#3 Visit St. Louis (Anne, specifically)

In front of the arch!

What better holiday to travel to a new city than Halloween? And who better to spend it with than one of my most wonderful best girl friends, Anne. We planned the trip in August (2010), so it was several months of waiting and anticipating, but in the end it was more than worth the wait.
          I flew in on a Thursday afternoon and couldn't wait to see her new apartment and life outside of Connecticut. She had relocated to STL after graduating in May for her job. She gave me a quick driving tour before we headed to her new digs. Turns out she had a gigantic apartment that felt just like a home. That night, she had a work event, including free appetizers and drinks, so I got a taste for her co-workers.
          On Friday, she still had to work, so I spent the morning on the treadmill (I was in training for my first half marathon at the time), and then I baked her some delicious chocolate chip banana bread. I picked her up from work and got to see her in her "office," before we headed to the arch. Unfortunately, we couldn't go up to the top, but it was still cool to stand under the massive structure.
           Friday night, Anne, her roommate, and I had dinner at one of President Obama's favorite spots - Pi. I must say that it was quite delicious! Then we went out for drinks around her neighborhood to make it an early night before Saturday's holiday celebrations.
          Saturday, we got some coffee at Starbucks before making the long walk through the park to the zoo. We discovered 2 great things about the St. Louis Zoo: free entry and beer! Who would have thought that you could buy alcoholic beverages at a zoo? Not this girl! We worked up an appetite with our long walks, so decided on some lunch before taking a nap (and me going for a short run).

@ the zoo!

          That night we dressed up like we were still trick-or-treaters! I had a bargain sailor costume ($6 at one of my local thrift shops). But we couldn't decide if I was a sailor, Mary Lennox from The Secret Garden, or just a girl in a navy dress. The night was filled with laughter and fun, and I headed back to the East Coast early on Sunday.    

Best friends all dressed up (sorry for the blurry picture)