Take me out to the ball game

                                                                                       Clark's comments in Dodger Blue
Day 3:  How exactly do you pronounce Pujols again?  
Since we had spent the entire previous day in the sun, we decided to do the same the next day.  We started the day at The Loop where we browsed through some interesting music (I purchased a rare live recording of some Radiohead b-sides; it was a really cool music store that still sold new albums on vinyl), comic and thrift stores and ate lunch at Fitz's.  

We ate burgers, salads and fried things, and we got our first taste of toasted ravioli.  Toasted ravioli is indigenous to St. Louis and is pretty good.  Deep-fried ravioli.

Fitz's is also known for their home-brewed sodas.  We enjoyed root beer, cream soda and orange soda.

Bottle-filling in action.  This bottling belt is located on the first floor of the restaurant.  You can watch the workers do their magic after eating lunch.  It's an awkward experience for everyone involved.

Next we were off to the ball game:  Cardinals vs Dodgers.  

Isn't the view fantastic?  And check out the arch mowed into the field.   Very cool.  And yet the game was so very hot.

Some Cardinal fans, some Dodger fans, some neutral spectators. 

Hope this boy was happy with his birthday present!  Of course I was.  Could have used a Dodger win, though.  Actually, I would have settled for a Dodger run.  They lost 2-0.

 

Since the stadium was right down town, we spent some time at the arch after the game.  For those of you who don't know, I have a horrible fear of heights.  I got a tingly feeling in my stomach, just from looking up at the apex of it.  But it is incredible.  What I couldn't believe is that the Sears Tower is more than twice as tall as the Arch.  And the Arch is huge.

 

Our next stop was Ted Drewes, supposedly the best custard around.  Dessert before dinner tonight!

 
 

This place was POPULAR!  The crowd there was impressive, and so was the speed of the lines.  With at least 5 windows to order from, we got our ice cream fairly quickly.

 

This is one of my favorite pictures because it captures Clark's face the moment he realized just how big a large was.  Somehow he managed to finish it all.  I was hungry.  You want to overshoot rather than undershoot.  That might be a recipe for obesity, but it seems logical.  I shared almost half of it with Ben.  That is how I managed to finish it.
 

Becca and Ben's favorite Mexican restaurant was closed for a family event, but after brooding for an hour we ended up at a different little place that was quite tasty.  Ben was upset that Pueblo Nueva was closed.  I completely understand.  I know how it feels to be expecting a great treat and not being able to have it.  It happened last week when we were late for the movie Inception and couldn't see it.  Pouting is completely normal.

Day 4: National Ice Cream Event

The next afternoon we explored the free zoo at Forest Park--again, we felt the need to be in extreme sun and heat.  It's really a pretty decent zoo for not having to pay an entrance fee.  We enjoyed some up close time with the penguins, though I still prefer my Magdalena Island experience; and Becca even braved her long-time fear of the flightless birds.  They were loud and smelly, but entertaining, as usual.

 

  We took a train ride to avoid walking in the heat.

Clark was tired.  Again.  :)  Whatev

 I thought the baby camel was pretty darn cute.

Dinner was at Imo's, home of the original St. Louis style pizza.  It has an ultra thin crust and is made with provel cheese.  I quite enjoyed it.  As did I.

Dessert was across the street at Serendipity.  It was AMAZING.  I would go there every day if I could.  I ended up ordering an ice cream cone AND a frozen hot chocolate in honor of National Ice Cream Month.  Really just in honor of Amy's inability to control herself around ice cream.  For over a year I asked her to marry me and she said "maybe."  Then I promised to "make her laugh everyday, and buy her ice cream whenever she wanted it" and she said, "yes."

This is me finding out that not only was it National Ice Cream Month, but that it also happened to be National Ice Cream DAY!  Thus, the National Ice Cream Event (NICE) at Serendipity. 

Yum.

And on that note, we end Days 3 & 4.