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Alton



Alton, Illinois, is a Mississippi River sits about 15 miles north of Saint Louis. The city once thrived on manufacturing; but as manufacturing along the Mississippi River declined, Alton has transformed itself into a tourist destination.




The pink line painted along the side of the mill marks the high water level during the 1993 floods


The Argosy Casino attracts tourists and their money

The Clark Bridge (in the distance) crosses the Mississippi River; connecting Alton to West-Alton











Alton Riverfront Park




Alton, Illinois, is one of the few river cites we've encountered so far on our journey up the Mississippi River from which views of the river are not obstructed by levees or flood walls.











Ben & Sophia Go To White Castle

After an evening of going in circles trying to get out of East Saint Louis, we bent our "avoid chain restaurants" rule and went to White Castle. Our hunger, tiredness, and the fact that we have no White Castles near us at home made it was easy to justify this particular fast food chain drive through. We then ate our bag-of-too-many-tiny-burgers at the hotel as we Skyped with our granddaughter.





Malcolm Martin Memorial Park



The 43 foot tall Mississippi River Overlook in East Saint Louis' Malcolm Martin Memorial Park provides great views of the Saint Louis skyline.
















Saint Louis


Looking at Saint Louis from Illinois...










Budweiser Brewery Experience





The Anheuser-Busch brewery in Saint Louis, Missouri, has been producing beer since 1852. A variety of tours are offered to the public. We participated in the free "Complimentary Tour". This tour included visits to the Clydesdale barn, the brew house, the aging cellars, plus tastings of the product.
The Budweiser brewing process

Reflecting reflection




The 4 story beechwood aging cellars hold up to 3600 barrels of beer



Inside the brew house

Pappy's Smokehouse



Pappy's Smokehouse serves up awesome Memphis-style barbecue in Saint Louis.



We arrived to find a smoker in the street and a packed parking lot behind the building -- both indicators that there may be good barbecue ahead.



As we entered, we were directed to the end of a line running down a long hallway. We couldn't even see in the dining room to get a good feel for home long this line might run. This reminded me of some other great barbecue joints that have long waits at lunch time.

Eventually we reached the dining room entrance, at which an employee was pacing the incoming traffic to match the rate at which people were leaving. Signs told us to stay in line and not lay claim to a table until we place their order.






As we rounded the next corner, we could see the actual order counter. We were nearly there. Meanwhile, I struggled to make a decision about what to order.  There was no question that I was going to get ribs, but what else should I add to it? When we finally got to the order counter, Sophia and I both ordered ribs; plus we added a side of brisket.






After placing our order and filling our cups at the soda fountain, a waitress led us to an open table. We waited for our food, overhearing bits of conversation from the two closest tables -- one populated by children whose parents were standing in the line, and the other overflowing with members of a motorcycle club.

The wait at our table was short, as it should be at a barbecue joint that started preparing today's meals yesterday.




The meat was tender and delicious. This is some good barbecue that took this carnivore to a happy place.