Oh Right, The Main Reason I Went Out to St. Louis...

The main reason I went out to St. Louis so soon after Dr. Christina and Jon moved out there was to help set up the lab!  Unfortunately, not a lot of the equipment and supplies were ready so there wasn't a lot for me to do except clean, label and set up the Chia Statue of Liberty.

Dr. Christina hard at work.

It's very important to have your office supplies in order...

...and labeled properly:

And this is what happens when someone with OCD organizes your desk drawer:

Last, but not least, the Chia Statue of Liberty.  Here it is a week after I seeded it:

Gateway to the West

St. Louis is a great town, and it reminded me of my beloved Twin Cities.  Jon and Dr. Christina had only been there for 2 weeks so we had plenty to explore.  I've already started compiling my list of things to do the next time I visit.  Here are the highlights:  

Gateway Arch

Completed in 1965 and opened to the public in 1967. At 630 feet high, it is the tallest monument in the United States. It is also 630 across the bottom of the base. The Arch weighs a hefty 17,632 tons, 9,000 of which are stainless steel.

 

The trams that take you up to the narrow observation deck look like 1960s futuristic pods. Over one million visitors a year take the trams up the Arch.

City Museum 

Probably the craziest museum I have ever visited. Housed in the old International Shoe Factory Building, it is composed of architectural remnants and other random pieces from St. Louis.  There was a school bus on the roof, two airplanes, and a 10 story spiral slide. It is a crazy playground with tunnels underground and made of wires and other hardware high above. It's basically a no holds barred, free for all.  

City Garden
I love the bunnies.

Ted Drewe's Frozen Custard
A St. Louis classic. They only have one flavor of custard (vanilla) and you can add flavors or mix in toppings. They are known for their "concretes", custard blended with toppings. I got Oreo cookie. Concretes are so thick, they won't drip or fall out when the cup is turned upside down. It was good, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get one--especially if there was a Dairy Queen Blizzard nearby.

Pappy's Smokehouse

Serving Memphis style bbq daily. Yeah, I know. It's St. Louis, not Memphis. I'm not entirely certain what the difference is, but I think it has to do with rubs and sauces. Regardless, it was tasty. They had deep fried corn on the cob, which to be honest, was not as good as it sounds.  I think a plain ol' cob of sweet corn slathered in butter and salt would have been more satisfying.

Anheuser Busch Brewery
A trip to STL would not be complete without a visit to the Anheuser Busch Brewery!  Anheuser Busch is the largest brewing company in the U.S., with 48.9% of the beer shares here. Their products include Busch, Budweiser, Bud Lite, Natural Lite, Michelob, King Cobra (malt), and international beers like Kirin, Stella, and Hoegaarden. Anheuser Busch headquarters are in St. Louis, and they keep some of their famous Budweiser Clydesdale horses here.

P.S. At the end of the brewery tour, everyone got 2 free glasses of beer.  I don't like beer, so I had some very flat soda (ugh) and pretzels. 

St. Louis: Questionably Midwest, but still the Gateway to the West

I'm heading out to St. Louis, MO this week to help my dear friend, Dr. Christina, set up her lab at Washington University. 

This is my first time visiting St. Louis (and Missouri) so here are some quick and dirty facts before I go:  

• Missouri is the "Show Me" state. I am not sure what they are showing me. TBD.
• The state animal is the mule--half horse, half donkey. The state insect is the honey bee. (There is also a state rock, mineral, fossil, song, dance, instrument and tree.)
• Missouri was named after a tribe called Missouri Indians; meaning "town of the large canoes."
• Missouri was a slave state (boo), but the first one to free its slaves.
• Missouri Day is the third Wednesday in October.
• Aunt Jemima pancake flour was invented in Missouri (1889).
• At the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, not only was iced tea invented, but also the ice cream cone.
• St. Louis is an independent city, not affiliated with any county, although it sits within St. Louis county.
• Nicknames for St. Louis:  Gateway to the West, Mound City (due to the "mysterious earthen structures" nearby.)

And finally, although I am totally dubious of this, Missouri is considered part of the Midwest by the U.S. Census Bureau reporting. I know! It is totally South, right?