St. Louis, Missouri, USA - 23rd April 2009
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Hey Mom! Guess where I went today! That's right, St. Looouuuis! It's the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Rams, St. Louis Blues, and of course, the St. Louis Arch (the Gateway to the West).
We started our day out by visiting the [url=www.metrostlouis.org/]MetroLink[/url] station. We didn't need to ride, but it would have been really cool to do so! I've never had a ride on one before, but Steph said that we had many other places to see today, so we didn't get time. 
The next place we went to was [url=www.stlouisunionstation.com/]Union Station[/url]. This is what I learned about the place, Mom!
| Quote: |
St. Louis Union Station, once the largest and busiest passenger rail terminal in the world, is now one of America's great marketplaces. Union Station first opened in 1894, but ceased operation as an active train terminal in 1978. Union Station reopened in August of 1985 as the largest adaptive re-use project in the United States.
Today, this 114 year old National Historic Landmark of unmatched beauty and elegance has been dramatically restored and redeveloped as a dynamic mixed-use project that includes great shopping, delicious dining and fabulous entertainment.
St. Louis Union Station houses a 539 room Marriott Hotel, luxury offices, a lake and a plaza for festivals, concerts and other special events. The century-old St. Louis Union Station boasts a unique and colorful history as well as a bright future. St. Louis Union Station is truly a shopper's delight with over 80 shops and restaurants to choose from. An important part of the Station's special appeal is the variety of unique retail shops, offering everything from fine fashions to one-of-a-kind gifts. |
Sounds cool, right? 
Here's a picture of me outside Union Station. Is that a Hard Rock Cafe I see in the background? 
It IS! It IS a Hard Rock Cafe! We didn't get to stop and eat, but it was still really cool to see one and they had music playing for us to hear outside! I hope to go to one in the future! That would be such a cool place to go!
After we left Union Station, we stopped at Busch Stadium. It's where the St. Louis Cardinals play (they're a major league baseball team). This is the new stadium that was opened in 2006. Steph said she's only been to this one a few times. Do you see all those people in the background? They're all lined up waiting to get tickets to tonight's game THIS early in the day! That seemed really crazy to me. I didn't know people did that for sports, just for concerts and movies and books. 
Here I am with a statue of Ozzie Smith outside of the stadium. He played shortstop for the Cardinals from 1982 to 1996. He was well known for doing backflips while running out to his position on the field. He must've been a REALLY good player, too! They put him into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002.
There were more statues out here of other famous players that used to be on the team. I don't remember their names, though.
Here's me with the city view in the background. See what I see? 
It's the Gateway Arch! I asked if we could get a bit closer, so we got back into the car.
Here we are back in the car. If you look right in the middle WAY out in the background, you can sort of see the Mississippi River. I changed my mind and decided that I really wanted to see this AMAZING river, so we went on up the road and had a look! 
And here we are at the river! The boat behind me isn't actually a boat that takes people places, I learned. It is actually a casino. Pretty cool, huh?
Here's another river picture. See the land on the other side of the river? That's Illinois! Pretty cool to see how if you just cross the REALLY wide river, you'll be in a WHOLE different state!
Well, Mom, I hope you enjoyed this update! I would like to send you a postcard from here if you want it! Steph said to send her a PM with your address and she'll make sure it gets sent to you!
LOVE LOVE LOVE,
Ricky!
