This Museum!!

Okay, when it comes right down to it, the REAL reason the kids love St. Louis so much is because of this place . . . The City Museum.

It is, without a doubt, one of their favorite places in the entire world to visit (and these kids have been to a few places across the world). It is just that good.

It's gritty and edgy and creative and crazy and just a bit dangerous and always a little nerve-wracking for parents, but DANG is it cool.

The kids can, and do, spend the entire day there and have to be dragged out at closing time.

There are mazes and jungle gyms, giant slides and human skate parks, halls of mirrors and daily circus shows (put on by other kids who have been doing circus camp all week long). When the kids tire of the physical activities, there's always the art studio.

You can always find Lutece there for a huge chunk of the day.

We would NEVER plan a trip to St. Louis without going to the City Museum.

No wonder they call it the "happiest place on Earth." Wait . . . that IS the City Museum, isn't it?

Our Favorite Vacation City: St. Louis

St. Louis has long been one of our favorite cities for a not-too-far-from-home vacation. The kids continue to ask to visit.

Since it lies in the most direct path between Lexington and our final destination of Utah, it was a no-brainer decision to visit in 2015.

This time, in addition to the traditional sites, we also added a couple of new ones (just to mix things up and keep it exciting!). The previous photos are from the Old Courthouse, which is actually part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial run by the National Park Service (the Arch is also part of it). The well-known Dred Scott Decision was made here.

After exploring the Old Courthouse, we headed for the Arch.

It's always so much bigger than I remember!

We don't always go up to the top of the Arch, but it had been a couple of years since the last time we did it (and the lines were short :), so we decided to take the teeny tiny . . . like, reeeeeaaaaaallllly small . . . cars to the top.

Lutece and I took a selfie to pass the time and distract me from any claustrophobia I may have been feeling.

It's all good in St. Louis.

Last Stop: The Arch

We drove home from St. Louis on Wednesday (that would be a week ago last Wednesday) because Lutece had middle school orientation in the evening, and we didn't want to miss it. No trip to St. Louis would be complete, however, without a visit to the Arch.

On past visits to St. Louis, we have spent more time at the Arch, walking through the museums in the basement, doing the Junior Ranger packets, even taking the little car to the top. This time though, it was a park and view kind-of experience since we were short on time and had already spent an hour or so at the zoo.

Still, it never ceases to amaze.

It is a seriously cool structure. I think it appeals to me so much because it feels like a sleek large-scale work of art. A sculpture that just happens to be large enough to house a small train.

The kids spent a little time goofing around . . . "Your arm is putty. I'm going to mold it and you have to keep it that way."

This is why they are so socially awkward. They neither of them perform to strangers.

Phoenix was convinced that if I took a picture of him standing this way it would look as if he were holding up the arch. I tried to explain to him the nuances of perspective and optical illusion, but he wasn't having any of it, so I just took the picture. Look! He's holding up the arch :).*

In case this didn't come through in my other summer vacation posts, the kids truly are at a great age for traveling. We have enjoyed our summer travels immensely! 

* As I was writing this post Phoenix turned up read through it. He laughed when he got to this caption. "I should have knelt down for that picture." Indeed, it may have worked if he had knelt down, Atlas-like.

Ice Cream and BBQ

There are some seriously good eats in St. Louis . . . at least of the middle class variety. We let the kids choose the restaurants (from a short list made by us, the parents) and we made sure to eat some form of ice cream every day (though none of it was actually ice cream). One day we hit Ted Drewes Frozen Custard for concretes.

This picture makes me laugh because I have no idea what Lutece is doing with her hands here. Zombie?

Another day we sampled the gelato at Gelateria del Leone. We all agreed that the gelato was better than the frozen custard. Blasphemy in St. Louis.

The first night, the kids chose Vietnamese cuisine (I love that given the choice between fried chicken, sandwiches, and Vietnamese, they chose the latter). The second night they chose BBQ, because, duh, St. Louis. We went to Pappy's Smokehouse because it got good reviews online. We all loved it! Yum!

Those ribs were delicious. We all agreed that Grandma Terry would have loved them. As I look at this picture with a little perspective, I honestly don't know if the food looks good or not, but take my word for it . . . GOOD.

The Best Ever Non-Museum Museum

The REAL reason we went to St. Louis was the City Museum, and we dedicated an entire day (9 to 5) to its perusal. The City Museum is not *really* a museum. It is, in fact, the biggest, craziest, most creative, and best indoor and outdoor playground you may ever experience as a family. It is, in a word, awesome.

We arrived just before 9:00 a.m., when the doors open, so that we could get some good playtime in before the crowds really get going from 10 to noon. The ground floor of the museum (there are four, not including the roof on the 12th floor) is dedicated to the Enchanted Caves, which is a surreal system of tunnels, stairways, secret passages, crevices, caves, tree houses, slides, and who knows what else. It is amazing! Don't plan on keeping an eye on your kids. It's impossible.

Fortunately, Lutece and Phoenix are at perfect ages to climb, roam, and explore on their own. As soon as we entered the Museum, we set up a meet-up location for anyone who got lost, and we made a rule that no one leaves the area (or floor) without a parent. With those things firmly in place, Stayc and I explored on our own a little while the kids wandered the Enchanted Caves.

After the Forest/Caves, we headed outdoors to the Wonderdome. Again, this place is amazing. The Wonderdome is rebar heaven.

Case in point. One of the things I love about the City Museum is how much whimsy is involved. In addition to the many rebar tunnels and tubes, there are also all sorts of creatures and designs made from recycled materials that grace the nooks and crannies of the structures.

There is almost nothing you can't climb and almost nowhere you can't go.

Yes, that is a rebar tunnel constructed onto the wing of the airplane, that is, in fact, set as high as a 4-6 story building.

It is a dream come true for the adventurous. Perhaps not so fun for the claustrophobic and acrophobic :).

 

We made sure to wear long pants and tennis shoes. Flip flops would have been ill-advised.

Thank goodness the kids are fairly small, active, and agile.

Although Stayc and I tried some of the climbs and many of the slides, we stuck to larger walkways and wider passages.

After exploring the Wonderdome and the second and third floors (no pictures), we headed to the Roof, entrance to which costs an extra $5.00 a person. It was well worth the money though since the amount of times we rode the Ferris wheel more than made up for the cost.

We went on it once during the afternoon (when there was a line), and then we returned to the roof for the last hour of the day (when almost everyone else had gone home), and rode it three more times.

Not the greatest picture of Stayc and me, but who cares? We hit the 18 year mark of marriage just three days ago. We ARE old, so we may as well look it.

The kids took the very last ride on the Ferris wheel before they closed it for the day. Then we took the 10 story slide down to the first floor.

The Art Room consumed a huge chunk of our afternoon at the City Museum, which was not a surprise. Lutece spent at least an hour there in the morning with just me, then we took Phoenix and Stayc there in the afternoon and spent another hour or so.

Lutece molded a penguin out of clay, decorated her very own hat, and made a magic wand, but the project that consumed the majority of her time (and all of Phoenix's) was creating small creatures out of little plastic containers and craft supplies (the containers are the kind you see in little candy/toy vending machines . . . you can see them at the bottom of the picture).

They ended up making and taking home at least 10-12 of them. It was addictive.

We took a family portrait in the Hall of Mirrors to commemorate our awesome visit. Best museum EVER!