Gateway City, Here I Come!

St. Louis Arch, a photo by happysteve on Flickr.

Last October I had a lot of fun selling Greek gyros and baklava at Bikes, Blues, and Barbecue with my friend Cameron for his aunt's fiancee, Teddy (who is a magnificent chef from Bulgaria). Several weeks ago Teddy invited us to come up for the 4th of July weekend to help him again, this time at St. Louis's biggest event of the year! I think they're expecting more than 1,000,000 people to show up, so you can see why I might be a bit nervous. I had a great time doing last year's event, though, so I'm looking forward to it!

Today Cameron and I drove five hours to St. Louis, and it's the very first time I've ever been here. It's an old hat to Cameron--who has family in the area and visits very often--but it's a new world in my eyes. Tomorrow will be devoted to sightseeing, and I'll try to keep you updated with photos and information that I glean from my first time in a "big city" without my family. 

It's a rather weighty step for me, actually. I hardly ever go anywhere with Mom, Dad, or Aaron, and now I'm out and about in a new city with some relatively-new friends, and I'm eagerly awaiting the fun new experiences to come! Perhaps I'll get a taste of what I've been looking for for so long--a taste of what I'm made of, what I'm capable of doing. Methinks it will be a good training ground for my future trip to Europe; I get to practice essential skills like wrinkle-free packing, making sightseeing plans, and navigating unfamiliar roads.

So wish me luck on my Grand New Adventure!