it is supposed to be a pretty mild day, so i decide to head to the zoo, as per jeff's suggestion. it turned out to be the perfect day to go. no one was there, it was just cold enough to still be tolerable to a wimpy texan like myself, and just warm enough for a good number of animals to be out. i about had a heart attack driving there though, which was no good. besides all of the crazy drivers and my rental car manuevering like a tank, i had put some diet dr peppers in the fridge for the week, and apparently the person who had last occupied my room had set the fridge to maximum cold....so the sodas froze. i opened it in the car, and it continued to fizz and bubble and ultimately explode. awesome. for some reason, my mind was truly hazy as i was driving around and everything felt kind of distant.
i got some good shots, which is what i was hoping for...i also saw a lion in a tree, which kind of made it worth it. again with the surreal thing. i parked a bit away from the zoo, so i got a nice walk in while i was there. it was really beautiful, and nice to just walk around with the cold air filling my lungs. the landscape was pretty as well, which helped.
i left the zoo around 2:30 or 3 and went in search of lunch. i ended up downtown near a hospital with a lot of one way streets and impatient drivers. i gave up on stopping for food when i saw this beautiful church over the tops of some houses i was passing by as i circled around the block. i decided, fuck it, i'm going to go check out this cool church. it turned out to be the cathedral basicilia of st. louis, which was on my list of things to see. it was really beautiful, and there was a neat statue, the angel of harmony, in a small garden right next to it. the sun made for some hindering shadows and then overpowering glares as i walked around the building, but it was still beautiful. it is really simplistic considering it is catholic and fairly modern, but still interesting architecturally. i was really hoping for more stained glass and sculptural/relief depiction, but alas, i was greeted with the more surprising, and dominant, islamic overtones with primarily domed roofs, reiterated by the almost complete lack of iconography.
i decided to pass on lunch, and headed over to the st. louis university museum of art before it closed at 4.
i missed art museums. i am very glad that i got to ease myself back into galleries with these smaller collections as opposed to jumping straight into the st louis art museum (slam). not as many big names, but the galleries were really well-thought out and many of the pieces were very interesting. my time there was somewhat rushed, but i was eager to get back to the hotel and out for dinner. a beautiful sunset kept me company on the drive back.
jeff and i went to blueberry hill for dinner, which was cute and quirky - i liked it. then jeff went back and i walked up and down the loop people-watching and taking photos. i had an hour and a half to kill until my movie, so i sat and starbucks and wrote for a bit, kind of observing those around me, then walked around for a bit more. the two tall statues near the city hall always remind me of the neverending story for some reason that i can't shake. i'll try to find pictures later.
i love holiday times when everything is so cheery and bright. no, not bright...but cheery, in a dull inviting way. just enough to be encouraging. muted reds, yellows and blues litter every block and somehow they bring an easy comfort.
i went to the tivoli to see milk, which i was very excited about. blue moon in hand, a half-empty theater from days long gone and a great movie. i am not one to cry at movies, but this movie brought me to tears again and again. i left heartbroken but so happy at the same time. as if this transient life was to be embraced as fleeting, but we all still stood a chance despite this hindrance. it was a great feeling - not a top of the mountain moment, but climbing a summount with an indeterminent incline and reaching that moment when the peak is just beyond the horizon. my first full day in st. louis, and i felt fantastic.
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