Just arrived in Chicago

I'll see you in St. Louis.

Funny, that's exactly what I did with one of my dear friends today as he showed my sister and I around the Gateway of the West. First we walked along the river heading to the Arch (we parked for free, how many big cities can you do that in?) and we spotted a historic ship heading upriver. The chances of spotting this one-of-a-kind floating monument were slim to none, yet there it was, LST-325.

This valiant tank landing ship, sailed across a stormy Atlantic from Greece by an intrepid crew of WWII vets, now sails throughout the Midwest as the last remaining ship of her kind, a class of ships that landed the tanks and vehicles on Normandy's beaches. She was restored in Mobile and now is homeported in Evansville, Ind. Who wouldn't thought we'd spot this floating treasure?

The Arch was as I imagined it: spectacular! You can't imagine how amazing it is, a seemingly thin strand of metal that seems to defy the laws of physics. According to our tour guide, my good friend Kevin, no building in the STL can be any taller than the Arch.

We saw Busch Stadium II and it looked far better in person than on TV, where it is a gem of a baseball park. It's a shame the Cardinals weren't playing on Monday, because a game there would have been nice.

Even if I'm a Braves fan. And yes, they suck right now!

We ended our trip to STL at Union Station, an old train station that has been converted to a great mall and food court. It is gorgeous, the art work, the stained glass, but the coolest part was the whispering arch. Speak into one end of this large arch and you can hear the voice clear as a bell 40 feet away! Gotta love acoustics.

I hated to say goodbye to my good friend, but we're in Chicago now and looking forward to visiting Sears Tower and Navy Pier tomorrow.

Miles travelled so far: 1085

Coke Zero Vanillas consumed: 4

U-turns: 4