About a year ago, I had heard about this museum in St. Louis that has an adult sized jungle gym in it called the City Museum. Needless to say, I put it down on my must-do list. I told my friends Pete and Jackie about it, who scoped it out one weekend and confirmed it: one of the funnest places on Earth.
So! This long weekend they headed back with me! Headed out Saturday morning, 5.5 hr drive -- listened to half an audio book. Got there around 4pm and met our couchsurfing host, Dave, who is fantastically crazy, and one of crew members that BUILDS the City Museum!!! How fabulous is that? And he lives in the artsy, graffiti filled building right next door.
After some St. Louis BBQ and drinks (and de-tiling his floor), Dave took us to the closed off roof area of the museum. Here's what you'll see: a school bus half hanging off the roof, an old ferris wheel, slides, a dome with an almost upside down ladder up to it. All this is made of stuff they've found, scrap from junk yards, etc. I won't lie, my fear of heights kicked in when we were sitting in the upside down hanging dome and when I asked Dave how they determine the structural analysis of how supportive it is, he laughed at me. I instantly thought up a survival strategy in case the thing were to fall. As Jackie took one of the giant slides down, we heard a splash and a "don't come down!" shriek. There was a giant icy puddle at the bottom and she was soaked head to toe. I guess this is why they close off the roof portion in the winter...
Headed to a local bar on Washington ave where we played drunken jenga and UNO and after numerous rounds of drinks, my tab came out to $3. Awesome. :)
Sunday we headed to the arch. The discounted $7 was worth the ride up it... completed in the 1960's, this mode of transportation up looked like a futuristic time capsule -- a sphere with 5 seats each that pulls and adjusts as you go upwards. After lunch, we spent the rest of the afternoon in the city museum...
This is where all your childhood fantasies (that you still have as an adult) come true: a jungle gym built out of old planes, a fire engine, part of a castle with a big ball pit, and giant iron slinkies to crawl through, a maze to get lost in, an entire under floor cave to crawl and climb through, giant slides that swirl for 3 minutes before getting to the end, big red buttons and levers you're allowed to push and pull, and an aquarium where you can stick your hands in the tanks! There was so much more, but it closed at 5...
Seriously though. Put this on your must-do list too. SO worth it. If I were a kid in St. Louis, I'd beg my parents to go every weekend. I don't think those kids there realize how lucky they are.
Ended the night with some great gelato, an abundant oyster feast at a hole in the wall oyster restaurant, some hookah and more drinks. The weekend was one gigantic play fest.
Now just a 3 day work week and Thursday evening I'll be jetting to Salt Lake for some Sundance and skiing :)
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