Business busy? Let's go to Springfield and St. Louis!

 

When in Business, I already knew it was not for the weak. Putting your skin in the game is really something. There have been some setbacks but I knew that was going to happen. I have been pretty positive about the whole thing until recently. I needed a boost in my morale. My children are on Spring Break so I did what any mom would do- I took my kids on vacation for three days. I also went and had my hair retwisted and treated myself to some vegan Mexican food:

The next day we were off and running! We first stopped in Springfield, IL. Back in November 2019, prior to the pandemic, we took a family road trip to  Baton Rouge, LA  where we saw Louisiana's State Capital.

It's a skyscraper!

There was no one to give us a tour but I'm glad we walked around. The place was almost similar to an art deco feel. The elevator took you to the top floor and there in the top was a view of downtown Baton Rouge with the refineries in the distance and waterways. It was relaxing and peaceful with a small amount of excitement. We then thought that we never been to the state capital of the state we lived in. My husband asked if I ever been to my home state's state capital. I replied yes and left it at that. So, the opportunity presented itself to head to Springfield, IL. 

Facts- IL has the tallest rotunda state capital in the nation.

You can somewhat see the top on the interstate as you pass Springfield. Not for long, though. We got a free tour because it was the weekend, they are every hour. The views from inside were more colorful than Madison, WI's capital and not as art deco as Baton Rouge, LA.

The Rotunda from the inside.

Elaborate paintings which display the earlier days of the state and statues galore! This was truly similar to a museum. I did miss the fact that we could not oversee the views in Springfield but Baton Rouge had that as a winner. 

Here are the photos from Spring field to St. Louis, MO. (Day one)

They found a friend to play chess with.

Walking around Forest Park

It felt nice to sit and relax with the kids and a movie.

The view from our hotel with the sunset.

St. Louis Day two:

Our fancy pants hotel and bathroom with the fancy walk-in shower.

Breakfast? Let's go to First Watch.

I usually get chia seed pudding with almond butter toast. Yum! ( yes, it is vegan)

The St. Louis Art Museum- In Forest Park

Parking in the park was free but we had to walk to the zoo so we stopped at the Art Museum before heading to the St. Louis Zoo. 

In Chicago, our art museum has two lions. In St. Louis, they have two women partially nude. Eh.

This is an artist's rendition of King Louis.

The detailed pond the statue overlooks. If you remember how the Louvre looks, there are fountains and man-made ponds outside of it representing the detailed beauty of France. 

In the Chicago zoos, we do not have full-sized hippos but pigmy hippos. These three are a true treat!

Also, none of the Chicago zoos have elephants. These are Asian elephants. The closest zoo with elephants is the Milwaukee County Zoo which has African elephants. Both zoos were ranked in the top 10 best zoos. It has since changed.

The temperature. It got busy at the zoo. 

When we got to the car, she said, "I'm going to take a nap." We were not even out of the park and she fell asleep. Job well done.

So, we found St. Louis Walk of Fame. All of these people either spent time in St. Louis or were from the area. This man played the voice of Rafiki in Disney's The Lion King. 

These men started a drum circle right on the street. The baby broke into dance and I could not walk away. 

We didn't see a trolley so I assumed they were done on a Sunday. 

The food was delish! They were willing to make my bento box vegan, despite being very busy for a Sunday evening. 

Movie theatre

Blueberry Hill

This is Delmar Boulevard. A street comprised of shops, restaurants, hotels, statues, and theatres.

On day three, we headed back home, stopping at my friend/mentor's office before heading home. We had a lot of fun and it was very much needed. I am catching up with my blog posts so check out the others. Restaurants I tried out in St. Louis were vegan-friendly. On day one, I actually packed a vegan Caesar salad and while the kids demanded McDonald's, I ate my salad. We packed a lot of food and snacks in the car so I was not hungry. 

Sometimes you need to just get away,

Eclectic Lotus

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