Right before the beginning of the St. Louis Cardinals Major League Baseball
season the team ran a promotion-for $6 you could buy a ticket that also
included $6 in "Cards Cash" to use at the concession stands. Hubby Tony
purchased tickets for several games scattered throughout the season. The first
one, a day game, was today.
Busch Stadium, where the Cardinals play, is downtown. Even though there are
fewer people working in that area than their used to be, for day games parking
around the stadium is harder to find and more expensive. Tony and I talked it
over and decided to drive partway, then take Metro Link-our rapid transit
system-to and from the game.
The Cardinals have tightened the rules on what you can and cannot
bring into the stadium, but they still allow food. After we drove to a Metro
Link station and parked the car, we walked a couple of blocks to get
lunch, then walked back and bought our tickets. Round trip tickets were $5
each, and a day pass was the same price. We had no reason to get day passes, but
why not?
The train was filled with people wearing red Cardinals gear. At the stadium
station the vast majority of the riders exited, and the driver told us to
"have a good time". However, the game was a stinker. The Cardinals
scored two runs in their half of the first inning, but the Los Angeles Angels
scored four runs in the second inning and six in the third.
Our seats were located on the sunny side of the stadium, and I felt like my
sunscreen was failing, so when I suggested we leave and find a place to redeem
our virtual cash Tony agreed. We ended up getting a tray of mini donuts
drizzled with chocolate and vanilla icing.
After we finished the donuts Tony and I decided to leave. As we
exited through the turnstile I asked Tony if he was interested in using our
Metro Link day pass for an adventure. We could jump on a train going east over
to Illinois (something I've never done before) before we doubled back and headed
to the station where our car was. He was game.
When the eastbound train arrived it had five cars, with only several
passengers in each. We chose seats facing forward so we could see where we
were going. The trip starts out underground, then goes above ground just
before the Mississippi River and stays there. The first couple of exits are in
neighborhoods I wouldn't want to walk in, but it was both interesting and sad
to see once-elegant buildings now abandoned and blighted.
The Illinois route has two alternate ending points. Shortly before the train
reached the first one the driver announced it was ending there and everyone
would have to exit. We got off, walked over to the other platform, and
waited for the next train to come.
I don't ride public transit on a regular basis, and when I do there's always
some type of adventure. This time was no different. On the train back to St.
Louis an older gentleman (Man #1) came walking up the aisle speaking loudly to
himself, then stopped at the door and plopped down on the floor so that his
body was covering the entire exit. From the seat behind and catty-corner to me
another older gentleman (Man #2) announced that Man #1 was OK; he did this all
the time. I turned around and told Man #2 he was a good friend. A minute later
Man #1 got up and walked back like nothing had happened.
The rest of the trip passed uneventfully.
Five years ago:
Pepper On Pillow On Bed