St. Louis...

2010-04-06
Today we drove from Gravois Mills to St. Louis. Getting into big city traffic with the trailer in tow is no fun. Specially in the spaghetti type freeway exchanges where you need to be in the right line or else...
We made it in one piece to our RV park “Safari”. It was OK, but a bit ratty looking. We needed to clear the glass off the spot before backing up. Afterward we drove to the St. Louis Arch to catch the sunset.
That was a very pleasant experience, the Arch and the surrounding area are very nice.






2010-04-07
Today we drove to the Indian Mounds and Lake. After that we came across a Mexican restaurant and decided to have a lunch “out”. I tried a plate that I have never tried before...even in Mexico! “Carne en su jugo” (Beef in its juice). It was a surprise. It was like Mexican flavors meet Vietnamese Pho.
Basically is was a soup bowl. Beef broth, pieces of beef and bacon, with pinto beans and pieces of avocado. Tortillas, dried chiles, and fresh limes on the side. Needless to say this was a “bomb” of a lunch, delicious and heavy. After this, we took a two hour nap. Later we scanned the St. Louis map for parks.








Parks are one of the metrics that I use to judge the character and livability of a city or place. I am compiling a list and points system to aid in the decision for relocation. Like...

If location has a big public space add 1 point.
If location had a big public space with franchise type sport fields (baseball, basket ball, etc) subtract 1 point.
If location has a big public space with broken glass and trash in the ground subtract 2 points.
If location had a big public space with a golf course, subtract 3 points.
If location has a big public space with people jogging, add 1 point.
If location has a big public space with people jogging in spandex attire subtract 2 points.
If location has a big public space with Art, like sculptures, add 2 points.
If location has a big public space with Art, like sculptures, but the sculptures are those generic Bison or Horses painted in wacky themes, so they look like "art"....subtract 5 points.

St. Louis scored high with Forest Park, City Park, and the area around the Arch.

That is one thing that always bother me about Austin TX. The lack of public spaces.