St. Louis Adventure

We've spent the last few days relaxing and enjoying one of our favorite cities … St. Louis. 

When we arrived, we were starving, so our first stop was Seoul Tacos … they are so good.  We had one of each meat taco (Beef, Pork & Chicken), a Chicken Quesadilla, and Kimchi for Rod and Kimchi Slaw for me (so wish I could figure out that recipe … spicy, sweet and crunchy with shredded Daikon radish).

 

Next we enjoyed wandering through the stores along The Delmar Loop … we added a few pieces of art to our collection (forgot to photograph before they were wrapped up for the trip, so will share them when I hang them up at home).  I did take some other pictures including the gorgeous Pan Pastels at Dick Blick (I might have bought a few of those to take home too).  The top right is the art from the bathroom at Seoul Taco … you never know where you'll find inspiration.

 

And before we knew it, it was time to find some supper.  We tried a Happy Hour at a new-to-us restaurant right across the street from our hotel – Pi Pizza.  They had the best garlic bread (at $4 for half-price Happy Hour Appetizers it was the best $4 I've spent in a long time).  It was perfectly toasted slices of warm Italian bread served with a generous amount of herb-filled butter and a whole roasted head of garlic to squeeze out each squishy clove and spread on the bread … seriously, my happy place.  We also had a Bacon & Red Onion Thin Crust Pizza that was fantastic.

 

And finished with a Chocolate Skillet Cake with Dulche Leche Sauce (and yes, then we waddled back to our hotel) … next stop was the roof top bar of our hotel (The Moonrise Hotel) where we enjoyed near perfect weather and relaxed on the couches.  We always stay in one of the suites that are decorated with vintage photographs of a famous star … this time we got the Shelly Winters room.

 

 

The next morning we headed to Baseball Village to check out the Cardinals Hall of Fame & Museum.  I loved the history of all of the jerseys … this was a classic from 1949.

 

 

Next stop was Cardinals Stadium for an afternoon baseball game.  Our view was pretty sweet … I got just enough sun before our seats moved into the shade for the end of the game.  There were so many foul balls, but none came our way.  Our boys didn't win, but a day at a baseball game is always good regardless.

 

 

After the game, we walked to nearby Broadway Oyster Bar where we were seated outside to enjoy a late lunch.  The breeze was perfect to relax.

 

 

I had an Oyster Po Boy (a few too many red onions in the cole slaw for me) and Rod enjoyed some Pork Sliders.

 

 

Today we headed to the Missouri Botanical Gardens to take in some blooms.  We had a late rain toward the end of our trip, but otherwise there were times when we almost had the place to ourselves.  These pictures were all from the Climatron.  I had no idea a Pineapple started out like the bloom on the lower right.

 

 

I spotted a lovely Orchid in the Climatron … and we were a bit early for the Poenies, but there were a few overachievers that ahd started to bloom … and I always love discovering Chihuly glass among the flora.

 

We had the Japanese Gardens almost all to ourselves.  it was the first time ever that i was the only one feeding the koi.

After several hours of walking, we were ready for some grub, so we headed to The Shaved Duck for some fresh-from-the-oven cornbread with honey butter.

 

And then we shared a combination plate with Burnt Ends, Smoked Meatloaf, Tri Tip and Baby Back Ribs … with Brussels Sprouts and Oniony Mashed Potatoes.

 

All-in-all another wonderful adventure … always great to get away for a few days.