Day 47 St. Louis

It was a busy day that started off with a trip back to the Hill to check out the little Italian grocery stores. We first stopped at Volpi's Salumeria where we bought Coppa and Salami and then on to Digregorio's for Poval, Locatelli, and pasta. We went in several others but resisted the urge to buy too much. They have so many things we can't get at home it's hard not buy more. I know I'm going to regret not picking up a few more things.  Afterwards we drove downtown to the Arch and I took a ride to the top in a little oval device that looked like an ostrich egg. Sylvia, not being a fan of small spaces, opted out. We then walked down to the LaClede's Landing where there's a bunch restaurants, bars, and a casino. We stopped in the casino and made a quick deposit in the slots before leaving to go uptown to a neighborhood they call Central West End (as recommended by Rosa). We walked around for an hour or so before having lunch at Culpepper's where I had a burger with a smear of garlic cream cheese on top. It doesn't sound very good, but it was brilliant. Gotta' try that at home. The next stop was the highlight of the day, the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. The mosaics are incredible. It took over 80 years to complete (83,000 sq. ft. and 41 million pieces) and much of the design was done by Tiffany's. We've visited many churches in Europe and this one does not play second fiddle to any one of them. It's definitely worth the time to stop and appreciate. For dinner we decided on Bartolino's over Lorenzo's; probably a mistake, it was good, but not up to expectations. Tiny Calamari over Flash Fried Spinach with a couple of sauces on the side was the best thing we had. Overall, it was a good day. St. Louis has a lot to offer and wouldn't mind stopping here again.