Midwest Roadtrip - Chicago

Chicago is . . . awesome. After the sweltering heat of central Illinois we got into the big city for the weekend. Every time I come to this place, it seems as if it has grown. There are new buildings with impressive modern architecture on the skyline, new sculptures in the park, and several of the neighborhoods that were once ghetto are now being gentrified. I have to admit, I always feel lost here. I have to hand it to anyone who has lived here - they have to deal with the harsh winters and have to develop a certain urban chic to survive. 

On Michigan Ave is the Intercontinental hotel - my step father used to work here and we actually lived here for a few months. As Helmut drove up to meet up with us we went for a walk along the avenue and toured the hotel - I couldn't remember a thing about living here other than the video game room which is now gone. 

We nearly gate crashed a wedding in the hotel - but from fear of getting arrested and the fact that I was wearing flip flops and obviously not a wedding member we left to get some food at the Purple Pig on Michigan Ave. Food was alright and certainly not worth the hype and long line we had to wait in to get a seat - but the company was good.

As I said before, the city is huge and the place we stayed - near Millennium Park is really touristy. You have to really know someone who has lived here to really experience what's out there and not end up in a slum. We walked about the city after my step-dad left and got in some good pics along the water front. I've had a lot of fun times up here, and now I have memories of being up here w/ Maria.

Ok, this was my first time to the Art Institute! I've been wanting to come here for years and as luck would have it - got sick, museum closed, not enough time etc. . . I never seemed to make it. The museum reminds me of the Louve - where you walk along and every three seconds you have to rubber neck as you spot yet another famous and priceless painting or exhibit. What really impressed me was the Van Gogh above of the "Drinkers." I've never seen this one before and it is in such contrast to the usually more serious nature of Van Gogh's work. Loved it - and  could also relate to it.

Our last night in town we hit "The Terrace" in Trump Towers - the view was amazing. The food nasty and the drinks overpriced. But, I figured for our last night it was worth it. For anyone out there who is planning a trip to Chi-town - do yourself a favor, get a hotel away from touristy Michigan Ave, make sure parking is included, and realize that Chicago prides itself on serve massive portions with each meal. Also give yourself plenty of time to check out the city and limit the activities you do to one or two a day or you will find yourself exhausted. While I love to visit this place - I'm not sure I could live here - perhaps I was just missing home and that view of the Golden Gate. 

Midwest Road Trip - Springfield, IL

There is currently a heat wave through out the Midwest. People's lawns are turning yellow and its hard to go outside without feeling like you have just put your head into an oven. Even for Midwest summers this one really sucks. But, that's part of the Midwest experience and with good air conditioning - not a deterrent to traveling. It was time to head into the Land (and City) of Lincoln.

We left St. Louis and made our way up the I-55 to Springfield. There is a small red Lutheran Church on the highway that I've always loved and is a perfect spot for sketching - if one is so inclined. On the right are the Cahokia Mounds. This was once the sight of a large civilization with cities that rivaled and even surpassed their European contemporaries. Yet it disappeared and the investigation is still on to find out why. I would strongly recommend this as a place to check out:

http://cahokiamounds.org/visit/

After about an hour and a half we arrived. Springfield is where I went to high school, meet some excellent friends, and became a U.S. Citizen (in the words of Apu of the Simpsons - "Now which way to the welfare office?!"). The old capitol is where I was sworn in back in the 6th grade. 

It was amazing to see everyone and revisit the downtown - which houses a nice library and history museum. The Hilton, pictured here, is the tallest building for a hundred miles in any direction. We managed to get into the roof top restaurant to see the fireworks for the 4th. This restaurant- which unless you love the view - is not exactly the best place to get food. That said, it seems like there is a bunch of cute little restaurants in the downtown which are built into charming old buildings. We went to one place called "Incredibly Delicious" which had, as the name implies, excellent food and is built into a old downtown mansion.

The rest of the time in Springfield was based on meeting people. It was nice to come home to mom's. What can I say about the place? People are always coming and going and my mom's house is apparently the place to be. Every night someone would stop by to eat, drink, and listen to music.Coming home, I also found out that my mom has a pellet gun she uses to deter rabbits from eating the plants in her garden.   

Being back in Springfield was also like a high school reunion. As luck would have it, my friend Doug and Racheal - now happily married with three kids and living in FLA - just happened to be in town. Ally and Bill, also long time friends, came out along with their two amazing kids. Maria was a bit dazed from meeting some many people. On our last night in town we all met for food where the rest of the crew showed up. Clay, Jaime, Mike, Tony and too many others to list easily all joined us. It was good to see everyone doing so well.

(How much for the little girl?)

I would be remis if I didn't mention that every possible Lincoln site is avaible to the Lincoln Junkie. As I've been to all of the them to the point of nausea - I'd just recommend googling the sites for info

Midwest Road Trip - St. Louis, Part 2

 Heat wave be damn! Granted its 110 out there and the humidity is enough to make one's rubber soles melt into the sidewalk, but we still managed to go about the city with daily siestas mixed in to avoid the blistering heat. This, and a bunch of bandaids to help with the blisters.  

Forest Park, in the center of St. Louis is one of the largest metropolitan parks in the world. From what I've read, its bigger than Central Park in New York. There is a nice history museum and art museum that was once the center piece of the 1904 world fair. We hit the art museum - which has a strange mix of items where you go from colonial furniture to egyptian relics to mesoamerican artifacts as you go from room to room. In the front is a moving statue of King Louis the IX - a crusader king that lead his forces to total ruin in Egypt and then in Tunisia in the early 13th century. Good photo op if nothing else.

Forest Park is where I usually went biking and running and the city maintains the place well - but sadily I wasn't able to do that this time around as the weather would simply not permit it. However, I did see some brave souls attempting runs well past 9 PM. What I'm impressed with, is that this park not only has decent attractions, but more importantly, the city is expanding most of them and they are all free. 

The next stop wasn't free - but I think it is well worth it:  

Missouri Botanical Gardens

 No trip to St. Louis is complete without hitting the botanical gardens. I would argue that one can even skip the arch in order to get here. Its amazing on all fronts - the plant collections they have here are extensive - they even have a 1800 number if a person has questions about gardening. The tropical habitate - the "climitron" is an impressive feat of architecture and the Japanese Gardens are some of the best I've ever seen - and even put the one's in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park to shame.

We went there on a night for the Chinese Lantern exhibit - which I personally thought was a joke. For those of you who are thinking of going to this thing, avoid it and await the next exhibit. The lanterns are extremely cheesy and make this beautiful park look like a 2nd rate Disney world. We managed to find our way to the end of the park as the sun was setting and meandered about the gardens at night. That is, until someone found us and told us to get out. There is a portion at the back of the park where there is a low chain fence - where if one was inclined to place a bottle of wine or some beer for later retreval after one has entered the park - it is possible - but thats just what I've heard only from others. wink wink. 

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/

Our last night in St. Louis we spent walking the streets of the central west end hand in hand. The moon was full - or nearly so and cast a lazy light through the clouds on us. The warm humid air made me remember the past life I once had here. I've had so many memories of coming here and spending amazing times with a host of friends. For me it was sad to say goodbye - again. I'm still proud of my time here and still consider my experience of living in St. Louis as a big part of who I am.  

Midwest Road Trip - St. Louis

Its been years since I've been back in St. Louis. Most people in Cali ask me, "why?!" as if going to the midwest is that part of the map that used to have " dragons and monsters be here." I can understand their reserve. Anyone who has live in Cali for any length of time can appreciate everything that it has to offer. St. Louis lies someplace in "the middle" where people raise chickens or something. 

I don't see it that way. For 11 years this was my home. There are so many cute neighborhoods and places to check out. Granted - if you know your way you can check out most of them in a week (if not sooner). But I had to take Maria around. We arrived in the middle of a heat wave and the average temp outside was 105. The humidity makes it 115 - the type of weather that makes you regret coming here. But like I always said, the only thing worse than a St. Louis summer is a St. Louis winter. I find myself looking down at my iPhone and scoping the weather back home - San Francisco 65 bright sunny and perfect (sigh) - but moving on. . . 

 So places one must go (part the first). Soulard was high on my list. This is the old french quarter of St. Louis. The buildings are old and have incredible character. The brick houses, the iron fences, and quaint balconies all bring back memories of small bars and excellent restaurants. I'd recommend:

1) McGurks - irish bar that has music and an excellent back porch beer garden.

http://www.mcgurks.com/

2) Molly's - Creole food at its finest

http://mollysinsoulard.com/

3) Soulard Coffee Garden - excellent place for breakfast

http://soulardcoffeegarden.com/

4) Sydney Street Cafe - Amazing food - good wine selection

http://www.sidneystreetcafe.com/

5) 1860's Saloon - Beer eh!

http://1860saloon.com/

I'll be honest, there are a ton more - I can only name a few and for all those places that were amazing - I'm sorry I could not name you! Also there is a bar and restaurant that is technically not in Soulard but is worth a visit - called the Venice Cafe. Its an experience all on to itself and definitely worth a visit.
http://www.thevenicecafe.com/

By the way - Soulard also hosts the world's 2nd largest Mardi Gras every year! From what I remember in 2005 when New Orleans was devastated by Hurricane Karina, it was the largest Mardi Gras in the country.

Then of course there is also the Busch Brewery tour - I had my reservations about this, as Busch had been bought out by InBev and from what I hear InBev is own by McCain's wife. So aside from the crappy beer it pumps out, it is also apparently owned by right wing crazy conservatives. Think I'm going to stick to wine for a while. That said - you do get two frees beers out it - woo hoo!

Yes - we did the arch. Did we go up in it ? No - why? cause it is a tourist trap and its always an oven at the top. Besides, there is only so much of the arch that one can take. The museum at the bottom is not bad. I personally recommend heading over to Laclede's Landing next door to listen in on some good music. But be careful as a lot of the rednecks love to descend on this place and there is usually a fight that breaks out somewhere on a Saturday night.

Washington Ave. has got to be one of my favorites. Its urban renewal at its best. I owned a loft down here and had I kept it, I'm sure I would have been able to sell it for an amazing profit - but I had dreams of The West to fulfill. On a Fri/Sat night, this is the place to be. Everyone is dressed well and the bars, restaurants, and nights clubs are a buzz of activity. It was incredible to be back here again. I missed the hot humid nights on Wash Ave with a martini in one hand - and now Maria on the other.

My internet time is running out - but I'll write more soon. St. Louis you rock! . . . in your own cute little way.