St Louis #1

First full weekend in St Louis.  The weather was supposed to be cloudy with possible rain.  So I decided that I would leave Jane for few hours and head downtown.  I found a website that said they did 2 hr walking tours of the city for $5 - no reservations.  Just show up at the Old Courthouse - west entrance.  That sounded like a good overview of the city and architecture.  I drove downtown and found parking in a garage between the Old Courthouse and Busch Stadium.  $15 parking.  Sheesh.  I gotta find a better way - maybe public transport?? Only I don't have all day, since I have to get back to Jane.   Traffic was not bad at all!  Especially considering there was a Cardinals game starting - and I discovered that there was a huge parade going on - never did figure out what the parade was for though.

However, due to the huge, long parade - lots of the streets were closed off and the tour guides never materialized.  According to one of the staff rangers at The Old Courthouse, the tour was pretty "loosy goosey" anyway.  Great.  That'll teach me to watch what I find on the internet. So.... I hung out for a bit on the steps of the Old Courthouse and watched the parade a bit.  Tons and tons of marching bands, cars of all ages, makes and models, the odd float - but mostly marching bands.  The guys in front of me were ecstatic to see the band from their alma mater, UAPB (University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff - thank god for the sign on the banner).  They were all decked out in the black and gold school colors; yelling at the band, snapping pictures and video.  Their enthusiasm made me smile.  It's probably terrible of me to admit, because I know it involves a lot of time, effort, skill, etc, but parades just bore the heck out of me now.  I used to love them.  But after about 20 minutes I was stir crazy.  So I decided to play tourist for a bit.

Construction of the Old Courthouse  was finished in 1862.  It was the site of the historical Dred Scott trial in 1846- in which slaves Dred and Harriet Scott sued Irene Emerson, the widow of their owner, for their freedom.  The case went all the way to the Supreme Court where it was eventually denied.  Mrs. Emerson later married Calvin C. Chaffee a northern congressman opposed to slavery.  He gave the Scotts to his old friends, the Blow family, who gave them their freedom in 1857.  According to the U.S. National Parks brochure, it was "one of the most important cases ever tried in the United States....these trials were the beginning of a complicated series of events which culminated in a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1857 and hastened the start of the Civil War".  Abraham Lincoln followed the case.

The Old Courthouse is beautiful - the inside of the rotunda (my picture doesn't do it justice) has myriad paintings and sculptures.  There are exhibits on slavery, the Dred Scott trial, the crusade for women's rights, and a history of St Louis throughout the years.  Very informative and free to the public as part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.  Outside views of the courthouse are impressive and from a small distance you can see that it is framed beneath the arch.

St Louis is bordered by several rivers (Mississipi, Missouri, Meramac) making it easy to see how it sprang up from being an important trading port.  After the great fire of 1849, the architecture of St Louis turned to stone and brick buildings and cast iron.  You can still see many buildings downtown with beautiful cast iron work.

Upon leaving the Old Courthouse, I took a walk through City Garden and enjoyed the greenery, the fountains and the sculpture there.  Take a look at the link provided for a better description.  Great, whimsical fun place to find in the middle of a bustling city!!  How wonderful!  Passed lots of Cardinals fans in full regalia heading to the game.  And then decided to follow the sounds of music and the sight of white tents on the street several blocks away.   Here I found the Taste of St Louis happening on Market Street.  I decided to wander in for lunch.  Grass fed beef sliders (from a local rancher), Southern Comfort and coke (SoCo is actually from New Orleans) and St Louis original Gooey Butter Cake for dessert!  Yum!  Live music, artisans booths, wine tasting... lots of fun.  For those wondering, Gooey Butter Cake is almost like a flourless cake/brownie.  Its a St Louis original recipe - very sugary and buttery!

Okay, tourist time is up for the day.  I had to get back to feed Jane lunch.  And since the day turned out to be sunny and warmish, I decided to take her to a local park.  We found one 10 minutes away.  While we didn't get to walk very far (Jane is still learning that walking means walk - not exploring every foot!) Jane had an absolute blast playing in the grass, chasing crickets, leaves, chewing sticks and trying to greet every single jogger, walker, biker and skater that came by.  She made quite a few friends along the way - all human ones for now as her vaccines are finished yet!  We spent about an hour there and by the time we got to the car she was staggeringly tired!

Not too bad for a day of whimsical tourism!  I like that term.  Maybe that should be the new title for my blog!  What do you think?
Jules