Tweet

Total Mileage: approx. 6600

License Plate Total: 49 

Today was our last full day of sightseeing on our road trip(It’s a little sad to write that). We got to the Gateway Arch by 10am after reading that the lines become really long. They weren’t kidding! While we didn’t have to wait long but by the time we were up in the Arch the lines were really long outside. To get up to the top you ride in a little capsule that is so tiny the door into it is four feet high and you can’t sit up straight inside. Thankfully it’s only a 4-minute trip up. The views from the top are amazing and it was crazy to think that we were not only inside the Arch but also at the top. Afterwards we headed down the block to Chili Mac's Diner for breakfast. It was a cute little place and the employees are really nice.

Our next stop was City Museum aka the coolest place ever! Traveling around the city we used the Downtown Trolley, which is $2 for a 1-day pass. It’s a great deal considering how many stops they make and it’s really easy to use. The City Museum is the coolest place because it’s a huge indoor/outdoor jungle gym. Outside there are so many places to climb around on including old airplanes. There is also a huge ball pit outside to play in. Besides the outdoor jungle gym there are also a ton of places to climb around. They have a slide that goes from the 3^rd floor to the 1^st. On the 3^rd floor there is an indoor skate park but without the skateboards to run around on and slide on. Besides all the awesome stuff inside and outside there is also a rooftop area too. Up there they have more slides and a Ferris wheel. They have a bus that is cantilevering over the edge of the building that you can climb in. We spent a lot of time up there because it had a nice breeze in the hot weather but also watching people ride down the one slide was really entertaining.

After we finished at the City Museum we drove over to Treasure Aisle Antique Market that was in my Graphic USA book. It was a great place to root around in, but don’t be put off by the words “antique,” a lot of things were definitely not antiques especially not the Target coffee mug I saw. We also check out Big Bend Antique Gallery, which is across the parking lot. It didn’t have as good of finds but that could have been our lack of energy from the building not having AC on a 100-degree day. Afterwards we headed to dinner at Pappy's Smokehouse. Pappy’s food was ok. I had a pulled pork sandwich which fried corn on the cob and sweet potato fries. The meat was good but the corn was too soft and the fries were too sweet. We ate dinner a little early so that we could make it back to the hotel in time to see the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics. 

Go Team USA!

-Cassie

(Old City Hall view from the top)

(Busch Stadium)

(It was really hard getting a picture of the  full Arch without being really far away)

(The bus hanging off the City Museum)

(One of the airplanes we climbed in)

(Ball Pit)

(The slide where we sat and watched people  burn and bruise their rumps)

(The outdoor area looked like such a jumbled web of metal)

(Rachel driving off the edge of the building)

(St. Louis from the top of the Ferris Wheel)

(St. Louis from the top of the Ferris Wheel)

(Treasure Aisle Antique Mall)

(LOVE this color) 

(Oktoberfest stein that's close to my birthday)

(This booth was filled with stuff, it was an avalanche waiting to happen)

(A cute set of glasses)

(Weirdest mannequin demoing the weight loss machine) 

(A cute set of mugs that made me think of Philly)

(These bookends are similar to our clear ones at home) 

(I loved this set of minty green fiesta wear)

(Map tabletop- diy idea)

(We really liked this screen and thought the chair would be  great upholstered in a  modern fabric)

(We also loved this cabinet but it would have be a fight over who would get it and how Americus would bring it back) 

Tweet

Total Mileage: TBD

License Plate Total: 49

This morning we skipped the complementary hotel breakfast and went toThe  Arcade Restaurant, Memphis' oldest restaurant. We both had the sweet potato pancakes which are a "Food Network Favorite." After breakfast we went to Hoot & Louise, a little boutique around the corner from the restaurant that sells new and vintage clothing and accessories. Cassie got a pair of earrings and I got a nag and earrings. I feel like I've started a collection of thrift store bags from across the USA.

We then went over to the National Civil Rights Museum in the renovated Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. The museum starts with slave revolts from the 1600s to 1800s and works its way through the movement ending with Memphis 1968. The exhibit included segements on the Emancipation Proclamation, Sit-ins, Brown vs. Board of Education, and the Montgomery Bus Boyvott. There was a showing of a documentary called The Witness which is about the assassination strating from Dr. Kings arrival in Memphis told by Reverend Billy Kyles who was a good friend of Dr. Kings and who was standing beside King on the balcony when he was shot. The motel room that King shared with Reverend Abernathy has been reconstructed to look like it did the night of the assassination.  Across the street from the museum, in the building where the shots were fired from, is an exhibit chronicling the days before, after, and the day of the assassination. The bathroom in the corner of the building where the shots were believed to have been fired has been reconstructed along with the room that James Earl Ray rented in the building.  It was very similar to The Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas that we visited a few days ago. 

After the museum we went to Beale Street. It's lined with restaurants and shops all dedicated to blues and rock and roll. We walked around and went into some shops for find musical souvenirs for our dads.

We left Memphis and headed north along the Mississippi River up to Saint Louis Missouri. We checked in to our hotel, Sheraton City Center, and were shocked at how nice the hotel room was. It was larger than either of our college apartments. It had a living room and a separate bedroom and the bathroom had double sinks! We even had 2 televisions! It was pretty luxurious compared to most of the places we stayed. For dinner we went to Pi Pizzeria. Saint Louis has it's own take on pizza but this place served more gourmet combinations in deep dish or thin crust. Apparently Pi one of Obama's favorite deep dish places, we read about it in Graphic USA.

- Rachel

(The site of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death)

( The Lorraine Motel has been converted into the National Civil Rights Museum) 

(On the Rosa Parks Bus) 

(Civil Right Museum- Lunch Counter  Sit-ins)

(The entrance to the other side of the street and museum)

(Beale Street)

(Place with crazy t-storms and clouds aka Missouri)

(When we crossed over to Missouri we were greeted with ominous skies to say the least. We didn't get any cool shots of lighting but it was really intense)

(Leaving bright blue skies behind- too bad we can't go in reverse) 

(The sky after it stormed, we did have to pull over  because the rain was so bad. But it gave us time to switch seats and have a snack)

(This cloud was miles long. It was really low and odd looking)

(Our "bedroom")

(Our "living room")