Springbreak in St. Louis

St. Louis is a wonderful city with so many places and sights to see. The weather didn't cooperate with us very well, it was rainy and chilly, but we still enjoyed a few wonderful places that left us with the desire to return.

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This hotel was a little out of the way for the Downtown area that we were planning on visiting. However the price was reasonable, $74 a night, and the neighborhood was a nice area so I had no concerns about safety. Upon arriving I noticed the hotels large front lobby also served as part of the dining area for the free continental breakfast along with outside terrace seating. Check-in was easy and went very smoothly with a courtesy, friendly clerk. A small sitting area was located near the front desk for more comfortable seating to access the wireless internet connection, available in the lobby only.

Our room was on the 4th floor and after taking the elevator up we were pleased to find our room was right next to the elevator door. We entered the room into a small foyer, immediately to the right was a nice size closet which held the luggage stand, iron & ironing board, and still left plenty of room to hang clothing. As we stepped in we faced a dividing wall hung with a mirror and shelf that held the in-room coffee maker and supplies. It had double beds and even with the desk and comfy office chair, still had ample room to move about. In-room internet was not wireless and luckily a wire was stored in the dresser for use with the laptop. Unlike most hotels now the single sink vanity was inside the bathroom which I really do prefer. The shower had one of the new curved rods but the curtain liked about a half inch being wide enough. The room, bathroom, and carpet were all spotlessly clean.

We found the continental breakfast to have a wide variety of foods to choose from. Several flavors of muffins, toast, cereals, fresh waffles, and fresh fruit were a few of the items offered. The food was fresh and plentiful even though it was nearing time to stopping serving, 9am. This is one of the best hotel breakfasts that I have seen and the lady tidying the area was very kind and friendly.

Overall this was a wonderful hotel at a reasonable price. Everything was very neat and clean, all the staff we spoke with were friendly and helpful. Even though it was a bit out of the way for the zoo and arch it was well worth the extra driving and I would definitely stay here again.

Located on Delmar near Forest Park, Fitz’s made for an enjoyable lunch experience. We arrived right at 11 am when they opened so the soda bottling was not running yet and it was not crowded. The menu offered a wide assortment of burgers to choose from as well as salads and other sandwiches. We ordered the Patty Melt burger which had grilled onions and house dressing served on toast with fries and a pickle spear. The burger was huge and even though it tasted excellent we were not able to finish it all. Of course we ordered the rootbeer which came in your choice of a long neck bottle or a frosted mug, now maybe it was because we thought it was made right there but we are sure it was the best rootbeer we had every tasted. The waitress brought a fresh mug with every refill almost before we could finish drinking the one we had. By the time we finished eating the bottling process had started up and we were able to watch it through a large glass window at one end of the dining room. This was a lot of fun but more enjoyable was watching the excitement of the children in the restaurant witness their soda being bottled. The food, as well as the atmosphere, were wonderful and prices were moderate with an average of about $10 per person.

WEAR COMFORTABLE WALKING SHOES! With that said this is a beautiful place to visit, even on a cool, dreary day before spring. We had intended to visit here for several years just had never found the time, so decided it would make a good spring break trip. We arrived at the entrance to find a lady who after introducing herself told us that she received several free admissions with her yearly membership and offering to give us two of them. This was wonderful as it saved the $8 entrance fee for each us and it included the orchid show that was on exhibit, which would have been an extra $3 per person.

The orchid display was based on classic storybook tales such as Jack and the Beanstalk, Peter Rabbit, and Johnny Appleseed. It was one room, located inside the main building, with a winding path through the indoor garden of over 2000 species of plants. I know very little about orchids, but the brochure told us that many rare and unusual varieties where on display. I do know this much they were beautiful and had the most wonderful fragrance.

After enjoying the blooms we headed outside to wonder around the near 80 acres of various style gardens. Our first stop was in the Climatron and Temperate House which offered tropical settings for the more exotic plants. Upon exiting we found ourselves in front of the Children’s Garden which had the look of a frontier fort out of the old west, including a covered wagon and buggy, which we had to stop and take pictures at. From there we headed off to the Japanese garden that included a large pond filled with huge gold fish and numerous ducks. At one of the walking bridges a food dispenser was available to purchase a handful of kibbles, for a quarter, to feed the fish. Unfortunately the ducks were quit a bit quicker at gobbling up the food than the fish.

After making our way through the English Woodland Garden we ended up at the summer home of the founding father. The home was open for a self-guided tour and offered a little history on how the gardens came to exist. At the back of the house we worked our way through a small, hedge lined maze which I’m sure would be a delightful adventure for a small child. From there we took the path through the rose gardens to get back to the entrance, unfortunately this time of year there were no roses but I can imagine the fabulous sight this would offer when they are in full bloom. Apparently we missed the Linnean House where most of the other flowers blooming at this time of year were on display, I later read about it in the brochure after we had left the gardens. Missouri Botanical Garden is open year around from 9-5 daily, except December 25th. There is a small café in the main building if you would like to have lunch, as well as machines through out the garden for cold drinks. A gift shop is available before exiting to pick up plants, gardening supplies, and souvenirs. While I’m sure some of the proceeds go to support the gardens I thought the prices here were on the expensive side. We had a very enjoyable visit and I’m glad we finally took the time to come, however I believe later in the year would be a much better time for viewing the plant life.