First to 2 of the three Bs, baseball and bowling. Not two things you would think go hand in hand, yet here in St Louis they sit side by side like a couple by a fireplace in the heart of winter. Let me introduce the ST Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame, also housing (and free as part of your ticket, the National Bowling Hall of Fame. Who knew the two were so closely linked!
The Cardinals HOF was, of course, my main main reason for visiting. Housing Cardinals historic memorabilia from past to present. Artifacts from the likes of Stan "The Man" Musial, Lou Brock and Bob Gibson and one of the modern day gems, the car given to Mark McGwire for hitting his record breaking 70th Home Run in 1998. One of the things about getting into baseball is learning how highly the history of the game and its players are thought of. The great players from the past enshrined not only here but in Cooperstown, New York in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Somewhere I didn't get to visit on this trip but hope one day to make it to. Its something we just don't get in England.
A chance to view a replica World Series trophy, to take in game worn shirts and balls used in historic moments throughout the franchises history made a captivating day for me. It may not be every persons idea of an interesting day out but for me it was a perfect accompaniment to a few games at Busch.
Once done with the Cardinals HOF it leads you straight onto the Bowling HOF, something I know very little about but was able to take in and learn a little of the history of the game and whilst I may not have known who the hell any of those enshrined it made for an interesting half hour or so before hitting the lanes themselves to throw a complimentary few frames. I'd gone with Claire in the days she was around and we'd decided to stick about and have a couple of games, made all the better for the ludicrously cheap prices they charged! Undoubtedly a fun day out!
So it all finishes here on the subject of St Louis' other treasure. The beer. Here lies the home of Anheuser Busch, brewers of Americas favourite, Budweiser. The home of Bud lies just a 10 minute walk from the hostel and there was no way I could come her and not visit. So on my last full day in the home of the Red Birds I took the free tour of the brewery. The grounds are quite simply huge. Almost a mini City within the City.
The tour takes you around the various processes and plants, with a Chance to see the famous Clydesdale horses and, of course, to sample the wares at the end of the tour. I certainly wasn't aware of the huge variety of beers the place makes. Its Budweiser that is king of course but its certainly not all they make! I got to sample a fabulous Bock whilst there and am disappointed not to have seen it anywhere since!
It may not have the glamour of the Guinness tour in Dublin but you do actually get to see far more of the plant than its Irish counterpart. Given its free nature its more than worth the effort.
I also had the chance to sample another local beer "Boulevard". A tasty Wheat beer from the Kansas City region. Budweiser may be the king of beers but I was already understanding what the real joy of beer drinking was in the US! There is so much more to it than is portrayed back at home. We think of American beer, we think of Bud or Miller and such likes, what we fail t understand is just how big a part the micro breweries play in the beer market here in the US. I for one am delighted to be finding out! More beer and Whiskey or two may well be on the way as Tennessee approaches!
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