When we last spoke, I was just finishing up my coffee Saturday morning.
For a late lunch on Saturday, my friends and I met up for a late lunch (made later by the long wait) at Fitz’s, famous for their root beer. I had a delicious salad with grilled chicken, and lots of ketchup.
After lunch, we made our way to 4 Hands, home of my favorite Chocolate Milk Stout.
Chocolate milk stout is out of season, so I went with the Single Speed, a better option for summer! It was a blonde ale brewed with jasmine. It was good, with complex flavors, but not my favorite style (pilsner-y).
I also tried a taste of the guava wheat beer. Good, but a little tarter than I prefer.
After hanging out there a bit, we consolidated cars and drove a mile or so over the the stadium for the baseball game!
It was the Purina sponsored Bark in the Park day, where dogs could come! We were given a Cardinals dog bowl as well upon entering.
We were a fair amount early, so we enjoyed the dogs performing tricks and catching frisbees on the field beforehand.
The weather report for the night was looking a bit shaky, with storms expected to roll in. I was really nervous all week/day that we’d have a rainout, so I anxiously watched the skies.
I always love a baseball game, but this wasn’t the most interesting. No one scored! It was 0-0 almost the entire game. About halfway through, I darted away to grab a turkey sandwich.
We got rained on a tiny bit around the 5th or 6th, but thankfully it was a passing cloud.
Despite the 0-0 score entering the 9th, we decided to head out to avoid any potential rush.
We followed the game as we left, and it went into extra innings with the score STILL 0-0. On our way to get frozen custard at Ted Drewe’s, the sky completely opened up, seemingly out of nowhere. Like, can’t see anything in front of you on the freeway pouring.
And Ted Drewe’s was STILL packed. The things we do for Ted Drewe’s.
I enjoyed a delicious custard with hot fudge.
The game got delayed around that time anyway. We turned in for an early night, and I was back in my hotel to watch the game resume and the Giants win!
Sunday morning, I was up EARLY (5:30 CST) to run the zoo 5k! It was lucky timing that I happened to be there that weekend!
I ran the race with one of my zoo intern buddies, and we started at the gates of the zoo and ran through Forest Park.
It was a lot of fun!
Post-race, we dug into the free breakfast of granola bars, yogurt, and chocolate milk, and wandering around the zoo (just like old times) while we waited for the Children’s Zoo area to be open…to see my girls!!!
Yindi and Jannali, Tasmanian Devils.
They had just been let out, so we caught them super active!
Next, we visited the goats.
^Full (former) zoo intern running crew.
After the race, I swing by the house of the woman I rented a room from last fall to say hi to her and her kitties, Yoyo and Scooby. I missed them so much! They definitely remembered me, and Yoyo was his strong-willed and vocal self.
Later, my friends and I hit up Mellow Mushroom for a pizza lunch. I had the gluten free veg.
Right around the corner was a sculpture garden, so we explored that a little. Highlights: giant eye and oil barrel structure.
Then, it was time for the main event: Grant’s Farm! We parked a distance away and walked along the pretty trail to get there.
It was PACKED. It only just opened for the season, so the lines to get in were crazy long. Once in, we headed straight for the baby goats. You can spend $1 to bottle feed milk to baby goats, and honestly I can’t think of a better way to spend a dollar.
Apparently my shorts were delicious.
Minus all the loud small children, this place is basically heaven. Bottle feeding baby goats AND free beer??
Seriously, gotta take advantage of the free Budweiser around St. Louis!
^New horse friend.
After Grant’s farm, we split ways and I headed to Blueprint, my favorite coffeeshop, for a decaf cappuccino.
What a beautiful, beautiful sight.
One friend had to leave for work, but my other friend and I had dinner at Schlafly in Maplewood, where I enjoyed one last St. Louis beer, a Hefeweizen.
For my meal, I had a turkey burger with brie and cranberry sauce that I ate bun-less, and then side of vinegary coleslaw.
I spent the rest of the night enjoying the second half of my complimentary Gooey Butter Cake with Netflix. (They were Gooey Louie, the top place to get them!) It was perfect.
However, my time in St. Louis wasn’t the end of my adventures! Stay tuned for the second (brief) destination!