled them, and stuffed them with the wonderful goat cheese (also from the framer's market), and created some tasty bites. The blooming dogwood trees, the good eats, and of coarse the good company made the rest of the day very enjoyable!

The next day was one of leisure. Imagine the lazy Mississippi river, sunshine, and a 630 foot man-made monument known as the Gateway Arch. If that is not an equation for fun, I don't know what is. What made the famous Arch so remarkable is the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, which is the 91 acres of park along the Mississippi, in which the Arch resides. As we meandered through the greenest grass my eyes have seen in months, we took in the city.

I'll write another entry as I sort through my notes and thoughts, and post some fabulous pictures to put to the words. I am still slightly meandering along the Mississippi in my mind, though I know the brisk temperatures outside will shock me back into line in no time....