Earlier this summer our friends asked us if we would consider going to a Metallica concert with them. Mike was excited about Metallica and I was excited about the idea of a little time away with good friends. 😉 Our one night trip morphed into two nights....because if we're going to make the effort to slip away we should make it count, right? My mom came up and held down Fort Beeler (shout-out to Grandma - thanks, Mom!) and we left mid morning Thursday. Mike's mom loaned us their truck (thanks, Sara!) and Mike drove the entire way to St. Louis with no stops....vacation mode Mike.
We stayed Downtown. Besides the Arch, I don't know that I've spent much time in historic downtown STL and I loved the beautiful old buildings and architecture. Honestly a feast for the eyes and so much to enjoy. After sitting in the truck all day we opted to walk to supper after we checked into the hotel. Also, from everything we read, downtown parking is a fiasco that we decided not to deal with. Mike had asked in a tech group for recommendations of a place to eat and someone suggested Sugarfire Smoke House. It was slightly underwhelming when we walked in but a good reminder that appearances can be deceiving because our food was absolutely delicious and the service was so friendly. Score one for the tech nerds.
We all agreed that the walk back was a good thing to help our full bellies settle. We were also slightly embarrassed at ourselves that it was only 7:30 when we got back to the hotel and we all felt ready for bed. We visited in the lobby for a bit and then let ourselves cash in.
We even allowed ourselves to sleep in a bit Friday morning before appreciating the hotel breakfast. After breakfast it was time to find an adventure downtown.
We stopped first at the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum. It was a nice quiet reflective start to the day; one that I appreciated a lot. I always enjoy a walk through history.
The ceiling tile outside....gold star for the mothers. It's often the mothers' roles that stand out the greatest to me and make me misty eyed.
Of the four different pillars flanking the doors this one holding the child, named Sacrifice, was dearest to me.
When we left the museum we headed over to catch the Metallica merch pop-up. I'm not sure why I thought no one else would have the same idea but I was very surprised to see the line out the door, around the corner, and down a block or two. Mike decided he didn't need a shirt that bad and instead we hustled over to Busch Stadium to do a stadium tour. This was such a random idea but was so fun. We got to see a lot of behind the scenes spots, clubhouses, and the team dugout.
You know what you take photos of when you don't have your kids along? Each other...
And your friends...
Our tickets gained us access to the Hall of Fame Museum. We probably didn't do it justice by reading alllll the things but it was fun to look through.
We walked almost back to the hotel and ate a delicious late lunch at Maggie O'Brien's and then headed back to the hotel to freshen up before the concert.
Across from our hotel...... ▼
Mike took a 15 minute nap....and that's how you know you've reached your peak - napping before your late night concert, while I changed and got control of my hair.
We waited outside in the cool wind for over a half hour for our shuttle....so much for getting control of the hair. But what an experience the shuttle was....a retired trolley that the sweet driver let us pack to the brim. I could barely reach the handrail so Mike hung on to it and I held on to his shirt so that I didn't embarrass myself by falling onto another passenger. All for the low low price of $2/each. When we got off I said, "now we can say we've done that." Ha.
The concert was at The Dome. My most recent concert experience is the Shania Twain concert I went to this summer with my sister and let's just say metalheads are a different vibe. We made it through the not very secure security and walked up many flights of stairs to find our seats.
In our trolley travels we missed the first opener, Van Halen, but we caught most of Pantera, which was honestly quite an experience. I was grateful for the ear plugs Mr. Fross offered.
Do I know any Metallica songs? One. (But it didn't make Friday's set list.) Can I appreciate good musicians even if I can't understand the lyrics? Certainly. Was I happy to go along and enjoy something Mike wanted to do? For sure. Was I even more glad to do it with a buddy? Absolutely. LOL.
Metallica put on a good show. I was honestly a little nervous that I'd be able to tolerate it after the Pantera opening but Metallica was much better.
It was a good time. Besides the music, there was lots of people watching to do!
We didn't even look for our shuttle after the concert....we just headed back on foot, as Mike Fross says, "with 30,000 of our new friends." We did stop for a treat - mine and Jessica's reward for being good and not mosh-pitting or crowd surfing at the concert.
Jessica is an early to bed gal....so proud of her for keeping her eyes open until after midnight, even if she is having to prop them open!
Also, Insomnia Cookies are not at all like Crumbl Cookies....still yummy, just not the same luxury type I was expecting. 😂 Now I know - so many new experiences this weekend!
Saturday we slept in, had breakfast, and headed out. I took Jessica into her first experience at a Trader Joe's with the crunchy moms and we did convince Mike to stop for lunch on the way home (ha).
{Back home everyone was just fine and being "spoiled by Grandma" as they assured me they would be.}
What a weekend - such a fun time with great friends. We're already planning our next adventure! Jessica and I are wondering what we can drag the guys to.....come on N'Sync - reunion tour already!
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