Meet me in St. Louis, Louis

Yesterday we left Oklahoma City and drove to St. Louis

But first we had to go to the Museum of Osteology. I don't know if you're familiar with the company Skulls Unlimited, but in addition to providing skeleton cleaning services they have a museum of comparative osteology which is just fascinating. I won't go into too many details about vestigial limbs, phalanges becoming flippers, toes into hooves, etc. but it really is an extraordinary place, especially considering its location, out in the middle of bfn.

 Frankie vs. giraffe

Skelfie

A kid and their rhino skull

To be honest, it was probably our favorite thing about Oklahoma. Oklahoma city itself is weird. It's as sprawling as any large town, but with about half the people, all of whom retire to the suburbs at the end of the day. The countryside is green with gently rolling hills, but plastered with hand painted signs bemoaning the decline of white culture.

Lets just say it didn't make us feel welcome or safe.

Which was weird, because the people we met were all just sweet as pie. I guess they might not have been as sweet had they known our respective backgrounds and beliefs. And I'm not sure how I feel about that. They are making assumptions about us based on our appearance, including color, clothing, etc. While it worked in our favor, I feel profoundly uncomfortable with reinforcing their assumptions just by being white and non-confrontational.

While we had a drive, we did have some stops to make. One was Pops 66 Soda Ranch. When I heard about this, I imagined it as something like the old soda place we used to stop by as kids on Hwy 99. A bunch of different sodas, all you could taste with the ability to mix and match.

This was miles, leagues away from that.

This is where the Jetsons buy their soda

They had not just the major brands, but lots and lots of little tiny specialized soda makers, imported soda, and just plain weird stuff.

Ranch dressing? WTF, Oklahoma?

Watermelon and Prickly Pear - something new every day

Luckily our choices were both delicious (although I think the prickly pear was the winner).

We also went by one of the earliest (and most notorious) filling stations along Route 66. Built in the 20's, when times got hard during the great depression, they were offered the opportunity to make a little extra money.

Literally.

Just so you know, it's a filling station with a stone fireplace. 

When a person passing through offered them printing plates, they decided to try out a bit of counterfeiting. They were low key about it, so they got away with it for quite a while before getting caught. In the end, the person caught expressed that it wasn't worth it, in the long run. I'm not sure whether they went too big, or not big enough.

After that, it was the long haul. We stopped at a diner and had fried okra (not. really. a fan.) After that, it was time to indulge in a little Road Trip Bingo. Some phrases on the game board:

• I'm never going to eat again (it's a free space, because I say that after every meal)
• Look at the cute doggy!
• Redbull me
• Yes, person with giant truck, you've proven to all and sundry that you have an enormous dick. Now go roll coal somewhere else. 
• I need to pee
• Seriously, I need to pee.
• Oh my God, I need to pee RIGHT NOW

It's a constantly evolving work.

We got into St. Louis last night (and I still cannot get that song out of my heard when I hear the words). We slept in a bit, did laundry, and went out for hipster brunch. The place was called Milque Toast, and it served things on toast.

Something to be said for truth in advertising.

Chickpeas and greens on toast with curried chicken and carrot slaw

After that it was off to the downtown area where we took in the union station. 

If you rub its head...

Tiffany stained glass representing San Francisco, St. Louis, and
New York - the major hubs at the time. 

The building was a glorious example of that sort of industrial design - the cathedral of commerce. We had a bit of a laugh, remembering how small the Sistine Chapel was in comparison to the "second waiting room" of the Central station. They had a cheesy light show, which was wonderful, and afterward we wandered around downtown, looking at the buildings and art. 

We opted for Italian for dinner at a very old school establishment - Charlie Giotto's. There were huge table set ups with entire families eating together. Pictures on the wall of Charlie with various personages throughout the years. 

First off, we had to try the toasted ravioli - basically deep fried ravioli with marinara sauce.

Beats the crap out of fried okra

 And then we had basic pasta dishes. Very tasty, but sooo much food.

I'm never eating again (bingo!)

Afterward we walked over to gawp at the St. Louis Arch. Along the way we passed Drury Plaza

Frankie: the muffin man has moved up in the world

And eventually - the arch.  

Which was closed. Because apparently everything east of the Rockies closes at 5.

On our way back we got entranced by a colony of spiders, one of whom was valiantly trying to rebuild their web. It was fascinating to watch them building.

I kept shouting "Some Pig!" at them, but it didn't work.

Then it's back home, another blog post and off to bed. I'm beginning to have a deeper insight into fan fiction writers who constantly want kudos/comments/etc. from their readers. Or as Walt Whitman said "I sound my barbaric yawp over the rooftops of the world." People look at the pictures, click "like" and move on. One begins to wonder if it's worth writing if no one is reading.

But on the other hand, it puts you in an excellent position to consider the koan of the tree falling in the forest.