Spring Break was two weeks away and we had yet to plan our trip. Robinson had even requested the whole week off - a definite shame if we didn't take advantage of a week's worth of adventure (I mean family time).Originally, we wanted to go to Washington D.C. The kids and I have never been; Robinson traveled to the capital years ago for a journalism conference. He thought there was enough for both us and the kids to enjoy.
(A side note: unfortunately for our kids, we are the type of parents who like to enjoy ourselves on vacations. We are the parents who take our kids to state/national parks and frequent museums and science centers over Six Flags or Disneyland. We force them to eat at restaurants that don't always serve chicken nuggets or hamburgers. We do things that we think everyone will enjoy - not just the kids. I am not suggesting that theme parks or nugget-serving places are not wonderful, but there is no way I am eating all of my meals at McDonald's or waiting in line for four hours to meet some cartoony character. Other parents have more stamina than I do I guess, because I do not ever intend to. No possible way.)
So we took an evening and began planning. We spent two hours looking at hotels in the D.C. area that 1) had an indoor pool and 2) were on some kind of transit line. After we finally settled on a hotel, we were horrified to discover that the cheapest tickets did not leave Chicago until 9:30p.m. - meaning we did not get into Washington D.C. until 11:30p.m. No, no, no. This would not do at all. Robinson and I could manage a late flight like that, but not us and the baggage and two crabby, exhausted boys. No matter how amazing and wonderful D.C. seemed, it would have to wait for a future Spring Break.
What then? Where could we go that wouldn't be a nightmare to get to but would still have lots of fun activities for both us and the boys?
As it turns out, St. Louis, Missouri.
I've been to Missouri several times, usually as a quick stop before continuing to Kansas to visit family there, but only the western half, obviously. Never St. Louis.So we looked into it. The Arch. The best zoo in the nation. The City Museum. There seemed to be enough to keep the family entertained for a week. And it was only a five hour drive one way - less than a trip from Fairbanks to Anchorage. Plus, there was a state park in Illinois at about the halfway point. We'd be able to stop and give these boys a chance to run around. Perfect.
Starved Rock State Park is just a stone's throw from Utica, Illinois. It's a lovely place, known for its waterfalls and extended hiking trails and also this guy: a fish that spends his time sandwiched inside a log. Apparently, so many people were concerned about his predicament that the park volunteers had placed a thought-bubble sign on the glass tank above him which reads: "I'm not stuck and I'm not dead. I just like to hang out in this log. Thanks for your concern." I like people with a sense of humor.
We chose a hotel downtown, very close to the Arch, one of the many sites we wanted to visit.The nearby sidewalks had been spray painted with "This way to the Arch" stencils, which became Balin's slogan. He shouted, "This way to the Arch!" every single time he saw one. (After we went to the Arch, he often added, "We went to the Arch!")
The Arch turned 50 this year, so the streets and park surrounding the site were torn up. Luckily the Arch itself was still open, so we were still able to get a crappy shot of us next to a landmark (family tradition) and take a trip to the top. The elevators inside the Arch were like little futuristic pods and seated five people in a cramped, tiny space. We had been warned that if it was a windy day, the Arch would sway back and forth, but fortunately all was quiet. Getting a bird's-eye view of the city center was pretty cool (the day was perfectly clear, we could see for miles) and the boys enjoyed looking down for all of five minutes before they were ready to go.
The St. Louis zoo is touted as the best one in the nation and I must admit that I was pretty impressed. Admission was free, although all of the special areas inside the zoo - including a kid's area - required tickets to get inside. The kid's area had an unbelievable playground right next to a river otter exhibit, all designed as if it were a river bank, complete with a slide so that children could pretend they were otters themselves. (And we all know how my boys feel about otters!)
This area also had the most mild-mannered goats in their petting zoo I had ever seen; then again, there were no bits of food for kids to give to the goats...so no incentive for the goats to trample the children in an effort to get it. There were brushes available, however, and the boys enjoyed stroking and petting the many goats and laughed hilariously when two of the goats climbed onto the benches inside the petting zoo.
My favorite activity in St. Louis, however, was our visit to the City Museum. The day started out dull and grey, with the possibility of rain; we were, in fact, rained upon during the last few blocks of our walk to the City Museum. The boys complained until they saw the place: it was a junk enthusiast's dream. Plus, there were giant Legos there! (And who doesn't want to make a house out of giant Legos?) The boys rode on a train and I visited the architectural "museum" there, full of all kinds of neat windows, statues, locks, and other old pieces of neighborhood buildings. 
We also went to Pappy's Smokehouse, a very popular St. Louis BBQ place, which was recommended by out trolly driver. Lunch was a bit expensive, but there was a tremendous amount of food and fried corn! The boys, normally quite fond of corn, were not the biggest fans of the fried version. Arthur ate about half before deciding he didn't care for it and Balin tried one tiny bite before handing it off to me.I caught up with an old friend from college who was living just outside St. Louis. We went to her home for dinner and met her husband and daughter. (The kids had a blast playing together.)
Close to our hotel was a small park with all kinds of structures that kids could climb upon. The boys were most fond of the rabbits and would want to climb on top of them every single time we walked by that park. (Which was quite often.)
On the very last day of our trip, I wanted to visit the Missouri Civil War Museum, but knew that the boys would not be able to tolerate a trip to a place where most of the fun artifacts were stuck behind glass display cases. My friend had given us a coupon to the Magic House, the children's museum in St. Louis, so Robinson took the boys to play while I wandered around the museum. Judging by the pictures he took, they had a much better time there than they would have had following me around. The Civil War museum was quite impressive - the entire thing was paid for by local funds, all raised by the curator and the other volunteers over the course of several years. They had made the necessary repairs to the building and were currently transforming the building next door into a research library. They had a lot of information about Missouri's role in the Civil War, including their relationship with Kansas, so the trip had been well worth it.What did you do for spring break?
Blessed be.
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