Wild Time in St. Louie!

Leaving Tennessee I was so excited for my 2nd Trip to St. Louis. Upon arriving in St. Louis I went out with fellow teammates to the Central West End. This is a neighborhood in St. Louis not much different from Georgetown or Dupont of DC. We went to several bars and had dinner; it appeared to be a bit of an upscale area and I had a great time. After we finished up, we headed back to Washington Ave. We started the latter part of the evening off at the Dubliner, where Elvis-esque music was played and my teammate was breaking it down ala "The King".

After hearing enough of that genre of music we ventured over to Shiver which is a Russian Vodka bar. The V.I.P. lounges are giant freezers and you need to put on eskimo coats and gloves (girls get Ugg boots) to wear while inside these giant ice rooms. It was here that I introduced my other teammate to Red Bull Vodka. And the rest of the night it was RBV after RBV! Next we hopped down the street to Rue 13. And it was here that we raged to 80's music the rest of the night.

The next day we were attending the St. Louis Cardinals game, and had the privilege of watching Tim Lincecum and Chris Carpenter face-off. Before the game though it was nearly impossible to find a place to eat...after meandering around St. Louis we finally found an establishment that was not over-crowded or closed. Jack Patrick's had great deals on beer as well as delicious burgers. After dinner it was time for the ball game. The game was a blast, and the seats (7 rows from the field) were outrageous. After the game we went back out to Rue 13...and Saturday night was TECHNO night. It was here that I tried 180 (an All-natural Red Bull alternative).

Sunday was a day of adventure I walked the streets of St. Louis and ventured over to the banks of the Mississippi. I also went up in the Gateway Arch, which is amazing how it elevates you to the top...you sit in what feels like a small space pod (smashed my head on the ceiling several times). The top is a walkway with windows looking out over both St. Louis and the Mississippi River over into Illinois. Underneath the Arch is the museum of Westward Expansion which had lots of cool displays and information. Later on in the day I checked out the Edward Jones Dome (home of the St. Louis Rams). I had never seen a domed stadium that large before.

Finally I finished up the evening by touring the Anheuser Busch factory. I got to see the Clydesdales, the process of making the beer (from beechwood aging to bottling), see various historic spots on the Budweiser campus, and also sample beer. I tried the seasonal beer Pumpkin Spiced Ale which was very good, and also Golden Light which is a Michelob family member that is only served in northern states like Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, etc.

My final day in St. Louis I ate at Pappy's BBQ (featured on Man V. Food and also has hosted Jeremy Shockey, Willie Nelson, and Terrell Davis) and it was absolutely amazing. They had delicious chicken and pork, awesome sauces, and deep-fried corn. I also went to the City Museum (see pictures) which is basically a real life version of Alice in Wonderland. It has a ferris wheel on the roof, a school bus hanging off the edge of the roof, slides from the top of the building to the ground, airplanes, giant foam pits, and much more. Unfortunately we did not have enough time to explore and it is the very first thing I am doing in St. Louis upon returning.

St. Louis was jammed packed with craziness. And to top it all off I was introduced to Zam Zuu. The Zam Zuu convention was held in St. Louis the weekend we happened to be in town. And in the hotel this older black woman in a wheel chair grabbed our hands (my teammate and I). She then proceeded to go on-and-on for only God knows how long about Zam Zuu...She was Zam Zuu through and through. She did not need drugs and or alcohol to get high on, she did not excessively eat, she was 82 years old, and she Zam Zuu through and through. She could heal anyone with 1, 2, 3 - Zam Zuu through and through...I was completely shocked and had no idea what to do. Finally, to the relief of the 10 people who had been stuck listening to her spiel in the hallway, I politely slipped away and was completely speechless. I am still not sure if Zam Zuu is some alternative religion, cult, or just a scam that has grown so large they have annual conventions. Regardless, I visited Busch Stadium to see the Cardinals, went up in the Gateway Arch, toured the Anheuser Busch Factory, sampled some awesome bbq, and had an elderly black women in a wheelchair attempt to preach about Zam Zuu to me...what a weekend!