The Legend of the Metropolis
St. Louis is like a fairy land to me. Huge networks of roads meander, cross, go over and under each other. Power cables drape across roads and houses like tinsel. Drive five minutes in any direction and you wind up in an entirely different town, without ever leaving suberbia. There are niche hobby stores that take up multiple floors of a mall. There are stores that are only open on the weekend and yet still have customers. There are more than five broadcast television channels. There are chains of resturaunts that I've never even heard of. The radio stations advertise psychics. There are concerts that aren't sponsored by a local university. And that's all without going downtown and seeing the skyscrapers!
Adding to the fantasy mystique of the place, Stephanie typically goes there to visit about three people... She takes on three different persona when she's visiting them, and none of them are quite exactly the woman I'm married to. So while we're shuttling around to these different places, it's as though reality is warping with the scenery. Visiting St. Louis is always an adventure, and it's also exhausting.
Stepping back to the two floor hobby store, I'd like to mention that I frequented that place back in Joplin when it was the lowly Book Barn--it's where I picked up my second-hand Nintendo 64, stacks of Sim City and Spellfire cards, and at least a couple of books. I have a lot of fond memories of that place, and I'm proud of how much it's grown.
Adding to the fantasy mystique of the place, Stephanie typically goes there to visit about three people... She takes on three different persona when she's visiting them, and none of them are quite exactly the woman I'm married to. So while we're shuttling around to these different places, it's as though reality is warping with the scenery. Visiting St. Louis is always an adventure, and it's also exhausting.
Stepping back to the two floor hobby store, I'd like to mention that I frequented that place back in Joplin when it was the lowly Book Barn--it's where I picked up my second-hand Nintendo 64, stacks of Sim City and Spellfire cards, and at least a couple of books. I have a lot of fond memories of that place, and I'm proud of how much it's grown.