This was my final day in St. Louis. After going to a convenience store to get a breakfast bar and milk I looked around at my hotel as I liked seeing the famous people pictures on the wall, who had flown on TWA. I wrote down the names again where it would be more legible than last year's, in caps and giving myself more space. I got one on the lower level which looked like a postcard reproduction of Lambert Airport, in the corner it said it was 6 miles from the city limits.
Then it was on to a church service, Maplewood United Methodist. I wanted to find this church as part of the movie 'Up In The Air' was filmed there. I got a little crossed up trying to find the place, having to stop at a 7-11 when I was close, so I didn't make it for the start of the service. The sermon was about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and I liked how some of the message was about
word meanings, as in the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The pastor did spot me at the end of the service and asked if we had met before, I said no. I stated my business, saying I wanted to get some pictures since I loved the movie. I liked how she did share a little about it, saying they were pretty much kicked out when it was being filmed, but George Clooney was nice. I liked how the pastor also shared some about herself, saying she had grown up Baptist, a different Protestant church than were she preaches now. I saw a foosball table in the basement, and a soda pop machine, Pepsi. I liked how I found some helpful people who were fine with me getting some pictures there. This included the altar, and the nursery. The latter was likely where Clooney was asked to speak to the groom-to-be, and the groom was reading the Velveteen Rabbit.
I went back close to where my hotel was, near the airport, and had lunch at a Mexican place I had heard of through the Delta Airlines dining program. I had a rib eye with beans and rice, and got a photo of a Tecate beer ad with a Corona street sign above it. But I had no beer here, I had ice tea.
It was on to the Cheshire Inn, another site where the movie was filmed, this is near Forest Park. The front desk and bar area looked familiar, and there was a big Amoco sign nearby at the BP gas station. I picked up a map of Forest Park there and found more of those birthday cake statues in the park, 5 in all. So I found 14, as I found 2 today before I got to the park. One was in front of the Cheshire. Near the Worlds Fair pavilion I saw a security guard and asked about one being there, he said there was but a private party was booked for the evening so be discreet about it. I did one thing that I know is a good idea when dealing with people- choose words carefully. I said 'Good sir' at the start and end of our interaction. I think this goes back to what I was taught by my football coach in high school, about dealing with the refs. The one at the pavilion had an ice cream cone theme as the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis was known for where this treat became popular.
I knew about how much time I had to walk through the park, so my final stop was the Art Museum. I didn't make it to the History Museum. I walked back to the Cheshire and got my car and drove back to the rental car place. I arrived in good time, didn't need to rush through security at the airport. It did raise some eyebrows with one of the giveaway items I had, the retired numbers canvas. They didn't know at first how to run it through security. When I reached the gate I liked seeing somebody with a Montana State shirt on, found out he is in college there for accounting and plans on going to graduate school as well. We spoke for a while before the flight about various subjects, and one of those was football. I noticed he had the same giveaway item in his bag. Eventually he needed to go get some coffee. He was connecting flights at MSP, though we were a few minutes late on departure. I hope he made his flight back to Montana. He got the last business card I had with me, I said I would need to get more when I get home as I don't carry all of them with me. There is still a decent number in a box in my home. My seatmate had a Regent University shirt on, he said he was working on a PhD and was working for US bank, explaining why he was flying to the Twin Cities as he was there on business.
And there was the music. I wrote down 5 performers to remind me of what I liked hearing today, mostly on the car radio. There was Brad Paisley, I'm just a guy. Stone Temple Pilots, Interstate love song. LaRoux, Bulletproof. Nirvana, Come as you are. Smashing Pumpkins, Tonight Tonight. The middle one was when I was inside a boutique getting a few magnets as souvenirs.
I called my dad when I got back as it was Dad's Day. He had wondered about the last call, I said it likely ended as I lost the signal due to being in a parking ramp. When I checked out of the hotel before midday the desk clerk said it was Dad's Day, which reminded me of how I should call my dad. Also notable about this time at the front desk was seeing a family wearing super-hero capes. They asked me to take a camera phone picture of them. And I did. I didn't think about asking for one on my own camera. I recall their young boy, couldn't have been any older than five, was wearing a green one with dollar signs on it. I made a joke, wondering if Richie Rich was unavailable. I think two of them had the same type, Superman. The boy looked at my bag and I said you will understand that one later in life. I figured he was looking at the tag on it, which shows a woman with a word balloon saying 'We all have baggage'. Figured this was the best way to explain it.
Then it was on to a church service, Maplewood United Methodist. I wanted to find this church as part of the movie 'Up In The Air' was filmed there. I got a little crossed up trying to find the place, having to stop at a 7-11 when I was close, so I didn't make it for the start of the service. The sermon was about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and I liked how some of the message was about
word meanings, as in the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The pastor did spot me at the end of the service and asked if we had met before, I said no. I stated my business, saying I wanted to get some pictures since I loved the movie. I liked how she did share a little about it, saying they were pretty much kicked out when it was being filmed, but George Clooney was nice. I liked how the pastor also shared some about herself, saying she had grown up Baptist, a different Protestant church than were she preaches now. I saw a foosball table in the basement, and a soda pop machine, Pepsi. I liked how I found some helpful people who were fine with me getting some pictures there. This included the altar, and the nursery. The latter was likely where Clooney was asked to speak to the groom-to-be, and the groom was reading the Velveteen Rabbit.
I went back close to where my hotel was, near the airport, and had lunch at a Mexican place I had heard of through the Delta Airlines dining program. I had a rib eye with beans and rice, and got a photo of a Tecate beer ad with a Corona street sign above it. But I had no beer here, I had ice tea.
It was on to the Cheshire Inn, another site where the movie was filmed, this is near Forest Park. The front desk and bar area looked familiar, and there was a big Amoco sign nearby at the BP gas station. I picked up a map of Forest Park there and found more of those birthday cake statues in the park, 5 in all. So I found 14, as I found 2 today before I got to the park. One was in front of the Cheshire. Near the Worlds Fair pavilion I saw a security guard and asked about one being there, he said there was but a private party was booked for the evening so be discreet about it. I did one thing that I know is a good idea when dealing with people- choose words carefully. I said 'Good sir' at the start and end of our interaction. I think this goes back to what I was taught by my football coach in high school, about dealing with the refs. The one at the pavilion had an ice cream cone theme as the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis was known for where this treat became popular.
I knew about how much time I had to walk through the park, so my final stop was the Art Museum. I didn't make it to the History Museum. I walked back to the Cheshire and got my car and drove back to the rental car place. I arrived in good time, didn't need to rush through security at the airport. It did raise some eyebrows with one of the giveaway items I had, the retired numbers canvas. They didn't know at first how to run it through security. When I reached the gate I liked seeing somebody with a Montana State shirt on, found out he is in college there for accounting and plans on going to graduate school as well. We spoke for a while before the flight about various subjects, and one of those was football. I noticed he had the same giveaway item in his bag. Eventually he needed to go get some coffee. He was connecting flights at MSP, though we were a few minutes late on departure. I hope he made his flight back to Montana. He got the last business card I had with me, I said I would need to get more when I get home as I don't carry all of them with me. There is still a decent number in a box in my home. My seatmate had a Regent University shirt on, he said he was working on a PhD and was working for US bank, explaining why he was flying to the Twin Cities as he was there on business.
And there was the music. I wrote down 5 performers to remind me of what I liked hearing today, mostly on the car radio. There was Brad Paisley, I'm just a guy. Stone Temple Pilots, Interstate love song. LaRoux, Bulletproof. Nirvana, Come as you are. Smashing Pumpkins, Tonight Tonight. The middle one was when I was inside a boutique getting a few magnets as souvenirs.
I called my dad when I got back as it was Dad's Day. He had wondered about the last call, I said it likely ended as I lost the signal due to being in a parking ramp. When I checked out of the hotel before midday the desk clerk said it was Dad's Day, which reminded me of how I should call my dad. Also notable about this time at the front desk was seeing a family wearing super-hero capes. They asked me to take a camera phone picture of them. And I did. I didn't think about asking for one on my own camera. I recall their young boy, couldn't have been any older than five, was wearing a green one with dollar signs on it. I made a joke, wondering if Richie Rich was unavailable. I think two of them had the same type, Superman. The boy looked at my bag and I said you will understand that one later in life. I figured he was looking at the tag on it, which shows a woman with a word balloon saying 'We all have baggage'. Figured this was the best way to explain it.
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