You Can Take the Girl Out of the Midwest...

The St. Louis Arch

I may have left the Midwest, but it still feels like home whenever I go back.  I've accomplished a lot in the last 10 days. Let's see how well I can summarize it, since I've been a little delayed in updating my blog.  My time in St. Louis flew by as I met with friends (one of whom I hadn't seen in 10 years!), and enjoyed some rest and relaxation.  Even with the ridiculous heat (it was in the high 90s when I was leaving), I loved the time I was able to spend there.

Part of my motivation for staying in St. Louis a full week was so that I could see the last Harry Potter movie with a few of my friends there.  We went all out and saw it in 3D, although it wasn't my favorite movie of the series it was fun to end an era with my friends.

On Saturday I took off and headed north and east, with a stop at the arch (a must see when you visit St. Louis) and a stop in Indianapolis to visit a friend for lunch. I grabbed dinner in Columbus with another friend and his girlfriend before heading just outside of the city to visit one of my three cousins that live in the city.

Two of my college roommates Doug and Ryan

At the Harry Potter movie

Watching the Polar Bear at the Columbus Zoo

We enjoyed some evening cocktails on Buckeye Lake that night (and s'mores because it's summer time and why not?).  On Sunday I was treated to a full tour of the city.  As it was my first visit to the area I didn't have a lot of expectations. After such a great day with some awesome guides, I may not be able to match it again.  We visited the zoo (one of the best in the country) and the recently opened polar bear exhibit was a highlight.  I watched from under a glass ceiling as the bear jumped in just after we arrived and swam and played above us (it was awesome).  But the day wasn't over yet because I was then treated to a VIP table at Buca di Beppo (we sat at the special table in the kitchen, just by chance) and enjoyed a tour of Columbus including a campus tour and a private showing of the Ohio State Football Stadium (It helps to know the right people.  With just the three of us in the entire stadium I got to run out on the field.  Even though I'm not an OSU fan I was impressed).

On the Ohio State Football field

With the Family at Buca di Beppo

Monday morning I headed off to New York City for another week of catching up with friends and enjoying the sites... that week deserves it's own blog entry entirely.  More to come...