City Museum Visit

I stayed home this weekend to attempt to catch up on sleep - even though I would have liked to have been about 4 other places. It was a weekend packed with weddings, ordinations, and reunions. But, even while remaining in this area, my weekend was quite adventurous.

As mentioned before, the Saturday before each 3rd Sunday our church members get together for a "social night", and this weekend we were blessed to meet in the home of Brother Paul and Sister Barb. I failed to take pictures, but it was a fun night night of board games and dominos. I was very happy to discover that one of my cousins has been staying in the area while being trained for work, so he and his girlfriend were able to accompany me and meet many of the church members. Here's Whitney Weber, Jacob Webb and me.

Even though Jake had been in the area a few months, he had not seen many of the St. Louis sites. So, I thought it would be fun to head to the City Museum. If you come this way for a trip, be sure to visit this place on the north side of downtown St. Louis. It is a bit expensive, in my opinion, yet still worth the price... especially if a family or a couple were to spend all day there. It is open late on Friday and Saturday evenings, so it is also great place for dates or courting couples and families to visit.

It's difficult to describe the place. So, you'll have to see it to fully understand. But, their slogan tells the story: Where Imagination Runs Wild. Here are a few pictures of the room right off the main entrance. And, the people in the picture will provide some perspective. Life size whales, huge aquariums, gorgeous mosaics on every surface... You feel like you're entering a mystical wonderland. (Double click to enlarge for a better view.)


The attraction that keeps the kids (of all ages) coming back are the tubes, tunnels, coils, caves, slides, and obstacles that have been created throughout the building. Here is a shot of one of the tunnels (with windows) that peeks out from the shimmery silver ceiling. One never knows what he will encounter just around the corner, and visitors are easily entertained for hours. A huge jungle gym for children and adults. (You will just want to remember to wear comfortable clothes, comfortable shoes....and maybe a pair of knee pads, if you have them! This is not a dress-up or fancy place, and the visitors are just as diverse as the museum offerings.)

I haven't even begun to describe the architecture exhibit, Everyday Circus, rollerblading park, Art City, glass blowing demonstration, Toddler Town, or 4 story slide... let alone the many other features of the museum. Check out the web site for more details. It's especially difficult to explain the exterior of the museum also (known as MonstroCity) - as it is a conglomeration of steel and stone structures, slides, fences... along with a bus and plane... at various heights in the air. All on which to CLIMB and explore. Acrophobics, BEWARE of this part. The entire museum is just odd... and beautiful... and ugly... and ever-changing... and in progress... and fascinating.










We also visited the newest part of the City Museum, the World Aquarium. It included several underwater animals, a few land animals, ...and many "touch areas" where you could touch certain ones on display. (I'm very thankful for the anti-bacterial cloths that the museum provided in this area.)

Can you guess what else we were able to see?
You betcha. Two adorable grey chinchillas. Since all of this nonsense began on my blog, I've had three friends write to say they've seen chinchillas - for the first time - at a zoo or pet store, and Sister Barb reported that they were shown on a talk show at the end of last week. What a week for chinchillas! Unfortunately, the cute little critters were not in the "touch areas" so we could not hold them.

Hope many of you will be able to come to St. Louis to see this interesting site - and visit me!