A good way to start this adventure, after spoiling teens with technological surprises, was to mix up Day 1 with driving and exploration. In Nashville for lunch and St. Louis for dinner, we launched this road trip with curiosity and a good appetite. Even though I was told emphatically by the children , “No, mom, no. Travel blogging is so cringey“, I persist in documenting our successes (and bumps in the road) because of the motivation I got when hearing a follow up, “I liked this day.”
Nashville delivered its promise of a gritty get-down music scene, where even the local Mellow Mushroom offered the ambiance of a kid-friendly honky tonk. Lia was intrigued, but thought the vibe of Broadway was sketchy–and this was at first shift, daytime hours– so we praised her instincts and found a price-per-pound candy store to stock up for more driving.
They are still kids when they want to check out every candy store.
Then on to St. Louis and the Gateway to the West! Another 4.5 hour drive was marked by episodes of The Office (Lia), Indiana Jones movies (Ben), cringey blogging (Annie) and Phish channel on Sirius radio (Bob). We did fit in a good round of Superfight, a game of intentional arguing over what absurd characters would win in a show down. (Preemptive argument tactics, this. Make it silly. Brilliant.)
And then we reached the Arch. A lovely green park surrounds its base and the murky Mississippi encroaches onto the streets nearby. There were no lines for the weird little capsules that take you up to the 630 foot top, and just enough minor thrills for the acrophobics of the family. There was also an expansive view through a series of tiny (why so tiny?) windows.
Dinner in the Delmar Loop near Washington University was, according to Ben, “worth the 9 hour drive”. That says a lot coming from the guy who was suggesting that we turn around after a successful candy store shopping spree a mere 5 hours in. I guess the key to traveling with this tween is finding a steady stream of junk food. He was the only one who ate my sliced cucumbers in the car though, so there’s that. Me, I ate Toasted Ravioli because, St. Louis!
Bob was patient as I fulfilled my duty of Clock-Ignoring, but only to a point. Man is on a mission to get to the Rockies, and wants to be well-rested for the drive. Yay, Day 1.
Car Full of Carpenters 