When Pigs Fly

Back to St. Louis. The arch, the lovely architecture and the food. St. Louis-style bbq. Most famous of all in this neck of the woods is Pappy's Smokehouse. This spot is located on Olive Street, almost a straight shot from the Arch. Don't let the long lines intimidate you, they have their service down to a science. You stand in line but don't you dare have your buddy grab a table for your group. A waiter would be on you in a heartbeat, evicting you from your "butt-claim". You just stand in line like the rest of the folks and drool as the platters are being carried out of the kitchen. The smells are overwhelming...in a good way. Set your eyes upward toward that tin ceiling with the displays of bbq sauces from around the world. Think of what awaits your taste buds. After you have ordered, THEN you look for a spot to sit. I don't know how it seems to work but somehow, a place opens up in a few minutes. Grab it then and make your new butt-claim. Plant your fanny and open your mouth to what is now in front of you. The wait is just a few minutes because this bbq has already been pulled apart, ready to be made into the goods. The owner would tell you his bank account number but hey, don't ask for the recipe to the rub. He will even let you peek at what goes on around that smokey bbq pit but there are not many more secrets that he will divulge. If he ever does spill...look to the sky...you might see a little curly tail attached to a pig...flying.

St. Louis--mARCH your self down there!

Hot and sticky. That could be two things: St. Louis at the end of July or Pappy's BBQ on Olive St. I'll post today on the Arch. Ah, at first glance it looks like, well, a big, silver disjointed paper clip, jutting out of the ground. We spent about 4 days staying near the arch. The paper clip changed with the sunlight, moonlight and lightning bolt. It really is beautiful. It is as wide at the base as it is tall from the ground. You can ride a little pod that fits about 4 people up to the top. Looking out of the windows is amazing and I highly recommend doing so at dusk. If you don't mind being in a small area or WAY up in the air in a paper-clip structure! Every time I looked at it, it had a new dimension! I did resist the urge to have a photo taken of myself holding it up, a la the leaning Tower of Pisa. One shot is taken out of the window from inside of the arch. Here are a few shots: