I have to be honest, St. Louis, Missouri was not a place that was on our radar to travel to. Other than being the locale for the musical "Meet Me In St. Louis", home to the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Blues, we knew very little about the place. It took a promise made over a year ago that we would visit if she ever came to North America, to get us to travel there. Doctor J left Harbin last November to take up residence in the "Show Me" state for one year and thus the journey became a reality.
Before we start the journey, I thought that it would be a good idea to give you a glimpse of what to expect if you decide to visit St. Louis. You can relax. In the four days we were there, no one asked us to show them anything!
DIFFERENCE 1
St. Louis has the MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI, the largest river system in North America. Penticton has the Okanagan River Channel, the straightest river in Canada. The Mississippi is over 4,070 km long (2,530 miles for you Americans), touching 31 states. I wouldn't consider tubing down the Mississippi but wouldn't hesitate tubing down the Okanagan River. [
DIFFERNCE 2
St. Louis has Busch Stadium, home to the World Champions (Which world I am not sure) St. Louis Cardinals. On October 28th, 2011, just under 48,000 Missourians watched the Cardinals win the World Series. Penticton has Rotary Stadium, home to the ???? On October 28,2011, there was no one at Rotary Stadium. This Busch Stadium is actually the third Busch Stadium. It is also home to $8.50 bottles of Budweiser and Bud Lite. Ouch! Sadly, no beer is available at Rotary Stadium unless you sneak it in.
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DIFFERENCE 3
The Mississippi River is also well known for the riverboats that plied it's waters, hauling people and cargo from the Gulf of Mexico to Ohio. St. Louis still has two simulated paddle wheelers, the MV Huckleberry Finn and Becky Thatcher providing cruises up and down the Mississippi. Penticton has one simulated paddle wheeler and one real paddle wheeler but sadly only one is still cruising.
DIFFERENCE 4
For the past 11 years, for 6 weeks each year, Forest Park in St. Louis hosts a Festival of Shakespeare. Every year, for one weekend, Gyro Park in Penticton hosts a Festival of Elvis. This year, the Festival of Shakespeare presented Othello and get this, it was free. Usually, when I hear "It's free", my expectations are not too high but this production blew us away. A first class presentation suitable for any stage in the world. Thank yah, thank yah verah much!
DIFFERENCE 5
St. Louis has the ARCH, at 630 ft., the tallest man-made monument in America. At 55 ft. high and 310 ft. wide, Penticton has it's monumental signage on Munson Mountain, bigger than the Hollywood sign. The ARCH was built as a monument to the Westward expansion of the United States. You can ride to the top for a great view of St. Louis, if you dare. It looks like it could fall over in a strong wind but has withstood tornadoes since 1965.
Before we start the journey, I thought that it would be a good idea to give you a glimpse of what to expect if you decide to visit St. Louis. You can relax. In the four days we were there, no one asked us to show them anything!
DIFFERENCE 1
St. Louis has the MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI, the largest river system in North America. Penticton has the Okanagan River Channel, the straightest river in Canada. The Mississippi is over 4,070 km long (2,530 miles for you Americans), touching 31 states. I wouldn't consider tubing down the Mississippi but wouldn't hesitate tubing down the Okanagan River. [
DIFFERNCE 2
St. Louis has Busch Stadium, home to the World Champions (Which world I am not sure) St. Louis Cardinals. On October 28th, 2011, just under 48,000 Missourians watched the Cardinals win the World Series. Penticton has Rotary Stadium, home to the ???? On October 28,2011, there was no one at Rotary Stadium. This Busch Stadium is actually the third Busch Stadium. It is also home to $8.50 bottles of Budweiser and Bud Lite. Ouch! Sadly, no beer is available at Rotary Stadium unless you sneak it in.
.
DIFFERENCE 3
The Mississippi River is also well known for the riverboats that plied it's waters, hauling people and cargo from the Gulf of Mexico to Ohio. St. Louis still has two simulated paddle wheelers, the MV Huckleberry Finn and Becky Thatcher providing cruises up and down the Mississippi. Penticton has one simulated paddle wheeler and one real paddle wheeler but sadly only one is still cruising.
DIFFERENCE 4
For the past 11 years, for 6 weeks each year, Forest Park in St. Louis hosts a Festival of Shakespeare. Every year, for one weekend, Gyro Park in Penticton hosts a Festival of Elvis. This year, the Festival of Shakespeare presented Othello and get this, it was free. Usually, when I hear "It's free", my expectations are not too high but this production blew us away. A first class presentation suitable for any stage in the world. Thank yah, thank yah verah much!
DIFFERENCE 5
St. Louis has the ARCH, at 630 ft., the tallest man-made monument in America. At 55 ft. high and 310 ft. wide, Penticton has it's monumental signage on Munson Mountain, bigger than the Hollywood sign. The ARCH was built as a monument to the Westward expansion of the United States. You can ride to the top for a great view of St. Louis, if you dare. It looks like it could fall over in a strong wind but has withstood tornadoes since 1965.
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