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Well, it doesn't seem like Meghan's going to bed soon, so for now, I'm stuck on the crappy computer, which suits me fine, I'd rather do this right now while I can, so when I get on the good one, I can focus on trying to talk to people instead of having to type this at the same time.
I got woken up to the sound of people being loud, just because they love to get up early. So I knew I had to get up eventually anyway, but dammit I was tired. I went to bed around 4 last night, and got up at 8. But it was going to be a good day, because we were going to do something vacationey. I got ready as usual, and we planned everything out ahead of time, so we were gonna leave around 10. Dad was gonna stay with Sophia, and Kelly was gonna take me to see The Gateway Arch in St. Louis. I was excited, because I'd read about it in my World Records book, and had seen in on the drive to Branson, so I was glad I'd get to see it up close and personal. That is, until someone asked Meghan if she wanted to go, and she said yes.
Just when I thought I'd finally get away, she was gonna tag along with us, and be good ol' Meghan. I literally felt myself twitch when I heard she was coming with us. Now I know you guys are saying I don't tolerate her easily, but spend 1 day with her, and you'll understand. Trust me, she is put-a-gun-to-your-head-to-just-get-away annoying.
So we drove off, and the drive there was like 15 minutes, so I caught up on a nap, while she told Kelly some story about a dog that I know she was listening to just to be polite because Kelly has the patience of a saint, thank God.
I woke up right before we got on Martin Luther King Bridge, which is the entrance to the North Side of St. Louis, I think. I know for sure that going on it crosses you right over the Mississippi River though, so that was interesting.
We had to pay $5 for parking, cause finding a spot was hectic, and there are a lot of one-way streets, so we got stuck easily. Turns out though if we had driven a little more we would have found the parking lot that was free and closer to the Arch. neutral
Anyway, we did have a little walk, which was good, a walk never really hurt anyone that didn't deserve it, and we went through the little paths in this park that leads you right under the Arch, so you can look up and marvel at how bright and annoying it is when the sun hits the metal and reflects it back into your eyes. xp
We took a few photos, and went underneath it, which led to an underground entrance that had gift shops and a few things like a movie, a museum, and the tram ride to the top, which was pretty much why we were here. I wanted to check out the museum, and Kelly was glad because she knew I would like it, and wanted me to see it as well. Meghan didn't seem to interested, but I could have cared less, this trip wasn't for her. talk2hand
They had these weird animitronice wax robots depicting indians and other people saying important words explaining when they were dragging the Indians out of their homes and forcing them to move out, like the leader Red Cloud. I preferred reading all the big walls that had pictures of the places Lewis and Clarke had been, which also had big signs that re-read what they had written, spelling mistakes and all, copied down word-for-word. They had other things like a model of how big a buffalo was, and I gotta say ******** bears, if a buffalo sat on you, you are so dead.
We got our tickets to take the Tram up to the top of the Arch, but Kelly wasn't coming with us, she'd been up enough, so she figured we'd be fine by ourselves, as long as Meghan stayed with me. It was a while before we had to go though, so we bummed around the shops, and I bought a mini pocket book that had the entire Constitution of the U.S. in it, so that'll help me in my U.S. Governement class when I need to remember the Amendments and crap like that. I bought a shirt for my brother, because my dad asked to get him a souveneir, but I almost didn't do it, but I know John would have felt bad if he didn't get anything, and all the other stuff he would have hated, so I think he'll be fine.
The shop across the place though afterwards was the best one though. It sold a bunch of goods and foods and stuff that was authentic to the 1800's and 1900's. They were selling toys and candies and wooden dominoes, and apple butter and bread loaves, and cheeses. They had Springtime Honey and Summer Honey, and all these neat little old time toys that are still fun an popular now, like tops and yo-yo's, and those cup and ball games. It was a lot of there too, and I bought this little Writer's Collection set, and some Sassafras Candy and Huckleberry Candy to share at school on Tuesday, cause I know no one could find this in Las Vegas.
When our trip to get to the Tram finally came around, we had to wait, and then we had to wait to wait. The 2nd waiting room was pretty cool though, you could pull a conductor's rope like the one they have on trains, and it would blow an engine whistle, and they had this giant scale, that you could sit on and measure yourself against somebody, which would have been a good photo idea, but by then Kelly was waiting for us outside and we couldn't go back and get it.
We finally got to the Tram entrances, and the Tour Guy was very nice and friendly in explaining everything, but Meghan was still nervous even though Kelly had told her it was no big deal, not to mention 3 other people had told her the same thing. The trams were more like egg shaped capsules, and when they finally let us in, 5 people had to cram into one little Tram. It was hot and stuffy, and cramped, and one of the ladies in our group got off and said she couldn't do it, she was too claustrophobic. It gave us a bit more room, but before we could really think about it, the door closed, and we were off.
Now, even though technically the tram was moving up inside the Arch, where you couldn't see the outside, we still went pretty high up for just a 4 minute ride, and I don't think Russell could have handled it. It lurched every now and then, but you couldn't really see anything, since there wasn't much of a view anyway. My ears did pop though, which was a minor inconvenience.
We made it to the top, and damn it was crowded up there. There were these little tiny windows you had to lean up and over to look out of, and if you've been on the Stratosphere like I have, this kinda view isn't that exciting, except for when we got to look out at the city instead of the ugly brown river. It was nice to get up there and all, but it was too boring to wanna do again, I prefer the free museum. We had to wait to get back down again, but the descent was a lot smoother and faster.
When we met up with Kelly again, she had some pretzels, cause she knew that all of us were hungry, so we walked to the car eating a little so we could relax until we went to McDonalds. In the parking lot, a Ben and Jerry's truck had appeared nearby since we'd left, and I wished we had ice cream trucks like that.
The ride home was smooth, and we got to eat in the car, because the drive home would have been too long, and the food would have gotten cold. Earlier today, Kelly and my dad went to see John and Jennifer again to have dinner, adults only, so me and meghan and grandma watched Sophia, but Grandma hogged her cause she wants to get in as much as she can before we leave tomorrow. We played Checkers and Candy Land, they got home, and now everyone's in bed, except for Meghan, who actually, I just checked, has fallen asleep since I've been writing this. Thank God, I'm onto the other computer as soon as I finish this.
Tomorrow, we say our goodbyes, and I head out to catch a 9:05 p.m. flight back to Las Vegas, so I'll get there around 10, and be home by Midnight at the latest. Until then guys, I'm so glad to be heading back, I wanna get into my senior year!! pirate
Edible Substance · Sun Sep 04, 2005 @ 06:01am · 1 Comments |
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