30 Awesome Adventures On Allison's Big 30th Birthday Trip

30 AAOABTBT for short. I did not have a lot of time to plan my last minute trip to St Louis Missouri  so many of these were spur of the moment but they all were great and several had been on my LIFE LIST for quite some time now. These are the adventures I will be writing about in the upcoming months. It has certainly been a good year....

1. African Safari Drive Thru-LIFE LIST/Ohio

2. Cinderella Carriage Ride-LIFE LIST/ St Louis
3. See the Gateway Arch in St Louis-LIFE LIST/ St Louis
4. Stay at the Hyatt At The Arch Hotel-LIFE LIST/ St Louis
5. Ride a Trolley-LIFE LIST/ St Louis
6. Visit a Sculpture Garden-LIFE LIST/ St Louis 
7. Eat Kobe Beef- LIFE LIST/ St Louis 
8. Go to the top of the Gateway Arch-LIFE LIST/ St Louis 
9. Gateway Arch Museum-Travel Tips/St Louis 
10. Tour a Brewery- LIFE LIST/ St Louis 

11. See the most beautiful building in the world- LIFE LIST/ St Louis 
12. Go to the St Louis Zoo- Travel Tips/St Louis  
13. Touch Sting Rays and Sharks- LIFE LIST/ St Louis 
14. Eat at the St Louis Bread Co- Travel Tips/ St Louis 
15. Spend my Birthday somewhere else- LIFE LIST/ St Louis Missouri
16. Ride a camel-LIFE LIST/ Ohio
17. SEA LIFE Aquarium-Travel Tips/ Kansas City 
18. Jesse James Bank Museum-Travel Tips/Liberty Missouri 
19. T-REX Cafe- LIFE LIST/ Kansas City Kansas 

20. Arthur Bryants-LIFE LIST/ Kansas City Missouri 
21. World of Fun-Travel Tips/ Kansas City Missouri
22. Oceans of Fun-Travel Tips/ Kansas City
23. Legoland-Travel Tips/ Kansas City MO
24. See the KC public library-LIFE LIST/ Kansas City MO
25. Crayola Cafe-Travel Tips/Kansas City MO
26. Rail Road Restaurant-Travel Tips/ Kansas City MO
27. Kansas City Botanic Garden-Travel Tips/ Kingsville MO
28. European Bungee-LIFE LIST/ Michigan 
29. The Old Courthouse Park-Travel Tips/ St Louis MO 
30. See the World's Largest Cross-LIFE LIST/ Effingham Illinois 

These are just the things I did on this recent 10 day vacation...I still have to write about my Chicago adventures, I have 5 Groupons waiting to be used, we have a trip to Disney World coming up- not to mention ALL the other things in the works!

I'm back....I went: MISSOURI

HELLO MISSOURI!

I know a few weeks ago I wrote a Debbie Downer post about not doing anything for my birthday or father's day because my husband would be out of town and I had to work...Well it's amazing what kinds of things will happen when you're just honest with people and talk about things.
     I would have loved to go with my husband on his 3 week trip to Missouri since I've never been there and have always wanted to see the Gateway Arch but I had to work and since I've only been at my new job a short amount of time I didn't want to ask for the time off. I thought it would really be pressing my luck because I just took some time off to spend April in Chicago.
      Then I decided to just tell my boss that I'd like to go spend my birthday and Father's Day with my husband....and she was totally fine with it! Had I not spoken up we would have just sat at home that weekend and literally not have done anything. Instead- we went on a 10 day Awesome 30th Birthday Trip where we went on 30 adventures!! So the plan was to leave on Friday June 14th and drive 9 hours to St Louis. I was waiting to leave because I had to work on Wednesday June 12th, but then I came down with a terrible soar throat and my boss told me I didn't have to come in the next day. I said ok, well then we'll leave tomorrow! So on Tuesday evening, which was also the birthday party my family was having for me, I stayed up late packing and getting ready to leave in the morning. It was all VERY LAST minute, but luckily I'm a road tripping pro so it all came together with great ease for me.

I was a little leery about being sick and going on a road trip with my 2 year old and was hoping that it didn't get worse or that my daughter didn't get it....both things did happen. It wasn't so bad and we were both feeling better my the time we got to Kansas City.

Overall it was a WONDERFUL trip! We had so much fun, I got to see 2 states I've never been to before and I crossed off MANY LIFE LIST items. I know I haven't even finished writing about all our activities from Chicago but I'm going to get started on these right away.

My husband was in Kansas City for work and on June 14th he met me and our daughter in St Louis. The irony of the movie "MEET ME IN ST LOUIS" is certainly not lost on me and I couldn't pass up a magnet that bore the title. We spent just 2 nights in St Louis but they were filled with tons of activities, an incredible hotel and the best birthday I have ever had! From St Louis we followed Joel to Kansas City (5 hour drive) where we spent the next week. I was not nearly as fond of Kansas City as I was St Louis but we had a great time anyways! We met tons of people, tried many things and got to know the Mid West.

I have to say, I always thought of myself as an East Coast girl- not any more! I just hadn't given the west a chance. Actually this was my first road trip out West as an adult. I've taken 19 trips to the East Coast in my Adult life and I think I need a break from New England.

What a road trip, what a birthday, what an adventure!

LIFE LIST: SEE THE GATEWAY ARCH

Where: Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is the actual name but most just know it as the 'Gateway
Arch' in St Louis Missouri. It is called this as it is a 'memorial' to Thomas Jefferson who made westward expansion possible by acquiring Louisiana through the Louisiana Purchase.

When: June 13th 2013

Cost: You can see the arch from all over the city and the 92 acre park below the structure is totally free, there is also a museum under the arch to which admission is also free. There is a fee to go to the top of the arch.

She wasn't the only one enamored by this city, this river and this one of a kind structure.

Why this is on my list? It has been on my list since the first time I came across it a few years ago doing travel research, though it wasn't until very recently that I learned that you can go inside it to the top-this was a whole other experience on its own. It's funny that I wanted to do see this arch for years though I had no idea of its significance, symbolism nor the architectural marvel that it is. What shocked me the most was that it was built in 1965! Even today it is such a modern piece of art as well a modern engineering feat to be able to build elevators in a curved, or rather catenary shape, functional to travel 630 feet. I am dumbfounded that this massive freestanding monument, second only to the Eiffel Tower, only cost $13 million to build when Cloudgate which is minuscule in comparison cost $23 million and all you can do is look at it. Granted that $13 million would be about $100 million in today's dollars.

Will I do it again? I gotta say I LOOOOOVE ST LOUIS!!! I could easily spend a lot more time there, I have already composed a list of things I would like to do if I ever get a chance to go back so if my husband gets called back to Missouri on business I'd go along with him in a heartbeat! For instance a free yoga class is held every Saturday underneath the arch-how fun would that be!?
 One day I'd like to drive out west to see the Grand Canyon, I would make it a point to spend a night or two in St Loui. It's a long drive and when  I plan actual 'vacations' I try to pick places I've never been before but I think one way or another I'll see that 17,000 ton stainless steel beauty again one day!

Something I'd recommend? Oh yes, I think these iconic structures across the US (Mt Rushmore, Statue of Liberty, Cloudgate) are a must for all Americans to see and for those visiting the USA they are great destination locations. Not to mention St Louis is a remarkable city with no shortage of things to do and see.

Seeing the arch itself was exciting as I pulled into St Louis, it was exhilarating to see something new. I travel a lot around the USA but it's often to the same locations. By the time I was 18 I had already been in 39 of the 50 states, it was fun to see 2 more states, one with such a famous landmark. I feel like it's been a while since I've seen something new!

As far as the park goes, it is quite lovely and very well kept. Our hotel was directly across the street so in the 2 short days we were in the city there was several time that we went over to the park and ran around. It was so much fun to chase my daughter around in such an awe inspiring setting. The evening that Joel met us in St Louis we went over to the park at around 10h at night and we played, we ran around, took pictures and layed in the grass underneath the arch looking at the moon and the stars. It was my favorite moment the 3 of us have shared together. And it was so great for Z, she could run, be as loud as she wanted, there was nothing to worry about even though it is sandwiched between the Mississippi River and a major highway the park is so large that we really didn't have to worry about her getting to close to either.

You can find lots of information about the history of the arch in this article.


Related Posts:
Eurobungy
Drive thru African Safari 
10 fun filled days in Missouri
a morning surprise 
30 adventures on my 30th birthday 

LIFE LIST: HYATT AT THE ARCH HOTEL

Where: The Hyatt At The Arch Hotel in St Louis Missouri is directly across from the Gateway Arch. In fact it is the closest building to the Arch.

The view from the $99 room.

When: June 2013 on my big 30th Birthday trip!

The first night was just my daughter and me.

Cost: I stayed in 2 different rooms at this fabulous hotel- the standard room was $99 and the suite was $180. The reason was because the first night it was just me and my daughter so we didn't need the larger room and I was trying to keep the cost of our very last minute trip down. The $99 room was so nice with a decent view that I almost cancelled the suite, how much nicer could it be? I was already quite pleased with my room. Luckily I did not cancel and we stayed in the corner suite which was much larger than the studio apartment we lived in a few years ago....actually now that I think about it, the standard room was also much larger than our studio apartment.
It was the coolest way to wake up on my 30th birthday in an awesome suite, with large picture windows looking over the Mississippi River and a front row view of the Gateway Arch, and my husband had decorated the room in the middle of the night with balloons and signs-absolutely the best birthday ever. St Louis quickly became one of my favorite cities in the U.S.

Why this is on my list: While doing research for my trip to St Louis there was no doubt that this was the best hotel choice. I always like to pick a unique hotel and what was unique about the Hyatt at the Arch one was the spectacular view. I am still amazed by the extremely reasonably priced room for what I got, which was a view unlike I've ever had at any other hotel (well, expect for that one time I went to Hawaii and stayed on the ocean) impeccable service, 2 very large, flawlessly clean rooms. And there's a Starbucks inside the hotel, they recycle, delivered a newpaper to my room each morning, a nice gym that I would have liked to use but appreciated that it was there, when I needed a few supplies they sent them up to my room free of charge...on top of all that the location is sublime. It was so awesome to just walk across the street and be at the Gateway Arch. If there's one thing I truly have a knack for, it's choosing the most magnificent hotels to stay in.

Will I stay there again? There was a bellman in the lobby who asked me this question and after I replied "of course! Why would I stay anywhere else?" he said "Good, cuz if you do I'm gonna find out about it, I'm gonna go to the hotel where you staying and start acting crazy until they kick us both out, then I'll bring you back here!" This guy was hilarious, I absolutely loved the staff here, they were so friendly and helpful, there were 3 that really stood out, Keith, Zack and Brad, they were a delight to talk to and made this trip even more special.

The Lobby

 Something I'd recommend? If you stay anywhere else in St Louis, you'd be doing a disservice to yourself, and you can't beat the price. Essentially there's no reason t stay elsewhere. 

the standard room

Large spacious walk in closet w/safe

$99/night room-bigger than my old apartment

My only complaint...I've never stayed somewhere you had to pay for internet access. But It's worth it to get the low room rate.

the corner suite 

This bathroom/closet was huge.

The view from the corner suite only $180/night.

Related Posts:

see the Gateway Arch

go to the top of the Gateway Arch

Budweiser Brewery Tour 

30 Adventures on my 30th Birthday Trip

The Ultimate Life List is now on Facebook click here to like it!

LIFE LIST: GO TO THE TOP OF THE GATEWAY ARCH

"A lot of people are afraid of heights. 

Not me, I’m afraid of widths.”

Where: Gateway Arch, St Louis Missouri

You actually go underground first before you go up.

When: June 15th, 2013, It was my 30th birthday.

There is a large museum underneath the arch...under the ground.

Cost: $10/person

The doors to get on the trams were very tiny, this engineering marvel left me feeling like I was on another planet.

Why this is on my list: I didn't even realize for the longest time that you could actually go to the top...or even that you could go inside the arch. And it took a little convincing that this was even a reality. When you look at the Arch it's hard to imagine being in it. After all, it is an arch- there are no level surfaces, also what sort of device could actually take you to the top? The entire arch is curved! Another plaguing question was-it's so thin and tiny at the top where would we stand? We were in St Louis in June for my 30th Birthday and I wanted to spend my day having amazing adventures of which there is no shortage in this thriving metropolis. This was the new experience I was most excited about and so it was the first planned item at 10h in the morning.

Something I'd recommend? Absolutely. The Gateway arch and the trams that take you to the top are unlike anything in the world  it's one of those things you just have to see to believe. This is a must if you're in St Louis. Although if you have a problem containing yourself in small spaces and/or heights this may be more of a worst case scenario.

View from the top!

Will I do it again?  I'm sure this does not come as a surprise but I was slightly frightened during this entire experience. From the moment we entered the line underground to wait for our tram to the top I kept a tight hold on anything I could grab onto and for the next hour I slithered my way around the arch. By that I mean that my feet did not leave the surface beneath me, especially when we got to the top which is arched-the viewing area is not a level area to stand on. So I felt very vulnerable in this tiny space so far away from Mother Earth.....I guess my main fear was that I would fall and roll like a donut hole all the way down the emergency staircase to the very bottom. Even though I had a death grip on my husbands arm I did really enjoy spending the morning of my 30th birthday on this unique experience. I think that this trepidatious traveler gets so nervous because I don't know what to expect, I'll feel more at ease next time, the elevator pod or 'tram' that takes you to the top moves very slow and to my knowledge in 50 years there has never been any 'incidents' of any sorts on the journey to the top of the world's tallest arch.

Inside the small tram that seats 6 I get a tight hold on my so she wouldn't roll away either.

Related post:

See the Gateway Arch in St Louis