OMG STL!

Another road trip leads to a surprising appreciation for two more cities. I love the unexpected.
It all began with Diana's acceptance into Wash U's Law School nestled in the heart of St. Louis. Once the hard decision of choosing the school was completed, the easier task of finding someone to drive with her from D.C. was quite obvious. My "humble" admiration for a road trip gave me the chance to be the one to help her drive out.
The time came quickly for us to finally leave D.C. It was an emotional time for her as well. Her housemates threw a surprise going away party that showed the rich network of friends she developed while in D.C. A few tears here and there, many hugs, and many requests on Diana's part to line everyone up for a visit to St. Louis closed the night out before the departure to STL.
The plan was simple...get on Interstate 64 and go West.
Our first leg lasted about nine hours and brought us into the city of Louisville, KY. Louisville proved to be a surprisingly fun city. We chose to stop in this city, because it split the drive up nicely, but we didn't anticipate to leave Louisville with an appreciation of its attractions and way of life. Louisville has the oldest operating paddle steam boat in existence, which meant we could not pass up the chance to be a part of history. The three hour cruise on the Ohio River listening to the live country band and mingling with the laid-back, uber-friendly locals came to an end with a Friday Night fireworks show right in front of the boat. If you find yourself passing by the city, make some time to take a cruise on the Belle of Louisville.

The nine hour drive to Louisville made the four hour drive to St. Louis seem like a trip to the nearest grocery store. It could've been the lack of traffic, constant conversation, or both, but we were in St. Louis before we knew it. Instantly, as we drove into downtown and began to see the livelihood of St. Louis, it was clear that this city has more to it than BBQ sauce and (cough...crime). Well, nothing more beyond the Rams and Cardinals, so say some locals. STL is in the process of drastically expanding its neighborhoods to include new shopping centers, malls, and extravagant shopping corridors to the existing communities that show individuality in architecture without jeopardizing a common theme that seems to be prevalent in St. Louis. The layout of the city is a breath of fresh air coming from D.C., where contemporary colonial architecture never ends. St. Louis thrives on stone and brick fascades with a splash of modern design mixed into these rooted communities.

Aside from the pleasant scenery of the mature, yet well-kept neighborhoods, St. Louis proved to be a big city that adds enough diversity to not feel closed off from the rest of the world and at the same time displaying a smaller metropolis attitude where the city is yours on a Sunday morning while everyone else makes an effort to not rush out of their homes. The 20 minute rule that seems to be applied to cities like Los Angeles and Washington D.C. is cut in half in St. Louis. Everything is about 10 minutes away.
As I was making an effort to observe these great characteristics of St. Louis, the main reason for me being there was to help Diana move into her new place. Her parents flew in to help as well and we spent about 3 days buying furniture for her place and getting her ready to turn her new home into a studying sancturary. Of course the apartment wouldn't be complete without a nice LCD flat screen sitting on the mantel and a papasan to watch from. We all have our methods of studying, right?
The time went by so quickly, but I have to say that it was a lot of fun exploring St. Louis and helping Diana get adjusted to her new dwelling. We didn't have a ton of time to really see any major attractions, but I am hooked and I want to see more of the city. I am sure Diana will be extending invites to all those that want to see St. Louis and maybe visit her too.
So, let me know when you are thinking of heading out, because St. Louis caught my attention.

Oh, one recommendation...get a blackberry with internet service and google maps...it's a life saver.