The wedding was going to take place in Kansas City, MO which is about a 9 hour drive, give-or-take an hour. Anything under 12 hours we usually try to drive. One, because it's cheaper, and two because sometimes flying,with all of the time spent at the airport, can take just as long. Plus, when we drive we can be in control of our stops and what we do along the way, which we both value highly. You have the opportunity to see more of the country which this post clearly demonstrates!
Alex and I are very car compatible. Usually we are both hungry at the same times, have to use the restroom at the same times and we can split the driving pretty evenly down the middle. It's a little bit ridiculous how easy it is to travel with him. This was our first trip with Alex's new car, a 2013 Ford Escape! A new car always makes a road trip a little more intriguing. There are so many buttons to play with. The extended sun roof is hands down our favorite feature, even when it's not open, it's refreshing to have natural light hitting you when you're in the car for a long time.
We left on a Thursday afternoon and made our way to St. Louis, MO which is directly West of Lexington. Unfortunately, it was overcast and rainy the whole way. This doesn't always make driving enjoyable, but it does make it easier to be stuck in the car because you're not missing out on beautiful weather. One of our first sights when driving through St. Louis was the Arch! Downtown and the Arch were a lot more picturesque than I had anticipated. I was pleasantly surprised. Apparently our GPS did not love St. Louis quite as much. It had trouble keeping up and kept trying to give us directions that didn't really exist. I think there had been some construction in recent years, but phew that was quite frustrating!
After a little arguing with our GPS we finally arrived at our first destination in Eureka, MO. My Human Resources Director, Kelly, {from my job in Columbus} moved to St. Louis with her husband and two girls this time last year. They were gracious enough to let us stay with them for the night and we had a wonderful visit with the Vergara Family. They also introduced us to Provel Cheese and "Toasted Ravioli", both of which are staples in St. Louis. Toasted Ravioli is basically fried ravioli and provel cheese is likened to "white velveeta." It's actually a mixture of cheddar, swiss and provolone. Apparently it has a low melting point which gives it a gooey and buttery texture at room temperature.
After a restful night and relaxing morning we hit the trail again for a few adventures in St. Louis. First stop was experiencing the Arch up close! Prior to researching things to do in the city, I had no idea that you could go up in the Arch! I thought it was more of a monument that you admired from below. Imagine my surprise even more when we went underground and were surrounded by gift shops and museums and a whole visitor's center. It was much larger than I expected. You ride up the sides in a small little cart which would not be a good idea for anyone that has claustrophobia. I, for one do not, but I almost thought I could develop it from that little ride. It was quite crowded at the top and because you're in an Arch the floor is curved which makes you feel a little off balance, but the view was beautiful.
Following our visit there we drove 10 minutes south to the Anheuser-Busch "campus." After checking in for our tour we walked across the street for a quick and delicious lunch at Sage, one of Kelly's recommendations. I find that local recommendations are always the way to go. Alex and I split a black bean burger and a meatball sandwich. I love when he agrees to share food with me because then I get to try more food without overating! We tend to order together quite often.
We signed up for the paid Beermaster tour which was perfect for us. It was a much much smaller group than the free tour and we were able to see more. Alex took about 5,000 pictures at the brewery and probably asked just as many questions. It was a little overcast and chilly, but it definitely didn't rain on our parade. We got to see the Clydesdale horses and meet one of their dalmatians! That experience, along with trying the fresh Budweiser straight from the tank, were my favorite. The whole experience made me think of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Everything was so impressive and there was history and beauty everywhere, along with a lot of high tech equipment. Finally the fun had to come to a close and it was time to hit the road again.
We hit some awful traffic leaving St. Louis, but for the majority of the drive there was not much to see at all nor too much traffic to contend with. We arrived in Kansas City, MO around 8:30 p.m. that evening {love gaining an hour, thank you time zones}. Driving into downtown reminded Alex of Cleveland and reminded me of Cincinnati. Once again, I was very surprised at the size of the city. Both St. Louis and Kansas City were so much more than I was expecting. They both reminded me quite a lot of Cincinnati, I guess that shouldn't be too surprising. I recharged for an hour while Alex finished an online quiz for his MBA program {Don't feel too bad for him, he's got the summer off now}.
Then we headed down to the bar to meet up with our friends who had also traveled from afar. {The entire group, including the bride, were in a Leadership Development Program with Alex for Eaton Corporation. Now they live scattered throughout the US so we see each other for weddings and last year we went on a cruise together}.
We also had the opportunity to see a little bit of the bride and groom. They went to bed on time, as they should've, and we decided to extend the night by hitting the town. Once again, taking the advice of a local, we hit a nearby spot called John's Big Deck. It was a covered rooftop patio with live music and tables with firepits in the middle. Such a perfect atmosphere to reconnect with friends. The girls and I also took advantage of our local tour guide, the bartender from our hotel, and experienced some amazing late night burgers at Town Topic.
The next morning we lounged around until it was time to head to the ceremony which was held at a beautiful church. I just love to watch the expressions on the bride and groom's faces throughout the ceremony. You can plainly sense their excitement, nervousness and love for one another. It's just an amazing moment in life to witness and I'm probably more sappy about it because I remember my own feelings in that moment {this is when my mom or Alex would say to me, really, you remember? I am notorious for having a bad memory when it comes to certain things}.
After seeing the bride and groom off we headed to a local BBQ joint to grab lunch. The first spot we tried to go to, Oklahoma Joe's, was in a gas station and had a line out the door! Based on the slightly chilly weather we decided to forgo that spot for another. It was an interesting experience, I had no idea what many of the things on the menu meant, but the meal was satisfying. From what I understand Kansas City BBQ is more about the sauces then the actually meat itself. You could choose between beef, turkey, pork, chicken etc. I still love my Montgomery Inn sauce though!
Then we headed back to the hotel for a little nap and downtime before the reception. The reception took place at a local brewery called Boulevard Brewing Company. Apparently they do not distribute to Ohio or Kentucky, which is why I had never heard of them, despite the fact that they're the 8th largest American owned brewery. Once again, Alex took tons of pictures and tasked himself with trying all 8 of their beers on tap. He completed his task, but ultimately decided he liked Ed Janesz's homebrewed beers more! After having a little nightcap with some friends we called it a night.
The next morning we got up bright and early to get on the road. Since St. Louis was about half way home we decided to stop there for lunch since our drive wasn't going to take as long as we original thought. We stopped at a little restaurant in The Hill called Guido's Pizza & Tapas. The Hill has a largely Italian influence and therefore boasts a multitude of Italian restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores etc. Once again we had the opportunity to experience some provel cheese and ravioli. Delicioso! Our lunch stop helped make the drive feel less monotonous and it's nice to not always have to eat fast food when on the road. Finally we made it back to Lexington around 8:30 p.m. and I immediately set to uploading my pictures from the weekend. I always try to upload my wedding pictures ASAP because I know what it feels like to have to wait for your official pictures for weeks!
Congratulations to Megan & Kevin on their wedding, and here's to kicking off the 2013 wedding season with a bang! St. Louis and KC it was nice getting to you know you.
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