The chronicles of my 2019 road trip continues in St. Louis, Missouri. I gotta say, this may have been my favorite stop and made me want to come back for a full-on proper tour of the city. Word of advice though, if you have to navigate the airport here, don’t listen to your GPS! Just follow the signs to the terminals.
Pappy’s BBQ
We heard tell of the barbecue in St. Louis, specifically Pappy’s. And yes, you do indeed have to make a line to get in the door. Thankfully at the time we arrived, it passed quickly and we grabbed our food in record time. This BBQ place shows up on many lists. It’s so famous, even the celebrities write home about it.
I gotta say, it was worth the hype. Those St. Louis ribs absolutely hit the spot and totally distracted me from the fact that everyone squeezed into the small space. But that’s all part of the experience.
Dunaway Books
I always love to find and support local bookstores* everywhere I go. I may have said this before but I will say it again. Every local book shop holds a charm that speaks to its neighborhood and what the residents value. Each store procures a different array of literature and puts them on display in unique ways. Dunaway Books felt like a quintessentail local book store with the aroma of old books permeating the air.
The St. Louis Gateway Arch
I don’t know why, but something about the St. Louis Gateway Arch always called out to me. Maybe because I grew up in South Florida where we have a mini version of it on the Palmetto (go look it up).
But as we arrived, I just fell in love with it. That probably sounds strong or strange, but that’s the best way I can describe it. Something about this marvelous piece of architecture just spoke to me.
Until we went to visit the park that day, I hadn’t realized you could go inside and take an elevator ride up to the apex. The views from there amazed me as a bird’s-eye view always does.
Anheuser-Busch Biergarten
We made a brief stop at this cute spot for some food and libations. Our friend picked up some merch for her collection of travel knickknacks and apparel. I’m not big into beer, but it still made for a nice respite after a day full of exploring.
Laumeier Sculpture Park
We had a lovely end to the evening at this whimsical park. The sculptures range from funny to confusing to a little bit eerie.
All in all, I had a great time here. Perhaps it had more to do with the company I keep. But I wouldn’t mind going back and discovering some more gems I may have missed with only one day there. If you’ve been to St. Louis or live there, let me know what I should look for next time!
Check out more of my Wanderlust series here.
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