Meet Me In St. Louis

This past June, my husband and I visited Nashville, Tennessee for the first time. Having only visited 14 states, I realized how unique each state must be and became inspired to visit all 50 states by the time I turned 50. I would discover all of our nation’s beauty and each trip would be an adventure.
On Sunday, I took my first trip to the 15th state on my list; Missouri. It was a 24 hour trip and I was overjoyed to be able to check one more state off my list.
How I ended up in St. Louis, Missouri is ballsy.
I recently read an entertaining book, Love and Miscommunication and by chance, briefly met the author, Elyssa Friedland, through mutual friends. She told me she was traveling to St. Louis for a press tour and I boldly asked her if I could join her. She graciously agreed and I officially became a hashtag trip crasher.
I’m not sure if Elyssa was more taken aback when I invited myself or when I asked her if we could share a room because I don’t like sleeping alone (in separate beds of course)! Once again, Elyssa was gracious and agreed to connecting rooms!
We landed in St. Louis on Sunday afternoon and went directly to The Arch which just celebrated its 50th anniversary. A stunning sculpture in the sky, this arch is known as the gateway to the west. It was a frightening yet quick ride up to the top and surprisingly disappointing as the view could only be seen through a narrow glass. Still, a must see.
In the evening, we dined at Gamlin Whiskey House, a well known steak house.
The following morning, we had a scrumptious breakfast at the Four Seasons. The hotel is beautiful and the service, top notch.
Afterwards, I accompanied Elyssa to Fox News where she was invited as a guest on their show and afterwards to a local JCC where she presented a wonderfully humorous and captivating book talk. Our final stop was to Forest Park where we took a 7,500 step walk (who doesn’t have the fitbit app?) through an idyllic path surrounded by elegant bridges, fountains and lakes.

For those of you who may be visiting St. Louis in the future, City Museum is supposed to be a fantastic experience but was closed when I was there. There is the Anheuser Busch Brewery and of course the Busch Stadium where the Cardinals play.
An hour out of the city there is a Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum for all you Huckleberry Finn enthusiasts.
I am thrilled I had the opportunity to visit St. Louis and even more thrilled I made a new friend.

Until my next adventure…