I'm breaking these up so the files aren't so huge and don't keep you waiting all night or day for the down loads.
The next morning we made our way down to the arch (we later learned it was 101 that day) Here's an up close and personal look at it
And here's me at the base Now I am terrified of heights but we bought tickets to go up to the top and I'm really glad I did. Here's proof I did It's pretty cool that it looks and feels like you are inside an arch Here's a couple views of the city and the river the stadium, again
and this building I think is a former courthouse and a bridge Next I spent some time in the Museum of Westward Expansion which tells the story of the Lewis and Clark expedition, which, of course, started from St. Louis. This guy is either supposed to be Lewis or Clark, I forget which. Then we boarded the Tom Sawyer for our narrated tour up and down the river with lots of fun facts given by the friendly ranger. The kids, framed by the arch, on the boat.
Tuesday we went to the zoo, which is located inside the famous Forest Park, the largest city park in the US. We had wanted a little tour of the park which we ended up getting by simply riding the shuttle to and fromn the zoo but it was simply too hot to get out and take pics at all those places. It was Aaron's birthday so here he is with his buddy They had this carousel with hand carved animals too And my favorite shots of the day were these in the insect house, of all things. and this one and this last one. This teenager walked around with this on her hand the whole time we were in there. We ended the day with dinner at Hard Rock Cafe, where the birthday boy ordered his very first drink He studied the drink menu with great care and chose something he really thought he would like because, like his mother, he really doesn't care for the taste of booze. The waiter told the bartender it was his very first drink and they tried to "fix him up" by pouring at least triple the amount of cherry vodka. It was so strong he only drank about a half inch of it!