72 hours in St. Louis

Memorial Day Weekend. Drove the "Avenue of the Saints". Packed quite a bit into a stay of less than 72 hours to visit Rob and old neighborhood friends. Noon Friday to Monday morning....

1. Thurs evening, landed at 6pm on flight from sfo, picked up the girls, on the road by 7pm. Night at the Best Western Cantebury Inn, Coralville, IA. Our balcony on the second floor overlooks the vending machines in the hallway on the first floor. Hard to describe, so i'll leave it to the proprietor... "Surrounded by beautiful Old World elegance, guests are sure to enjoy the hotel's extraordinary Old English inspired architecture and decor."
2. Friday. On the road 7am. Traffic good enough to work in a lunch at Maggie O'Brien's in downtown St. Louis near Rob's office. Us, Rob, his girlfriend Laura, her parents.
3. Quick walk through Union Station finds it has fallen on hard times once again.
4. Hotel checkin. Marriott in Fenton
5. Off to the old neighborhood and visits with very dear friends.
6. Rob and Laura meet us at a park. Killing time while waiting for dinner. A real gem, hidden away in Ballwin off Big Bend.
7. Dinner at Hunan and Peking Garden in Manchester. Best Chinese in metro St. Louis.
8. Shopping for Rob at Walmart, Cardinals stuff for me.
9. Sat am run at Fenton Business Park
10. Arrive Busch Stadium 90 mins before game time. We miss the old stadium but the new one is nice enough to make the passing of the old one tolerable.
11. 1210 first pitch. Cards beat Royals 4-0
12. Ted Drewe's
13. Hanging out at Rob's apartment, played cards, Ten Little Indians
14. Dinner at the Hill. Cunetto's was packed so detoured to Favazza's. Same difference. It seems that the Italian food here peaked ten years ago, but is still better than anything in the Twin Cities, or any city for that matter.
15. 10 am mass at Cathedral Basilica. 8 year old girl in front of me is practicing arm farts and the toddler two rows up tosses a cell phone at her father. Families in church. Not church without them.
16. Lunch at the Boathouse in Forest Park followed by an hour or so at the Art Museum, back to Rob's apartment.
17. Quick trip to the old neighborhood elementary school
18. Great afternoon cookout with old neighbors. Played catch with Rob in the field behind our old house, just like we did countless afternoons. Probably set our record for most throws without a miss.
19. Cookout ends around ten. Goodbyes to Rob.
20. Monday 5am, coffee at Moto Mart in Valley Park, back to the Twin Cities