(R)- Bye Bay Area, Hello St. Louis

The last cohort to leave! Saved the best for last.

This has been a day of firsts for me.  First time in St. Louis, first time at Washington University, and first time eating alligator.  I woke up this morning ready for action and could not wait to fly out here to Missouri for the first portion of our trip.  With Mauricio having his first flight experience and a bit of TSA bashing, the airport was more interesting than usual.  The flight was not as interesting even though Alice and I tried to sit and start conversations.  When someone puts their headphones on, they do not want to talk.  (Mauricio and Ernestina were luckier so go check out their blogs for cool stories on that.)  I started reading a book called "Born To Run" and there is a shoutout to a professor from UChicago so I will be on the lookout to talk to Dr. Daniel Noveck.  The view of St. Louis was amazing as we flew in but the humidity here is not so amazing.  

Memorial in a memorial. This wall commemorates the people involved in
forming the arch.

We arrived at 7:00 PM so we had time to do an activity and we decided to see the Gateway Arch.  I thought it was simply amazing that someone designed it, and the construction crew was able to build it perfectly.  The margin of error was only 1/64 of an inch! And when building two structures 600 feet high, that is quite a feat.  We went to the top in an elevator the size of a porta potty with five people and then got to view the entire St. Louis area and Busch Stadium (where the Cardinals play baseball). 

Home of some of the best creole food in St. Louis. 10/10.

Coming down from that, we were all starving, and we decided to check out Broadway Oyster Bar.  With the best meal I have had in a while, I was in love.  Starting with fried alligator and oysters, I was skeptical because I was unsure of how it would taste.  That skepticism was blown out of the water immediately. The oysters were superb, and the alligator was like a tender chicken that ended up dissolving in your mouth, leaving a fiery feeling after swallowing.  The lobster po boy with cajun fries could not have topped it off any better.  My mouth is watering thinking about the deliciousness of that dinner.  Today was very successful and tomorrow is another busy day of running, touring, and traveling.

Sadly, we were not able to take the best photos of the arch
because it was dark already. Great time, though!

The first stadium of the trip. A warm up for the real
attraction of Wrigley Field in Chicago.