For the last three days we have been enjoying the kindness and hospitality of the gateway to the west - St Louis.

The hotel we are staying in is very nice and embraces the local area and some of the history, including a bronze statue setting of the journey westward.

When we arrived on Saturday it was extremely quiet. There ween't many people in the streets and most shops were closed. We wandered around a bit aimlessly, found some food and then wandered aimlessly back to the hotel.

The most amazing thing about this hotel is that it offers heaps of extras for free. I can't really remember how much I paid for the hotel but it was definitely not the most expensive. Each night they have "happy hour" where you can get 3 alcoholic drinks plus bar type snacks (think meatballs, hot dogs, nachos, potatoes, etc) and its included in the accomodation costs.

After Saturday night happy hour, we went for a walk to see where all the hip people seemed to be going. There is a little area underneath one of the interstate bridges that has a casino as well as a number of places to eat, drinks nd have fun. We stopped in and had a drink at one, where Michael tried a locally made beer (I think he enjoyed it). We then returned to the hotel to do our washing, which took about 3 hrs, which seemed a bit of a waste of a Saturday night.

Sunday was the main reason we had come - the Rams game. Michael was like a kid in a candy store as we got ready to leave. The game started at 3.05pm, but we left early to see what tailgating is all about and just to enjoy what was happening around the stadium, as this was the first home game of the year.

There were places to buy beer, a big rock band playing, interviews with past players (Torry Holt)