Flight was good. Although I can't remember a previous flight where the ascent and descent were so drastic and fast. If I said we went up and then down at 90 degree angles, I don't think I'd be exaggerating by much ... The pilot must've been doing something right because we didn't crash. We left the cloudy, stormy skies in Chicago and rose to the glittering air above. From above, today's clouds were like a sea of cotton balls in some parts and a vast polar ice cap in others ...
I got off the plane in St. Louis to endless store displays with Cardinals World Series memorabilia -- nice -- retrieved my one suitcase and then caught a cab. For the next two nights my residence is the Millennium Hotel in downtown St. Louis.
"You ever been to St. Louis?" my cab driver asks.
"Yeah. I'm from Kansas City," I tell him. "So I know St. Louis. I've been here a few times." ... I proceed to ask him if the city's still reeling about the Cardinals, to which he gives off a huge grin and says "Aw yeah," and I talk about how I'm looking forward to getting a look at the new Busch Stadium ...
Just then, he pulls up to the hotel, which is centered between Busch Stadium on the west and the iconic Arch to the east -- what more could a visitor want!? ... A huge screen, that I assumed was the back of the Busch Stadium scoreboard, is flashing the final out of the World Series and the words "2006 World Series Champions." My cab driver says, "You can't get any closer to the stadium that that." ... I'll say!
In a flash, I was checking into my room, peeling off my Chicago clothes and changing into some attire more suitable for a muggy St. Louis. I was sweating! (As I write, the weather man on the news is saying it got up to 73 degrees today, and now there's a tornado watch just south of here ... ) ... And before you could say Albert Pujols, I was across the street checking out the Jack Buck statue and walking around, mouth gaping, Busch Stadium, the home of the defending World Champions.
... It's nice, yes. But aside from the red brick and the amusement of a Cardinal at virtually every pillar, gate and corner, there's nothing spectacular enough to set it apart from the other retro stadiums I've visited. Then again, I can't say much about the interior other than the sea of red seats and the huge Bud Light billboard I could see from the gate outside the left field pavilion ... The front of the stadium was the gem for me. St. Louis's version of Monument Park, all of the Cardinals greats are immortalized with heavily-detailed bronze statues ...I was inside the Cardinals team store, deciding whether I wanted to take home a World Series glass or a baseball when my friend and St. Louis res Jill called me about meeting for lunch (... Good thing she called 'cause I'd forgotten her cell number. It was the only thing I'd forgotten to pack! Doh! ...) ... So I promptly settled on the glass for its colorful Cardinals/World Series graphic and a decorative baseball at the base, and then walked back to the hotel to meet Jill and her husband for a lunch ...
In the mood for sandwiches, we headed to Mike Shannon's a couple blocks from Busch. Good eats, and like any restaurant owned by a sports great, the posters and memorabilia was sure fun to look at too ...
After parting ways with Jill, I was off to enjoy more of the city. I headed back to Busch Stadium to snap some pictures and see some of the things I hadn't done before Jill called. From there I walked through Kiener Plaza, past the Old Courthouse and then east to the Arch, my Grey's Anatomy music playing on my iPod and setting my reflective mood ...
The skies were overcast, but the color of the fall leaves that surrounded the Arch were spectacular. It was calm, serene, perfect ...
Now it's almost 6 p.m. ... I just jogged back in a cold, hard rain from a Max & Erma's down the street. My conference starts in about an hour in one of the banquet rooms downstairs, but after all my excitement today I'd rather veg out in my room and keep reading my book ...
... The sports guy on the news just said that the Tigers got Gary Sheffield in a trade today with the Yankees. My initial reaction, is Great! Now ol' Sheff is going to ruin any team chemistry the Tigers have going for them ... Then I remember Sheffield was a big part of the Marlins success with Leyland in '97, and I start thinking in might not be so bad ... but why the heck would the Yankees trade a player like Sheffield to a team that's sure to play a role in their postseason hopes for next year ... ?
I'm lonely ...
This is the view from my hotel room. Pretty beautiful ...
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