My poor Rich has spent the last 3 1/2 months working in Ohio at a consulting job, with minimal visits home. He only has a couple weeks left and will finally be back with us soon.
We have always celebrated Valentine’s Day as a family holiday, with special memories for us and our boys. This year with Ryan gone and Adam so far away, and Rich working in Ohio, we sadly thought it might just go by without our typical festivities.
Rich had the weekend off, but not long enough to get home so Sugarwings and I met him in St Louis and we had an outing at the City Museum as a slightly early Valentine date, then went to The Hill (the historic Italian district) for a fancy night out.
We were not all together as a big group, and it wasn’t exactly on the 14th, but it helped, and was quite special.
The City Museum is crazy.
Completely, totally, beyond crazy.
See that iron slinky? It’s made for humans to climb through. For floor after floor.
And speaking of floors, there are pits every where. Most aren’t lit up, they are just black holes meant for kids to disappear into. Some come out around the corner, others lead to the basement. And there are dozens of them. The gift shop sells miner’s helmets for kids to wear to explore the tunnels.
Other crevices lead to slides, stairs, or to bubbles inside of an aquarium. You just don’t know where you will end up if you slip into one of these black holes.
It has to be one of the most imaginative, creative places a kid could have to play in, it is well done and just beautiful too. But I can’t believe it is safe.
I was so glad I had never been there when the grand fairies were tiny. My mind would've exploded trying to keep my eyes on them.
It was one of those rare times in life when you thank god you have a teenager.
It was funny to me that this area was gated off. What, kids are not allowed to play in the giant box fan? Why not, it seems safer than some of the other areas.
We didn’t even see a fraction of it, there are billions of nooks and crannies, a rusty, ten story slide with a rickety spiral staircase, and a whole sharp, pointy, rusty, sky high climbing grid outside as tall as the big building.
Everywhere you looked, there was something clever, funny, intriguing, or deadly.
It goes on for floor after floor with interactive spaces, play areas, and death traps. (Sooooo many tiny holes for kids to skitter away into) AND SO DANG COOL!
And an aquarium. And it’s a museum. Not just a twisted playground aimed to tease all phobias.
There were actual museum cases with artifacts surrounding one playground.
And genuine architectural elements everywhere. Not to mention murals and mosaics galore. And a bug/animal skeleton room with specimens behind glass. We spent a long time in the craft room making art too.
And in the art museum looking at displays.
There were tons of details about the old building it is in.
And odd details like walls made out of baking tins.
If I lived any closer, I’d have a season pass. There is no way to see it all in one day.
We love the City Museum. I once got a big bruise on my tailbone from the seam in my jeans….sliding down the big concrete bowls too many times; my granddaughter actually wore out her pants on that same trip 😂 The big slide is such fun, especially after all the steps it takes to get up there. A very cool place.