2 Chicas and the St. Louie Quickie
Chica 1 felt the warmth of the
sunshine on the side of her face. Is it possible that this trip to St. Louis
was going to have unseasonably warm weather for the start of December? A resounding yes! God's favor is amazing!
Chica 2 on the other hand wonders if she will ever have even a
village named after her. Chica 1 had to admit she was impressed that Chica 2
knows that St. Louis was named after Louis IX, the Crusader King of France.
Chica 2 wonders out loud, what kind of fur do you think those traders were
selling? “Could it have been polar bear, wild yak, or llama?” Maybe on their
later expeditions, but that doesn't seem plausible in this neck of the woods. Poor Chica 2, her head is always in the
clouds, usually those found on the planet Jupiter!
2 Chicas were on a mad dash around
St. Louis to catch a few sights and eat a little grub. Since we are here, we
discovered there are any number of museums that document the great history of
the area.
From French occupation to the days of the great explorers Lewis and
Clark, Civil War icons William Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant, to the ragtime
sensation of Scott Joplin, to current day rapper Nelly, history lovers will
find something to their liking.
2 Chicas Walk Among the Stars
First stop, the St. Louis Walk of
Fame on Delmar Street. This eclectic little neighborhood has quite the college
throwback feel, probably because one of Washington University’s campuses is
very close nearby.
Chica 2 ran into a “head shop” to look at all the sixties
merchandise, and to gawk at a few bongs. Chica 1 purchased peace sign items,
“boring” things if you ask Chica 2.
On the sidewalk on both sides of the
street are golden stars emblazoned with the names of famous individuals with
connections to St. Louis. Tina Turner, Chuck Berry, Maya Angelou, Vincent
Price, and Nelly just to name a few of the famous names that grace the
sidewalk.
Chica 2 squeals in a quizzical voice Nelly? Chica 2 also gets a kick
out of literally walking on the stars. She never thought she would rise to such
a prestigious promenade. Just remember, it really isn’t about you Chica 2!
Seems just as quickly as she was
happy, she wasn’t. She walked up to Ike Turner’s star and made a ceremonial
stomp saying "take this!. Be nice Chica 2; we won’t share what was said.
Not
long after this show of emotion, she walks up to Maya Angelou’s star and
apologizes. Only makes sense to Chica 2. Our little drama gurrl! She then sprints over to the Chuck Berry statue and begins strumming on her imaginary guitar. After a few hops on one leg, she realizes she'd better stop before she collapses in a heap.
Chica 1 decides that she wants to get in on the fun and breaks into a rousing rendition of "I found my Thrill On Blueberry Hill!" Chica 2 asks if that is really a song. Oh Lawd! You mean you never heard this classic before now?
Move along little Chica 2, don't try to steal the pleasure of this walk down memory lane. Get on down to
the Walk of Fame and be impressed with the local VIPs that made it big
nationally!
2 Chicas are Luving Sweetie Pies
Walking
into Sweetie Pies was like walking into an old familiar place. You can’t
remember why it seemed like you had been here before. A table of patrons
erupted in laughter.
Occasionally, a customer would snap a picture with one of
the employees. There was a line of about six or seven waiting for fried chicken
and fried fish. When the large pan of chicken came out of the kitchen, the people
cheered. 2 Chicas were soon to find out why.
Crunchy on
the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, the fried chicken was perfect!
Every part of the chicken was tasty. Fluffy moist cornbread, tender and
flavorful okra, perfectly seasoned but a little greasy mac n cheese, and delicious
cabbage. The sweet potatoes were heavenly with a sweet, caramelized sauce. Who
could dare ask for a better meal!
Then there
was the free entertainment. The waiters were hilarious. There was one with St.
Louis tattooed on his neck that seemed to be the star of the moment.
All the
ladies wanted pictures with him. Chica 2 was more intrigued with his mouth full
of gold teeth. She actually was too shy to ask for a photo, unlike a dozen or
so other patrons.
The fellas goofed on each other, talked trash with some of
the guests, and laughed freely and easily. It seems everyone left the
restaurant with a bag or two of food that couldn’t be consumed or extra treats
for later. Sweetie Pie’s is definitely worth the trip.
2 Chicas Sway
with the Arch
2 Chicas
head over to the arch experience and the Jefferson National Expansion Park.
This national park on the great Mississippi River memorializes Thomas Jefferson
who directed the westward expansion of the United States from this very
location.
The stainless steel Gateway Arch beckons and if you look around at
others, it seems they are all making some kind of pilgrimage. Most are looking
up at the arch as they make their way up to the monument, then down to enter
the structure.
2 Chicas were exactly the same as
the other visitors. Looking up at the arch and taking pictures from different
vantage points. It is an amazing phenomenon when one visits places like the arch.
Visitors from foreign lands are speaking different languages; Americans are speaking in regional accents.2 Chicas guess as best as we can - French, Italian, Japanese, German; Kentucky no Tennessee, North Carolina, Boston, New York, maybe Georgia or Alabama.
Folks of every color are all around, yet the common behavior is to crook your neck upward as much as you can. Then angle your camera and snap as many shots as possible.
Then we all descend the steps to enter this memorial. When you enter the monument, be prepared to go through
security. After removing all metal objects, you descend a moderate ramp and
find yourself inside the base of this grand shrine.
2 Chicas quickly went over
and purchased a ticket to ascend to the top of the arch after assuring the
staff that we had no problems with claustrophobia and could handle about 96
steps/stairs.
There is a small display area concerning the construction of the arch, but we were more interested in the space like waiting area. Each elevator door is numbered and a television is overhead to share instructions.
When the door to our elevator opened, we quickly understood why questions about claustrophobia are asked. The pod ride to the top of the arch is very tight. There
are five chairs, but there is no way 5 adults could sit in this little thingy.
The ride only takes 4 minutes, but it feels like more time. It's a creaky, clanky ride to the top. So much so that Chica 2 swore there
were Hobbits down below pulling a rope that made the pod move. It was far too
noisy for the apparatus to be a rope, it must definitely be some type of metal pulley! Tee hee hee
Once at the top, you go up stairs to
the observation area. The arch moves and it is moving! Swaying in the wind ever
so slightly and it is making Chica 1 nauseous.
Chica 1 doesn't want to ruin it for everyone, but she did ask why was the room spinning! She also snipped at Chica 2 that she hates park rides.
Chica 2 chuckles as she sees
Chica 1 wobble. She watches closely to make sure that although Chica 1 wobbles, she doesn’t fall down. The views of the city and across the river from the top of the arch are spectacular.
Look over here Chica 1 - a bobble head tries to turn and look. Tee hee hee! Needless to say, the picture taking from atop of the world is short lived. A few more snapshots are taken and 2 Chicas head to the stairs to wait for a pod to return to the bottom floor.
Back down on solid ground, we traipse
over to the Museum of Westward Expansion. Chica 2 poses boldly by the large
grizzly bear at the entrance to the museum.
Chica 1 has recovered from her
motion sickness. But a new form of queasiness begins to creep into her being as
she listens to Chica 2 go on and on about how she could slap a bear into
submission. Lawd!
As we walk around the large circular
room, Chica 2 is immediately drawn to the lifelike mannequins. First William
Clark of the famous Lewis and Clark explorers; Chica 2 says it’s like being in
the Hall of Presidents at Disney World. Oh my!
But her behavior near the
Buffalo soldier was particularly embarrassing. Chica 2 please stop doing the
Rasta dance and singing like Bob Marley; people are looking and pointing at us.
Yahyahyah yahyahyah…..
Come on Chica 2, this Buffalo soldier is filled with sawdust! Let him tell his story in peace. Well, in typical Chica 2 fashion, the word "peace" served as a perfect segue into her next misbehavior.
 This final act of insanity was Chica 2 trying
to sneak into the teepee display. At first she wanted to smoke a traditional peace pipe, but then she imagined she was the wife of the chief.
Chica 1 believed Chica 2 really wanted to start a fire, which would have resulted in a double arrest! One for Chica 2's fire and the second for Chica 1's assault and battery on Chica 2! Tee hee hee
It is truly time to go. Children are beginning to congregate around Chica 2 like she is the pied piper of the museum. 2 Chicas highly recommend a visit
to the Arch.
The museum is free; you only pay if you want to go to the top of
the monument or if you want to watch some movie.
2 Chicas Riverfront Riding
 Just west of the arch is the St.
Louis side of the Mississippi River.
There are Riverboat Cruises, the Historic Laclade and the Eads Bridge.
There is a lot of history associated with this bridge, and Chica 2 is clearly
already bored. It is a significant structure because it linked the eastern
and western railroads, which helped the expansion of the west, and in essence, killed the
riverboat industry.
Chica 2 wandered down by the river
to take a look at one of the riverboat casino cruises that operate from a
site not far from the Eads Bridge. Chica 2 thought she saw some straw chewing,
straw hat wearing hottie waving at her from the empty riverboat. Come on
Chica 2, just your imagination playing with you.
Now Chica 2 is wants to run over
to Laclede’s Landing and click her heels down the cobblestone streets.
There
is a self-guided walking tour brochure that you can obtain from the St. Louis
Visitor Center to help you identify the historic warehouses that are now
restaurants and offices.
As Chica 2 trips over an uneven cobblestone and does
a turn with the tripping dance, she proclaims she is hungry.
How in the world will we feed Chica 2? Maybe a little grilled beaver from the pelt on Davey Crockett’s head? Maybe not, we don't want to waste our final time here in St. Louis in the emergency room. Everyone knows Chica 2 is crazy, but she would be totally insane to eat grilled beaver. Then again, you never know....
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