With a bunch of our friends attending a convention in St. Louis, my buddy and I joined them for a long weekend. It was a fun trip, except for the tornado, but more on that later.

On our way down, we stopped at Pink Elephant Antique Mall in Livingston, Illinois, on historic Route 66. Housed in an old high school built in 1929, it is a 30,000-square-foot antique shopping mall. Assorted giant fiberglass figures decorate the surrounding land. The Mother Road Fudge Factory and Candy Shop and The Twistee Treats Diner are also part of the mall.

Once in St. Louis, our first stop was Busch Stadium to see the 12 bronze statues of Cardinals legends surrounding the ballpark. Although we are Cubs fans, we still respect these baseball icons, my favorite being Ted Simmons. Unfortunately, the Cardinals were playing out of town.

Of course, we also saw The Gateway Arch. Completed in 1965 and standing 630 feet tall, it is the world’s tallest arch.

After meeting friends at Hilton St. Louis Airport Hotel, we enjoyed dinner and drinks at World’s Away Restaurant and Constellations Lounge, which make up a large dining area. To end the day, along with our friends, we met author and photographer Scott Romer.

Scott Romer

On our trip home, we stopped in Alton, Illinois, for more history. It is the birthplace of Robert Wadlow, the tallest person in recorded history at 8 feet, 11.1 inches tall.

Alton was also the site of the seventh and last of the Abraham Lincoln–Stephen Douglas debates of 1858. Life-sized bronze statues stand at the exact site now called Lincoln Douglas Square.

Saving the worst for last, we did almost drive into a tornado on Saturday. On our way to a nearby deli for lunch, we saw the sky turn greenish-gray as the wind whipped objects all over. With the funnel in the distance, we opted for the other direction, choosing not to be storm chasers.

— John Wroblewski, online writer