The only thing for us in Illinois was kitch. But it was really good kitch. The dragon was supposed to be fire breathing, but it was out of order. We got two tokens so that Bryon and Elizabeth can use it, when they come.out west. The other great Illinois landmark was the world’s largest ketchup bottle. There was also the world’s largest golf tee and the world’s largest wind chime, but we passed these up as being unworthy.
Not Fire Breathing Dragon
Disguised Water Tower
Spirit of St. Louis
Fortunately, there is more in St. Louis than there is in all of Illinois. We’re spending 2 days here. It’s a luxury to stay in the same hotel for two nights in a row. There’s no way to do everything in St. Louis in a day and a half — especially with the high temperature over 95. Today we focused on Forest Park. It’s larger than Central Park in NYC. It has every kind of outdoor athletic activity and museum imaginable. And basic admission to anything is completely free. Some people say the St. Louis zoo is better than the San Diego zoo. You won’t get an opinion from me, because it was just too hot. We visited the Missouri History Museum, which was a baffling mix of the great and the not-so-great. They have Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis Airplane, which was used in the first trans-Atlantic airplane flight from New York to Paris. with no explanation or supporting material. Notice that Charles had no view forward from the cockpit. The plan was for him to have a periscope, bu the gas tank got in the way. You know this because I knew this. Most people visiting the Missouri History Museum won’t have any idea what that airplane hanging from the ceiling is all about.
Dodge V8 La Femme
The exhibit on Route 66 was much more successful. This was the last day this Dodge V8 La Femme was on exhibit. This beautiful automobile was marketed to women. It came with matching purse, scarf, etc. Tomorrow, the car is being returned to its owner. Personally, I think that mating this car with the Air Stream trailer in another room (no picture — sorry), would make for a perfect life on the road. The Route 66 exhibit was saturated with enough nostalgia to make anybody want to hit the road.
We spent the rest of our day visiting a few other exhibits. The Science Center was two buildings separate by an Interstate highway. Missouri’s solution was to link the two buildings with a pedestrian bridge. The bridge include windows to let visitors see the cars traveling underneath, and radar units to display their speed, and even glass windows in the floor. Only the bravest people would stand on a glass floor and watch cars speed by under foot at 70+ MPH.
Our hotel is a rather long walk (in this very hot weather) from the park. Fortunately, St. Louis offers an air conditioned shuttle bus to take visitors around the park. Still, we were bushed when we got back to the hotel. After a half-hour rest, for dinner, we walked a block to an excellent sandwich shop. With more than 30 other restaurants a short walk away, any restaurant in business has to have something great to offer. We passed up the Edy’s ice cream and walked 3 more blocks to Jeni’s Ice Cream. Jeni’s has what is undoubtedly the best ice cream we have ever eaten. It’s worth the trip to St. Louis just to taste Jeni’s Ice Cream!