Do You See the Arch?

To celebrate my “Ides of March” birthday, I visited my high school bestie, Alice, in St. Louis, Missouri. She and her husband, Nick, moved back to St. Louis from Tampa last year. This is my fourth time going to St. Louis and so I already have been to a lot of the tourist attractions like the Arch (photo above), Forest Park, City Museum, and the Cathedral Basilica. This trip was about spending time with Alice and exploring hidden gems of this modest city.

St. Louis is a little over 4 hours via train from Chicago; I took the Amtrak to get down there. Amtrak does have accessible facilities and trains but depending on the station and train, you may have to advocate for yourself to get assistance. The train I took to St. Louis was the Texas Eagle (no Wi-Fi on this one, sadly). I chose a coach seat on the lower level but they assigned me to the top row. It was a little tough because I had to lift my suitcase while walking up the stairs. Going back was better because I was able to get help, and the seats were only on the main level. And there was free internet! Next time, if the train conductor assigns you to a top row, ask for the main level or look for the accessible entrance.

One of the highlights of the weekend was the Meramec Caverns. The caves are a 1-hour drive from St. Louis. The tour we went on lasted about 1.5 hours, and it was a 1.25 mile walk roundtrip. The facilities are wheelchair accessible but the caves themselves are not completely accessible. There is a part that involves climbing a set of steep stairs, and a couple of paths become narrow and wind down to where a wheelchair user might have some difficulty navigating. The Meramec Caverns are over 400 million years old and have ever growing formations of limestone deposits. It first opened as an attraction in 1935. A sight to see indeed!

Other things we did: Soulard Farmer’s Market (open year round), Laumeier Sculpture Park, World Chess Hall of Fame, and we went to the Repertory Theatre see a play called “Murder on the Orient Express”, based on the Agatha Christie novel.

Restaurants to try: Zia’s (my favorite restaurant in St. Louis, located on The Hill, which is known for its many Italian spots) and Loaded Nachos.