2024 Road Trip - Day 2 Fort Wayne IN to St. Louis MO

 March 12, 2024

Departure 8:30 

Temperature Sunny 6C/43F    St. Louis 22C/72F

Arrival 3PM we gained an hour in Illinois/gassed up twice/stopped for brunch and bio break/Casey's

States Indiana - Illinois - Missouri

Steps 9,400

There should be a special place in hell for people who set an alarm on the hotel room! It went off at who knows what time twice!

Breakfast was mediocre at the hotel. We got on the road after gassing up $29.

Thank you for all these billboards, thanks to you we wasted fifteen minutes trying to find you. Nope, gone.

No, we couldn't find you A$$es.

We really like it when they paint the directions on the road!

Flying by Indianapolis. 

Bank of Montreal!

OH Cracker Barrel, how I have missed you!!! And Goo Goo Clusters!

It wasn't 11 yet so we had breakfast $22. Biscuits, I've missed you too!

Also wasted fifteen minutes looking for you.

No, it's not.

Gas stop $21.

We made a stop in Casey. We stopped here in 2012.

2024 murals.

From functional toys and fun photo ops to tributes to local business owners, this town has truly supersized its commitment to the wacky and whimsical. You’ll find jumbo foods like the Big Taco and Big Ear of Corn. And feel like a kid again playing in the Big Birdcage and Big Mouse Trap. The next time you visit, be sure to check out these big attractions in Casey, Illinois.

World’s Largest Barbershop Pole, also created by Jim Bolin. It stands 14 ft 7 in tall and is 3 ft 11 in wide.

Another real showstopper was the amazing World’s Largest Mailbox. The inside of the mailbox measures a whopping 5,743.41 square feet!! It actually accepts mail and, when deposited, raises a red flag. According to the Casey website, the mailbox had to be fully functional. Visitors can climb the stairs and send a letter.

 

This is actually the largest chair in all of America. It stands 56.5 feet tall and 32 ft. 10 in. wide. and weighs in at 46,000 pounds. In order to be certified as the world’s largest rocking chair, it actually had to rock when the Guinness folks visited.

Each inch is actually about one foot and the yardstick is 32 feet long.

The World’s Largest Key sits outside of an auto repair shop. It is an exact replica. It is 28 ft 2 in tall and 11 ft 4 in wide.

We started the day in Indiana, crossed into Illinois and then into Missouri.

Not an expression you hear nowadays!

Almost there!

Spring is blooming!

The hotel was very easy to find! 

Pennywell Hotel

The fascinating eight-story structure began life as an idea in 1885. Facing financial difficulties and numerous setbacks, architect Stephen D. Hatch and his associate L. Cass Miller worked through years of challenges to complete construction in 1888. A few years after the building opened, one of its most prominent tenants, Laclede National Bank, merged with Merchants National Bank, giving the building a name that’s still used today: the Merchants–Laclede Building.
After nearly two decades as the Hilton St. Louis Downtown at the Arch, the hotel in the Merchants–Laclede building is now known as The Pennywell St. Louis Downtown, a Hilton Hotel. The name pays homage to the building’s incredible past. Throughout the hotel, you’ll find numerous historical elements, such as the original 1888 vault doors, vintage décor, and intricate architectural details.

Once we checked in, we headed to the Gateway Arch ✅, a block away!

I'll keep this post photo light so I can get it published. Then I'll do a photo heavy tour of St. Louis!

Founded by the National Park Service in 1935 to commemorate Thomas Jefferson’s vision of a transcontinental United States, the Gateway Arch National Park (formerly known as the “Jefferson National Expansion Memorial”) stretches from the Old Courthouse to the steps overlooking the Mississippi River. In between, the Gateway Arch rises high, a bold monument to the pioneering spirit.

The national park consists of the Gateway Arch, a steel catenary arch that has become the definitive icon of St. Louis; a park along the Mississippi River on the site of the earliest buildings of the city; the Old Courthouse, a former state and federal courthouse where the Dred Scott case originated; and the 140,000 sq ft (13,000 m2) museum at the Gateway Arch. It is the smallest national park in the United States at 91 acres (37 ha).

The construction of Ballpark Village represents the next step in the Cardinals' vision for downtown St. Louis that began with the opening of the new $411 million privately-financed Busch Stadium in 2006. Located on 10-acres just north of Busch Stadium, Ballpark Village is the first master-planned development designed around a new Major League Baseball ballpark. The $100 million first phase of Ballpark Village opened in March 2014 and represents one of the top restaurant and entertainment districts in the region. The 100,000 square foot, multi-story project is visible beyond the left center field wall, and compliments the energy and excitement of the game day experience.

Sculptures of baseball players.

Walking back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel, we put our feet up for a while, then headed to the hotel restaurant.

John had roast chicken and I had the burger, which was too well done. But we had a good time chatting.