Day 4 (Part 2) - St. Louis, MO

History Lesson of the Day: The Gateway Arch was erected in 1965 as a symbolic gateway to the west during the US' expansion era. The Arch is visible right as you are approaching the city. Our hotel, the HoteLoumière Suites and Casino was conveniently located on the other side of the Eads Bridge which takes you from Illinois to Missouri. The Arch, located in Downtown St. Louis was about a 5 minute walk from our hotel.

After taking some time to appreciate the magnitude of the Arch, we walked over to Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals.

At this point, we had worked up quite an appetite, so we decided to head to Laclede's Landing for some grub.

Based on some suggestions, we ordered some toasted ravioli as an appetizer, delicious. After dinner, we headed to Big Daddy's, the self-proclaimed "Best Bar in the Whole Wide World". There was a decent crowd that included an age range that spanned several decades.

We also tried our luck at the casino later that night, and I am pleased to announce that we were able to get up and leave in the black.