July 14, 2009

164A.365, originally uploaded by iMachias.

Well, sort of tailgating. Earl and I went downtown for the MLB All Star Game 2009 festivities tonight. The streets were jammed with baseball fans and their fans. We enjoyed some food, a few drinks and doing the people watching. We found a good spot on a pedestrian bridge to watch it all.

After folks starting heading into the stadium or drifting off to their own parties we made our way to Union Station and the Hard Rock Café where we watched the pre-game stuff. Sheryl Crow’s rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” was great and was punctuated by a hush over the restaurant as she sang. The hush was followed by a loud rumble; it was then that I realized that the Stealth B-2 Bomber that was passing over the baseball game was also passing over the restaurant; half the patrons ran out to see it. It was an awesome sight.

We watched a little bit of the game before hopping on the MetroLink and heading back to the hotel. We did a LOT of walking today. I think we are going to call it an early night.

Earl and I are kicking back on the pace today and sort of just exploring St. Louis in a non-chalant way. Today we started the day at the Sciencenter.

Water Exhibit / Landscaping at the entrance to the St. Louis Sciencenter

There are many exhibits, displays and opportunities for interaction so that folks, especially young folks, can learn all sorts of things about our world. We decided to watch the feature presentation in the OmniMax theatre: Grand Canyon Adventure: River At Risk. It was my first time in an OmniMax theatre and I must say that the experience is well worth the admission. At times your senses can get overwhelmed but a quick glance away from the action and you’re fine.

Much like Animal Kingdom or Epicot at Walt Disney World, our visit to the Sciencenter got me thinking about what we can do back home to give back to Mother Earth. Earl and I decided to replace all of our toilets (which need replacing anyway) with more water conservation models and to change the shower heads as well. We already use a front loading washing machine, which uses considerably less water than a top loader, so we are already on the right track.

After the Sciencenter we stopped at the local Trader Joe’s to stock the hotel suite with a few healthy snacks and some breakfast goods. We are now revving up to hop back on the MetroLink and head into the city to continue the adventure.