Of the cities we’ve visited, our stay in St. Louis has by far been one of the most eventful. We started out by saying goodbye to Victoria in the morning, who will be flying out for about 10 days before rejoining us. Then, we hopped in the car and drove through the rain to the Thomas Dunn Learning Center where we led three workshops: Art as Meditation, Social Identities and Intersectionality, and Building Bottle Rockets. Huge shout out to Caitlyn and Lauren, the site coordinators, who helped us out throughout the day, connected us with the amazing students who came, and gave us wonderful recommendations for the exploring city later. I felt like all the workshops went well — I loved the art I saw when helping with Jordan’s workshop, was very grateful at students for sharing out about their personal experiences during our discussion on intersectionality during mine, and had a lot of fun watching the competition on which rocket went the highest with Leo’s. All in all, we had a wonderful time working with Thomas Dunn Learning Center, thank you so much again for having us!
Just finished launching bottle rockets!
Right after teaching, we headed straight for the iconic St. Louis arch. We got to ride up and down the arch in a small metal capsule, enjoyed the city view from the top, and then spent some time wandering the arch’s museums detailing the St. Louis’ history.
View from top of the arch :0
Then, we went to Meskerem Ethiopian Restaurant for dinner. That was my first time trying Ethiopian food, but will certainly not be my last, as Ethiopian food is surely now one of my favorite cuisines. I strongly recommend their vegetarian platter to anyone who finds themself in St. Louis . As a note, Meskerem is on South Grand Boulevard, a street which is paradise for all foodies.
The life changing platter :)
The next day was our rest day, and Jordan, Alex, Leo, and I got up to head to the City Museum right at opening time. This museum was a massive, adult-sized obstacle course/playground/museum/aquarium/circus and I got to spend 3 magical hours reliving childhood while also realizing that most toddlers have far more stamina and are more fit than me. After, we headed over to Catalyst Coffee Bar — a local coffee shop and art gallery combo — to caffeinate, recharge, and get some work (and blogging) done. I loved the ambiance and coffee and would absolutely be a regular if I ever live here for an extended period.
City Museum!
Thank you, St. Louis, for some wonderful memories and flavors!
Best,
Helen