Making a quick stop through St. Louis? Here are a few places you can visit.

Hey there! Hope all is well. We’re going to hang out for a short yet fun time in St. Louis, Missouri.

Several months back, we took a road trip to see our eldest son, Elvon, graduate from Army training school. As soon as his graduation ceremony was over, we hit the road for two hours, headed to St. Louis. If you haven’t already figured it out, Ejuan will make an experience out of everything we do, and if something’s nearby, you’d better believe we’re going!

You should know by now that Ejuan and I have a bucket list to visit all 50 states, and we had already crossed Missouri off the list for Elvon’s basic training graduation last year. However, St. Louis was a specific place we’d planned to visit years ago. That same year we’d already decided we were going there for our family vacation, Ejuan’s parents and siblings wanted to schedule a trip with their entire family. Since it was the first time his middle brother agreed to go on a vacation with everyone, I switched gears at the last minute before Ejuan and I had booked anything for our family. I knew how much that experience would mean to him, so I said, let’s do it.

I was so ready to taste Sweetie Pie’s food, but I let that dream go to make my husband happy. I knew we’d eventually get back around to it. Finally, around had come. Since we’d already been to Missouri, we didn’t care to create a full excursion around the place but settled for a few hours instead. We only had a couple of must-see sites, so we didn’t need a lot of time.

By the time we arrived, we were all ready for lunch. Our very first stop was Sweetie Pie’s, of course. I was head over heels excited to get inside! Surprisingly, it was like a ghost town in there. My mentality is if there’s a long line, then it’s worth the wait. However, I chalked up the emptiness to the fact that they have multiple locations now, and the Covid-19 pandemic had just taken the world by storm.

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A couple of people were in line ahead of us, one came behind, and two other tables had guests already dining in. Regardless, we had driven two hours, and Ejuan and I were mostly ready to see what the hype was all about. I’m a tiny being, but I LOVE TO EAT! I was in hog heaven when I walked up to the buffet line. There were so many options, and I didn’t know what I wanted to get. Without telling everyone else what to choose, I was hoping they would all make different choices so that we could taste a little of everything.

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The servers were extremely friendly and patient with us as we all took our time to select our food. We chatted a bit about where we were from and why we had chosen to visit Missouri that day. Their customer service was excellent, and ordering and paying for the food was a seamless transaction.

Luckily for me, three out of four ordered different meats, so I got a chance to taste other options. Ejuan ordered fried chicken wings, Elvon and I chose smothered pork chops, and Eaden had baked chicken. A couple of us had yams and macaroni and cheese. I also had a side of chicken and dumplings, and Elvon selected corn as an additional side. Everything was good, but honestly, I’ve had better soul food. I know a couple of local places at home that I’d take over Sweetie Pie’s any day! However, we all got so full we could barely move. Each of us said we never had to go back, but Ejuan and I would visit again if someone else wanted to meet there and eat. It was good but didn’t level up to the hype that all of the TV show made it appear to be.

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We left there and headed down the road to find the famous arch. As we drove there, we saw some of the coolest buildings. Some we snapped pics from inside the car. However, there was one in particular that I had to jump out and get a few shots with because I thought the architectural design of the stairs was pretty impressive.

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We finally arrived at the moment we were all waiting for. The Gateway Arch was a cool site to see up close, and it created a lovely backdrop for our pictures. The surrounding area and park appears to be a nice place to hang out and relax for the day, have a pleasant picnic, or even just to pass through. There is a lot of space to walk around and view nature, plus you can look out at the nearby water. The buildings serve as great scenery for pictures too.

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We wanted to go up inside the arch, but unfortunately, we’d missed the last time slot while we were out having a photo shoot. Nonetheless, we had a good time and had fulfilled our desires and checked off another bucket list item. As usual, missing something always gives us a reason to go back someday.

We left there and went to see a couple of friends that had moved there. We met at a local BBQ spot. It was our last stop before we headed back to the Army base. The place is Sugarfire, and the food was pretty good. I’m not a big barbecue fan because it seems like I ate it way too much growing up, but I would go back to eat there. Once again, we had so many options, so we tried several different things. This way, we’d know exactly what we wanted if we ever went back. The guys destroyed the pan of meat before we remembered to take pics, sorry!

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Until next time, I’ll leave you with this. Whether you travel for three weeks, three days, or three hours, remember to make the best out of each moment. Create an experience that you will remember for a lifetime. Always get pictures too, because some moments might slip through the cracks. Is there somewhere you’ve wanted to visit, but you keep procrastinating? Plan that trip today, even if it’s for a short time. It’s better to go and see “something” than to keep living and telling yourself someday. YOLO! Get out there and see the world!