The day started off with a workout at Planet fitness. I was able to stay home in the morning due to an afternoon flight to St. Louis.
I got dropped off at the airport by my wife, Tanya, and found the airport to be fairly empty. It was an easy process to check in and go through Security. I boarded my flight with a full stomach after getting some food at the United Club lounge.
Upon arriving at the St. Louis airport I had an hour to make it to my tennis clinic at the Vetta Concord club. I had signed up that evening for a Men’s 4.0 drill. This was another great session focused on the different strategies of doubles tennis. The main lesson for me was to be constantly approaching the net after hitting the first volley. The objective is to always be moving forward and attacking the ball.
After the clinic I made my way to the Doubletree Hotel at the Central West end area.
I am a big fan of this area due to its proximity to Forest Park, great restaurants and places to hangout at in the evening. I especially like Cocina Latina for its tasty Peruvian food and Up-Down for cheap pinball arcade games and beer.
This is a great place to walk around in the warm weather and people watch.
Day 2
I woke up early to workout at the local Planet Fitness gym. Afterwards I returned to the hotel to get ready for the day.
The local sales rep, Kevin, and I started the day off by visiting a couple of important customers. We ended up meeting one of the clients at the Anthonino’s Taverna restaurant located within the Hill area. This is a neighborhood that has a lot of Italian markets and restaurants. It is one of my favorite places to visit while staying in St. Louis.
After having a tasty Lasagna we made a quick stop to the DiGregorio’s Italian Market. I was on the lookout for sausages with truffle shavings. I was able to find some last fall in Cincinnati at the Jungle Jim’s grocery store. After a brief search I was not able to find anything but ended up purchasing a couple of sausages to take back home. One was made with red and the other with white wine.
Kevin and I then returned to the Doubletree hotel to work on his territory and sales plan.
Afterwards I got ready to go play in my second clinic at another Vetta club. This one was focused more on ground stroke and consistency. Overall it had better players than the previous club. It was intense and left me tired after 1.5 hours of constant, non-stop playing.
I was able to return to the hotel and get some rest for the next day.
Day 3
After working out at the hotel gym I met Kevin in the lobby of the hotel. Kevin was not able to secure a customer visit so we did some site visits of potential accounts. On the way we stopped a the Lewis & Clark Confluence Tower which marks the beginning of the Lewis and Clark expedition. While the observation deck at the tower was closed I learned that it provides a view point where the Mississippi and Missouri rivers meet. It is always a good experience to reflect on historic events and think about this journey helped shape the United States.
Kevin and I then headed to Delmar loop to eat at Salt + Smoke. It was nice to try another great BBQ place. This time I ordered St. Louis ribs which are grilled instead of smoked or steamed. Needless to say it was very good. The area the restaurant is located in is also very cool and has a lot of rock n’ roll history. This is where Chuck Berry used to play and inspired a lot of other musicians. It is still a great place to visit listen to live music.
After our lunch I said my farewell to Kevin and headed out of the Saint Louis airport. This airport has no United Lounge so I had to hangout at the Terminal for my flight.
I am looking forward to my next visit it St. Louis. I hopefully will have warmer weather that will make walking around Forest Park and Central West End to make the stay more enjoyable!
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