A Weekend in St. Louis

Back in November, I flew to St. Louis for the weekend to visit my friend, Meg! I know, I know. I’ve waited a long while to blog this trip but I’m really excited to share a little bit about St. Louis with you! But listen, I was all about enjoying this time with my friend so these few cell phone photos are going to have to suffice!

I had never been to Missouri before and when Meg moved there for her job with USTRANSCOM last year, I promised to come visit. When I landed on a crisp late-fall weekend, she greeted me at the airport with a hand-drawn map to better acclimate myself with the spots we’d be visiting and her dog, HOAGIE!!! I had missed them both so much!

We went right from the airport to St. Charles, just north of St. Louis. St. Charles, a charming little riverfront town, was Missouri’s first state capital. We walked the cobblestone streets closest to the Missouri River and there were so many adorable little shops. I definitely want to go back and explore this old little town more!

From here, we did a lot of eating and a lot of dog snuggling. We debated heading out to the wine bar in her neighborhood on both nights but opted to stay in, watch Netflix and snuggle Hoagie instead. I deeply appreciate my fellow introverted extrovert friends who don’t judge me for just wanting to sit in my PJs with their pup.

FUN FACT: A lot of the buildings in St. Louis were built for when they hosted the World’s Fair in 1904. The original site of the fair is now a massive, beautiful and very regal-looking park. I knew that the World’s Fair was a thing but admittedly I actually knew nothing about it. The Fair celebrated the centennial of President Thomas Jefferson’s fantastic real estate deal with Napoleon Bonaparte of France: $15 million for 600 million acres of the Louisiana Territories. The deal was struck in 1803, but it took until 1804 for the word of the transaction to reach St. Louis. That same year, Jefferson’s exploration team, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, departed St. Louis to map the newly minted U.S. lands. {source} What I never realized about these fairs was that they lasted… almost an entire year. Needless to say I’m completely fascinated now. The fair was a way for more than 60 countries to come together, learn about advancements in science and technology, educate each other about their cultures and cultivate peace. If you no nothing about the World’s Fair, like me a few months ago, start researching and you’ll be totally obsessed. OB.SESSED.

Meg and I talked about how hard it might be to get a great taste of St. Louis as a tourist. Luckily for me, I had some inside information! I can say, the restaurants we visited were all incredible… seriously, so good… and they should be on your St. Louis MUSTS list!

Everything at Grace Meat + Three was freaking delicious. I’m kinda drooling right now just thinking about that biscuit and the sweet potatoes. The atmosphere was great - it felt local, welcoming and community oriented.

Meg took me on a drive around some of the nicest residential parts of St. Louis to see the old, yet lovingly cared for mansions and we walked Hoagie through Shaw, her neighborhood. See, that’s something I learned that I never would have picked up if I was a normal tourist. St. Louis is all about its neighborhoods! Each one has distinct style, unique restaurants and a different feel. I love how neighborhoods distinguish themselves with little things like the neighborhood name painted in the cross walks, banners on the light posts and special tiles in the sidewalks.

We also hit up Salt + Smoke for dinner (the sides… oh my, the sides! Just give me all the hushpuppies and potato salad!!!) and Rooster for an amazing brunch (I wish I could have ordered every crepe on the menu!).

Ever the gracious and thoughtful host, the St. Louis experiences didn’t stop with the food. She treated me to a St. Louis Blues game, a tour of the Anheuser-Busch brewery, a visit to The Gateway Arch (though we did not take the little cars up to the top because the thought of them terrifies me) and a tour of the base where Meg works! Trust me, I know that I’m super lucky to have such awesome friends.

If you’re visiting St. Louis, I highly recommend learning like a tourist but experiencing like a local!