Olivia and I recently made the short trip over to visit our good friends Jake and Paige in St. Louis, Missouri. Jake is a good hockey buddy from way back and we have tried to get together multiple times prior in the two years they have lived there. We had an amazing three and a half day trip to STL, and I invite you to join us in the journey with our video recap below:
I will admit this post is written about a month or so after our visit, so some of these descriptions might be rather brief, but feel free to reach out with any questions about our experience and I’d be happy to fill in the blanks.
Our adventure started mid-morning on Friday with a short connecting flight to STL through Nashville. Upon arrival and setting down our bags, we made the quick walk over to a nearby restaurant called Kingside Diner, one that we would actually come back to for our last meal on Monday morning. After a delicious brunch, we explored the area a bit more then headed home to rest and wait for Paige to get off work for the weekend.
We took the majority of the afternoon to catch-up and play some classic board games with our good friends–of course with a few adult beverages to celebrate the occasion. After a few hours of working up our appetite, we were ready to eat again (what else is new?). Friday night’s dinner was much anticipated from our residents of St. Louis, and I will admit it definitely lived up to the hype. The landing spot was Mission Taco, one of Jake and Paige’s favorites in the area. The food was delicious but the margs and beers with the best company definitely made the evening. With most nearby restaurants serving outside on the closed city streets, we took a stroll through the surrounding area to take in the sights before returning back to the homestead for a quiet first evening.
The second morning (Saturday) brought an early tee time for the boys while the ladies headed off to Orangetheory for a workout. The track was the public Forest Park Golf Course which turned out to be fantastic. An awesome layout, some really picturesque holes, and just an overall blast to play. Not to mention Jake and I are probably the easiest people to play golf with. Never taking it too seriously, we were able to enjoy the beautiful morning and mild temperatures with a few tall boys and some “decent” (for us) golf.
We met up with the girls at the apartment for a quick shower and change. After a short ride back to Forest Park, we took a quick lap around some of the gardens and headed to our lunch spot for the day, The Boathouse. This place was tucked away in the middle of Forest park, right on the bank of the large central pond (hence the name). They had an awesome menu, filled with local craft beers, BBQ, and other delicious looking items from the grill. I went for a double cheeseburger and was not disappointed in the slightest. Two nice “smashed” patties with plenty of cheese and a nice toasty bun? Yes please. With some delicious fries to top it all off? Perhaps my favorite meal of the trip. I know, I’m super cultured.
We then went on to explore a good bit more of Forest Park, including the sites designated for the 1904 World’s Fair. As a history nerd, this was extremely interesting to me. The main highlight of the tour was checking out what was called Art Hill, just in front of the St. Louis Art Museum. This hill was a massive green space that overlooked the beautiful fountains of the park. There were people laying out and taking in the sun, others were flying kites; it was just a super wholesome area. Not to mention the diverse groups of people we noticed, it was truly a melting pot of all different types of humans simply enjoying their weekend. A great example of the nearby community–we thoroughly appreciated the experience.
Saturday’s dinner was an excellent choice as well with a visit to Antonino’s Taverna. It was a great traditional Italian spot that had some of Olivia’s favorite choices on the menu. They also had some killer pizza which is what I ended up going with. With my side salad, it was enough to fill me up as we were already pretty full from all the drinks and food that we had taken in prior. We retreated back to the apartment for another round of board games and were ready for bed before we knew it. A long but incredible Saturday.
Sunday morning started off slow, then ramped up a bit when me and Jake decided to get on the bikes and cruise through Forest Park. After a nice bike ride checking out some more sights, we got up with the ladies and headed for our Sunday brunch location: Polite Society. Another solid choice from our hosts, I enjoyed a huge plate of my favorite (chicken and waffles) while Olivia indulged in a tasty-looking omelette. A couple of mimosas later and we were energized for the afternoon ahead, as we had plans to explore the downtown area of the city.
Our Sunday afternoon was a whirlwind, stopping at a variety of different places to explore and enjoy some of the local culture. We had to checkout Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals ballpark) and the surrounding bars and entertainment. A Cards game is high on my list so we’ll definitely have to make a return trip at some time. We had a blast playing some skeeball and bubble hockey at a fun bar just outside the stadium, then proceeded to head towards the river to get a better look at the iconic St. Louis Arch. I have seen the arch before but only at a distance, so it was super cool to be right underneath and fully appreciate the scale of the structure. This was an incredible experience and we were able to snap some awesome pictures. I was even lucky enough to find an area to fly the drone! Be sure to checkout the video above to see some of these stunning videos.
The last stop of the afternoon was at the rooftop bar atop the downtown Hilton, called Three Sixty. We were immediately in awe of the beautiful view of the arch from the second we walked in. We had a round of drinks and chatted some more, but mostly took in the amazing panoramic views of the city. A picture-perfect capper to an incredible day together.
Our Monday morning was mostly subdued as both of our hosts had to return back to the real-world. With both Jake and Paige leaving early in the morning for work, Olivia and I made one last return trip to Kingside Diner before our early afternoon flight home. Again, the local spot did not disappoint and we headed back to the apartment to pack–extremely happy and satisfied with our trip. After throwing our clothes in our bags and locking-up, we were on the way to St. Louis-Lambert to fly back to NC.
All in all it was an incredible three day weekend and we are so thankful to our gracious hosts for allowing us to come visit. Although, with this group we could literally sit at home and have a blast just enjoying each other’s company, Jake and Paige planned the weekend perfectly and we were thoroughly entertained from start to finish. It was a great way to see a city that both Olivia and I have yet to visit, and we can’t wait to make a return trip. Thanks for reading and be sure to stay tuned for some more exciting adventures from TR Travels!
– Walker
Texas-Ranger Travels 