Saint Louie Part 2

Saturday, July 3
Ever the coffee lover, I was on a quest during my first weekend here in St. Louis to begin scoping out the coffee houses. I was disappointed to find out that the first place I tried, Laclede Coffee, had actually closed down. Bummer as it was across the street from campus.
With a quick Google search, I discovered that Northwest Coffee Roasting is only a couple miles away and was surprised to find that a step inside the quaint, artsy, eclectic coffee house made me feel like I had been transported to Seattle. The coffeehouse roasts it's own coffee, had wonderful bagels, and key covered outdoor seating. I also noticed a fire pit in the gravel which I imagine is amazing in the fall/early winter. I'm stoked to have this place close by.
After breakfast, we took a trip to the Soulard Farmer's Market for my first farmer's market experience. The vendors were crowded and it was great to see so many locals out picking up fresh produce! I grabbed a pound of fresh cherries and strawberries and am eager to revisit the market for some veggies and other goodies down the road.

The afternoon was capped off with a visit to Forest Park, the largest park in St. Louis and one of the largest in the nation. It's 500 acres larger than Central Park and is home to the St. Louis zoo, Museum of Art, and a myriad of trails for biking, running, and taking in the beauty of the park. We passed through the Museum of Art (it's free!) and drove around the park before heading back to the apartment.

Saturday night we visited a single screen theater across the street from campus, the Moolah theatre, which is a converted Shriner's temple and features a giant IMAX screen, plush leather couches for your viewing pleasure, and a fully stocked bar if you'd prefer to take a beer into the theater over a coke. LOVE IT.

Sunday, July 4To ring in the 4th of July, Rick and I headed down to Fair St. Louis to check out the air show (slightly disappointing...) and catch the fireworks. Hoping to avoid all the traffic and the excessive parking fees, we traveled via the MetroLink. There's a stop about .5 miles from my apartment and we didn't mind walking to it. Apparently, EVERYONE ELSE decided to take the Metro as well. The line to get on the metro after the fireworks show was OUT OF CONTROL. But we managed to make it home in about an hour. A slight rain shower, a performance by the B-52's and a 20 minute fireworks show above the river capped off my first 4th of July in St. Louis.

All in all, it was a GREAT extended 4th of July weekend. I was able to unpack and settle into my new apartment, check out my office and do some rearranging with the furniture, visit Walmart, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, World Market, and the grocery store more times than I care to remember/recount and do some exploring in the city.

New job begins tomorrow! I'm looking forward to seeing what's in store and am ready to hit the ground running. Plus, I need a paycheck. STAT.

Hope everyone had a great 4th! Cheers.