Vacation part I - Saint Louis

I just completed leg 1 of my 4 part journey - Saint Louis! I'd never been, except for a quick ride through, and it actually exceeded expectations :)

My friends Scott and Cindy moved there from the bay area this past summer, and while Cindy was busy being a med student, Scott (who is "funemployed" like me) and I spent time eating out, exploring the city, cooking, and trying to be a bit productive.

Here is the first part of my trip in photos and captions.

One of Scott and Cindy's two cats, Missy. My favorite of the two, for sure.

They have an adorable backyard (shared with neighbors, but still awesome).

The cute backyard at night!

Birdbath and all.

And even a gargoyle!

Sandwiches at Gioia's in the Italian neighborhood (the Hill). 

So greasy, soooo good.

Missy liked my knitting.

We cooked! Raw pumpkin gnocchi - although technically not gnocchi, as the recipe didn't have any potato.

Scott cooking.

Dinner! focaccia, salad, and pumpkin gnocchi with brown butter and sage.

Part of the SLU campus, taken after we failed to get Chick-fil-a breakfast in the student center.

Backup breakfast option: MoKaBe's.

Scott's breakfast burrito and cappuccino.

My breakfast burrito and fruit. And coffee. Of course.

I didn't get any of these, but they sure look interesting.

Oh my goodness, some FALL!

Fall and green. And typical St Louis brick.

We visited an animal shelter! I swooned over a 2 year old saint bernard (still not full grown!),
and they fell for this girl, a goldie mix.

Then: apple picking! Such a great fall activity, although the weather pretended it was summer, to my dismay.

Cindy playing the "twist the stem off" game.

Pumpkin patch

Next up: the last day of St Louis, including the fascinating City Museum, the arch from below, and of course a bit more food.