Day 21 - Walkin' blues

 This morning we took Robert Johnson's advice:

I woke up this mornin', feelin' round for my shoes

Know 'bout 'at I got these, old walkin' blues

Woke up this mornin', feelin' round for my shoes

But you know 'bout 'at I, got these old walkin' blues

After a mighty sleep, we needed coffee and so we started to walk. The Starbucks downstairs didn't do it for us yesterday, so we struck a bearing for a coffee shop on the street with a good rating. In part of a church building, it was sort of a coffee house, drop-in center. Nevertheless, they had cappuccinos and croissants available, which was better than Starbucks, but neither made us keen for a repeat performance. The barista had chatted us up as we ordered and learned we were from Seattle. Later, he said he was intimidated and wondered how he'd done. White lie number 1 for the day and we were gone.

 On our way to the National Blues Museum, we passed the central branch of the St. Louis Public Library - an impressive sandstone building with two impressive security guards out front, who welcomed us in. What a gorgeous building! Woodwork, colonnades, and arches all manifested a civic pride that is rarely seen in our time. With all the controversies in libraries these days, it was nice to see a vibrant library with good exhibits and stacks full of books.  

The halls rang with shouts and laughter from kids - and that is what we want in libraries to help develop lifelong readers.

There was an exhibit about high school proms, complete with prom dresses, tuxedos, and storyboards from the past. The Norman Rockwell print perfectly captured the puzzlement many of us felt about the event.

The National Blues Museum told a great story of American music from the late 1800s to today, and how the different genres - jazz, country, show tunes, gospel and rock and roll - are rooted in the blues. The simple musical structure with its endless variations supports the plaintive calls about love, loss, hard times and hope for something better to come. There weren't a lot of artifacts in the collection, but the story was clear and there were hands-on opportunities to make our own music and rhythms. Once again, school kids were going at it with vigor.

The last two days, we've shown the inside of the hotel. Here is a shot of the outside. The scale is hard to see - this place is huge; two full city blocks long.

Our farewell dinner in St. Louis came from a recommendation of the porter, Kurt, who helped us with our bags. The Broadway Oyster Bar puts an emphasis on seafood and New Orleans flavors. Their menu warns you, the food is spicy hot. I opted for a pasta dish without the crushed red peppers, but Roy had Etouffee. The food was good, but the music was outside. We asked if we could go out to listen and the waitress said, 'it is just a guy playing the guitar'. We went anyway and were serenaded by 'a guy just playing the guitar'. The walk home went by Busch Stadium where the Cards were playing - lots of action in the Cardinal village. 

I did not realize Maya Angelou was from St. Louis. A perfect chance to take a look at her work. When I first moved to the U.S. I remember watching the inauguration of Bill Clinton and saw her recite her poem On the Pulse of the Morning. I think we need to read more poetry. If you haven't read it try I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.

Tomorrow, we leave Missouri and head to Kentucky. Time to include a song from a St Louis native, Chuck Berry. We thought No Particular Place to Go would work. That's kind of how we feel, as long as it is on Route 66!

Chuck Berry No Particular Place To Go (HQ Audio) - YouTube