Playing in St. Louis

Spring break was beautiful and a much needed respite from the daily grind. We checked St. Louis off of our bucket list by spending 5 nights with my sister-in-law and her husband 30 minutes outside of downtown. We played hard each day, ate well, and always saved time in the evening to talk, all while getting plenty of sleep to keep us going each day.

The most enjoyable part about this trip was that it was only the four of us. Family reunions are fun, but having a more intimate group setting can be more relaxing and therapeutic. I came away from this trip feeling like I actually had a vacation! 

Our Itinerary: 

Tuesday March 15th: 

• arrived in Chesterfield at 4:30 PM
• Ate Bibimbap for dinner
• retired to bed early

Wednesday March 16th:

• Morning hike at Castlewood State Park: I absolutely LOVE morning hikes. Best way to get going in the day. We did the River Scene Trail, a 3.25 mile loop that takes you along the Meramec River Valley as well as through a tunnel under the Union Pacific Railway. 

• Lunch at home: grass fed beef tacos

• Meandered through The Hill Neighborhood of St. Louis

• Toured Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Factory and got these sweet hats and a sample of chocolate to prove it. 
• Toured Herbaria, an all-natural soap making company. Free mini-bars of soap were also given out after the tour.

• Afternoon snack of gelato at Gelato DiRiso. What else do you expect while in an Italian neighborhood? So yummy and a perfect afternoon-pick-me-up treat. 

• Visited The Arch
• Played on the giant turtles at the Turtle Playground in Forest Park 

Obligatory skating/yoga picture. In jeans. Go figure.

• Played on The Awakening--Buried Giant sculptor in Chesterfield & walked around the lake.

• Dinner: we ate the best garlic chicken spinach Alfredo pizza made by the two masterminds of my sister-in-law and myself. We are unbeatable in the kitchen. She made the secret magic sauce so I am sorry I can't share it, but here is the crust recipe we used. 

Thursday March 17th:

• Walked around Forest Park: World's Fair Pavilion & Art Hill

• Cathedral Basilica Tour: Wow!! The church raised one million dollars before breaking ground for the Cathedral back in the turn of the century, but they gave that money to the city when a large tornado demolished St. Louis just a few weeks before groundbreaking was scheduled. They had to wait until another million was raised to build their parish. Sacrifice often leads to great things, just as this Cathedral signifies. 
  
• Lunch at Aya Sophia for tasty Turkish cuisine in a beautiful and intimate atmosphere.

We love to visit one new restaurant when visiting new cities, the more ethnic the 

place, the better. I ordered Iskender, a plate of thinly sliced beef and lamb, served over pita, with garlic cumin tomato sauce and a side of rice pilaf and butter sauce. The flavors were so warm and satisfying, I barley needed food the rest of the day.   

• Afternoon at the St. Louis Zoo. My favorite exhibit was the penguins as well as seeing the orangatang mom holding her new baby!

• Dinner at home: homemade baked sweet potato fries, black berries, and chicken. I was so full from lunch, but the sweet potato fries alone were perfect to tie me over to breakfast. 

Friday March 18th: 

• Morning walk with my sweet husband. I knew we'd be spending a lot of it indoors in the afternoon so I had to get some fresh air to start the day. 
• After lunch we went to the City Museum, a GIANT playground where I think my husband could have played if for an entire week and not gotten bored. Packing snacks is a MUST for a day at the city museum. I was waning in energy half way through the afternoon, but after we took a break and got some sustenance, we all caught a second wind and played for another hour or so before calling it a day. Make sure to ask one of the workers to turn on the organ inside! It is amazing!

Hard to see, but my husband is in one of his favorite places: 

somewhere high up!

• Dinner of crock pot BBQ ribs and salad. 

Saturday March 19th:

• Morning at the St. Louis Temple
• Afternoon at Art Museum.

This must be my husband's "art appreciation face"

• Easy afternoon at home with some naps and reading. Even adults need quiet time. 
• I made zuppa toscana for dinner since my sister-in-law had been doing meals all week long and she needed a break. She is seriously a Super Star!!

Sunday March 20th:

• Church 
• Lunch, some final relaxation, and then headed west on our 4 hour drive home. 

Usually I feel like I need a vacation from my vacation. But this time, we balanced the play and relaxation so well, I feel rejuvenated. That's what spring break should be.