Club Sandwich Index – How much will it cost?

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Cost of a Club Sandwich

Clost of a Club Sandwich - provided by Hotels.com


Just for fun Hotels.com decided to price the club sandwich as a fun and quirky way to compare the cost of living in different cities as travelers plan for upcoming vacations.

This standard lunch fare is known for its popularity among hotel restaurants worldwide where it has been a staple since the 1800s. Although the exact origin of the club sandwich has not been proven, popular myths point it to an exclusive – wait for it – gambling club – in Saratoga Springs, New York, where it became popular before spreading to the rest of the world.

The classic chicken, bacon, egg, lettuce and mayo sandwich, a standard lunch available in hotels worldwide, was used as a universal measure of affordability in the Hotels.com Club Sandwich Index (CSI). The CSI average price has been calculated by taking the real prices paid by guests for a club sandwich within 1,000 five, four and three-star hotels located in popular travel destinations across 26 countries, with 10 U.S. cities measured.

Paris, often thought of as the world’s most romantic city, has just been deemed the most expensive city in the world to order a club sandwich by Hotels.com®. But if $33 seems like too much to shell out for lunch, stick to the 10 most popular United States destinations – according to the 2011 Hotels.com Hotel Price Index™ (HPI®) – where the most expensive club sandwich can be found in New York City, for an average price of nearly $17.

NOTE: The Club Sandwich Index ‘average Club Sandwich price’ is the average price of 30 Club Sandwiches as sold in 30 hotels in the city of each country measured. The prices were taken from 10 Five Star, 10 Four Star, and 10 Three Star hotels from each city. In total, 1,000 prices of a club sandwich were measured across 1,000 hotels, in 26 countries. European prices were converted to $USD, exchange rate correct as of April 25, 2012.

Based on information provided by Hotels.com

OffbeatTravel newsletter for May

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Here’s the latest issue of our free emailed-to-your-inbox newsletter.

Visiting Lexington Kentucky: Keeneland and More by Patrice Raplee.

On a balmy spring day, there is an excited tension in the air, mingled with anticipation and the scent of mint juleps. Dapper crowds gather in the stands and anxiously watch the starting gate while tightly gripping their betting tickets. It is a few seconds to post time and all eyes focus on the magnificent Thoroughbreds that are coiled to break from the gate at Keeneland racetrack in Kentucky.
Read more at: Lexington Kentucky: Keeneland and More!

Exploring Sayulita, Mexico by Karen Hamlin.

Standing on the terrace of my villa, I can see the surfers bobbing in the bay waiting for a surging wave to carry them to shore. My gaze follows the curvature of the shoreline that sweeps around the bay and backs into the dense Sierra Madre jungle. It’s a warm afternoon with clear blue skies and a cool breeze ruffles my hair. Another perfect day in Sayulita, Mexico.
Read more at: Sayulita Mexico

Six Reasons to visit Pasadena, California by Bobbie Green.

After the famous Rose Parade and Rose Bowl football game is over, is there any other reason for tourists to visit Pasadena? On my recent trip to Pasadena, I was enlightened about this wonderful old California Town. The revitalized old Pasadena, a National Register Historic District, is a charming place to visit, with its many trendy restaurants and boutiques, all at home in historic buildings.
Read more at Six Reasons to Visit Pasadena California

Art, Fasnacht Come Together in Basel by Denise Mattia.

I hadn’t come to Basel to experience Fasnacht, but when I first arrived in front of the Grand Hotel Les Trois Roi, one of the oldest and most elegant hotels in Europe, the first thing I noticed was that despite its staid appearance, the second floor of the façade displayed three gigantic caricatures of kings, which lit the wide avenue. Fasnacht, the only Protestant carnival in the world, is as important as Basel’s yearly Art Fair.
Read more at: Basel for Art and Fasnacht Carnival

Saturday Night in Louisiana: Teddy’s Juke Joint by Alex V. Cook.

I started out right here, then I went over there, and now I’m back up here! A sixty-one-year-old black man in a cape named Teddy Johnson bellowed that from the stage of his juke joint in Zachary, Louisiana. Underneath his cape, his red suit is obscured with money pinned all over it. The occasion is his sixty-first birthday party. On my party plate commingles a smothered turkey neck, a fried chicken wing, and the smeared remains of a piece of sheet cake. As I gnaw on the bones, Teddy relinquishes the microphone to the band, which lays right back into the groove as if the needle had been dropped.
Read more at Teddy’s Juke Joint

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Game Sightings in Africa, Snohomish County Washington, Ojai California, and Riviera Maya

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OffbeatTravel — April, 2012
Spring is definitely here, and we have the Spring holidays – Easter and Passover to prove it. But, when the holidays are over, let’s think about where we want to go. After reading Lesley Stones article on Africa, game sightings and Kruger National Park I’m so ready to go! But there’s also Snohomish County in Washington State that Patrice Raplee so evocatively describes. Close to home is also Ojai California, and Suzanne Wright’s article will have you putting that on the list of possibilities for travel this year. Thinking of Mexico? Denise Mattia has explored Riviera Maya and pronounced it safe and fabulous.

You may not have Busan Korea on your list, but you’ll still enjoy Chris Tharp’s walk through the Jagalchi Market.

We’re planning Milwaukee and Oahu, and who knows where else over the summer. Where are you going? LIKE us on Facebook (we’re OffbeatTravelCom) and let us know where you’re headed!

Feature Articles
Game for a trip to the African bush? by Lesley Stones. My mother has refused to fly for decades. It’s something to do with a perforated eardrum that would make her head explode on take-off. I rue that medical (or mental?) abnormality whenever I drive into the bush in my adopted home in Africa. I wish she could see countless wildebeest making their spectacular migration. The skittering springbok that comically prance away if something spooks them. She’ll never see a glorious sunset over wide-open plains of gold and tan. Or admire that extraordinary thing the moon does when it rises as big and as red as the sun that just went down. You can’t get it anywhere except Africa, and most people never really “get” it at all. But once it’s got you, you’ll never shake it out of your heart.
Read more at http://www.offbeattravel.com/african-game-lodges-kruger-national-park.html

Snohomish County Washington: Hibulb Cultural Center, Tulalip Resort Casino and Historic Planes by Patrice Raplee Beyond the walls of fragrant cedar and 19th century canoes, a chorus of entrancing voices sings in an ancient language that beckons visitors. Up entering the great room, a small fire glows surrounded by twilight, as a speaker begins an intriguing oration of the Tulalip Tribe in the ceremonial long house of Hibulb’s Cultural Center.
Read more at http://www.offbeattravel.com/snohomish-washington-tulalip.html

Exploring the Jagalchi Market and Eating Eels in Busan Korea by Chris Tharp. We walked in silence into the main artery of Jagalchi Market, letting ourselves be led by the slipstream of people heading into its heart. On each side were countless stalls with their wares splayed out in front of us. Jagalchi is both the heart and soul of Busan. To understand the market is to understand the city’s history, and this first trip gave me a taste of the old city, which, while disappearing a bit more each day, will always be alive down where the boats unload their catches.
Read more http://www.offbeattravel.com/jagalchi-busan-korea.html

Whether Nature, Literature, Art, Dining or Shopping Ojai, California Inspires by Suzanne Wright.
Far from fast-paced Los Angeles -— about 90 miles north to be exact —- Ojai is a picturesque valley nestled in the hills south of Santa Barbara and east of the Pacific Ocean. A Chumash (Native American) word meaning moon, Ojai is a magnet for artists and free spirits, an eclectic and tranquil community of about 8,000 with a year-round Mediterranean climate. Whether your temple is Nature, Literature, Art, Dining or Shopping, you’ll find inspiration here.
Read more at: http://www.offbeattravel.com/ojai-california-art-nature-shopping-dining.html

Playa del Carmen on the Riviera Maya: Land of the Maya, playground of the tourists by Denise Mattia. They named it yah (pronounced yash). It’s a green/blue/turquoise color the early Maya, a group of people unique to the Yucatán peninsula, used to describe the rolling sea and placid fresh water wells, around which they constructed myriad imposing city-states that towered above the jungle. More than a description, yah represented the color of the center of the universe, the source of life created by their rain god Xaac (chack), where the god Xucek (y-shok) could plunge into its magical depths and be rejuvenated.
Read more http://www.offbeattravel.com/playa-del-carmen-riviera-maya.html

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Liz Trotta Insults All Our Soldiers: In one 4-minute interview

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Warning – rant ahead.
Liz Trotta… where to begin? Fox News commentator with apparently an impressive resume (which they ran alongside her talking head so viewers wouldn’t think she was just some raving lunatic — although she sounded just like a raving lunatic).

In this one interview she managed to dishonor and insult American soldiers, both male and female. Women getting “raped too much” by male soldiers who apparently can’t keep from perpetrating violent assaults on female soldiers.

The setting for this was the announcement that DOD is lifting is a 1994 policy prohibiting women from jobs — such as tank mechanic and field artillery radar operator — that take place near combat units. With that bar removed, more than 13,000 Army jobs will be available to women soldiers for the first time.

I know that there is a concern that our male soldiers might be too concerned with protecting female soldiers. Clearly I’ve never been in combat and I respect the opinion of some that might have that fear. OTOH, male soldiers regularly seem (to their credit) to protect one another.

However, that wasn’t Trotta’s point. No, instead she seemed to feel that the proximity of women – dressed in those incredibly alluring army fatigues – would incite our soldiers to violent assault. Not consensual sex, not the caring and support of soldier in a dangerous situation. But the violent attack propagated by men against women.

Huh? I’m not sure she made any kind of case for keeping women out of combat (they shouldn’t be in the armed forces and especially not in combat she intimated because “they get raped too much.”

But she sure managed to insult a whole lot of American men. Our sons, brothers, husbands seem to have been transformed into violent thugs.

From what rock did she just crawl out? And, can we stuff her back into it?

Four Museums for 2012

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Of course, there are far more than four museums on OffbeatTravel.com but we thought we’d highlight just a few to whet your desire to find more.

The National Liberty Museum – Philadelphia, PA
Created to celebrate our nation’s heritage of freedom and the wonderful diverse society it has produced, the museum includes exhibits honoring 1000 men, women and young people of all walks of life who have helped make the world a better place, array of hands-on exhibits that demonstrate easy, practical and fun ways to resolve conflicts peacefully, and a gallery devoted to the contribution of immigration to the diversity of American society. National Liberty Museum also maintains a unique collection of more than 100 works of fine art which reflect the theme of the fragility of liberty.
It’s one of our Museums of Peace and Tolerance

Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
It’s still rock ‘n roll to me! On a recent visit to Cleveland, I had to be forcibly removed from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Everyone else was in the van, waiting. I was still trying to see even more, and I had already been there several hours. And I’m only the teenist bit sorry about it.

The experience starts in the lobby. The piped in music, Bob Seger’s Night Moves and Simon and Garfunkel had me singing along out loud. I probably looked crazy, but then, I consoled myself “they’re probably used to it.”

A mix of changing exhibits and permanent videos and displays. The variety and depth of experiences left me gasping. Read about Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows in Chicago’s Navy Pier

“You can’t miss it,” explained the woman behind the information desk, “just follow the path and when you see carpeting, you’re there.” Feeling a bit like Dorothy following the yellow brick road, I walked past stores and shoppers, strollers and even stages for indoor performances seeking the first museum devoted solely to stained glass windows in the United States. This free museum, which opened in February, 2002, is located in Chicago’s major entertainment/shopping mall, Navy Pier, and visited by an astounding 3.5 million people a year.
Lear more about Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows

Jesse Owens Museum Oakville, Alabama

The story of Jesse Owens is both difficult and easy to sum up. His greatest moment was surely in 1936 when the Olympic Games were held in Berlin under the watchful eye of Adolf Hitler.

Hitler’s vision of the perfect racial group was that of pure Aryan stock. They were perceived to be the smartest, fastest, and superior race according to any and all criteria. Hitler’s goal was to prove that to the world and was certain the Olympic Games would cement his vision, that his athletes would show the world their superiority. So, when Jesse Owens, poor black man from rural Alabama blew by the competition to win gold medals in the 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump, and 400 meter relays he humbled Hitler’s vision and the tyrant himself. Owens’ actions made an eloquent statement about hard work, effort, and ability independent of racial heritage.

The Jesse Owens Museum in Oakville, Alabama focuses on Owens’ beginnings in a tiny sharecropper’s cabin and his amazing feats of physical prowess. The museum includes a replica of the tiny cabin, theater, timeline of Owens life, a wonderful statue of Owens surrounded by the Olympic rings, picnic area, long jump pit and sports fields.
Learn more about Jesse Owens at the Jesse Owens Museum

Three Cities with Great Wall Murals

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I’m a fan of art in public places. Museums are lovely — and no one would suggest that oil paintings and water colors be mounted outside where they would sustain weather damage — but there’s something special about living your daily life amid art. Walking down the street and happening upon a huge mural, or a sculpture adds a new dimension to the day – like finding a small treasure.

But some cities and town have made a concentrated effort to cover their building walls with murals.

Here are three of the best.
Probably the best city in the USA (and perhaps the world) for wall murals is Philadelphia. It boasts both the Magic Garden and their sprawling murals. Mosaic Walls and Huge Murals
Outdoor art thrives in Philadelphia. Yes, there are monuments and sculptures, but there is also wall art like few cities can provide. In fact, I don’t know of any city that offers both 3,000 and growing murals along with extensive beautification by the folk art mosaics that grace the walls of South Street Philadelphia.

Philadelphia’s Magic Garden
In the world of folk art mosaics, few can match the scope and complexity of Isaiah Zagar. Not only has he transformed blank (and often unloved) walls into vibrant art, glittering with mirrors, glass, and tile, but the Magic Garden itself includes a fully mosaiced indoor gallery and a massive outdoor labyrinth of tile, found objects, and mirror.

Wall Mural Project
It began in 1984 as part of the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network. Muralist Jane Golden was hired to redirect the energies of the graffiti writers to constructive mural painting. In 1996, Mayor Ed Rendell announced that the Anti-Graffiti Network would be reorganized into the Mural Arts Program.

Over 3,000 murals later, the city of Philadelphia is transformed into a city of art, wall art. Huge, community-pleasing, tourist-attracting, artist-loving creations.

Tucumcari, New Mexico
Follow the map provided by the visitor center through the 17 wall murals of Tucumcari. Painted by Doug and Sharon Quarles their art performs magic, turning brick into canvas for their murals celebrating the town’s history and culture, including the Mother Road.

Cuba Missouri
Cuba, Missouri is another small town bypassed by the passing of the Main Street but the town rebounded with a program of painted wall murals that earned Cuba the appellation of Route 66 Mural City. There are 12 outdoor murals on business walls along historic Route 66. The murals depict universal themes from the city’s history. In homage to Route 66, include three panels on the side of one of the historic Route 66 Phillips Petroleum Gas Stations.

Why do the pseudo-hip think it’s cool to trash Albuquerque?

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Sandra Vergara trashes the city that welcomed her - Albuquerque, NM

New Mexico is a starkly beautiful state. Our mountains reach over a mile into the clear blue sky. Our wide-open vistas beckon hikers, bikers, and road-trippers. We are friendly but not intrusive, and generally we all get along because of a live and let live attitude.

On the other hand, I’m from New York, and haven’t quite reached that level of serene acceptance, at least when it comes to stupidity.

So, when I hear those who think they are cool (or hot, depending) trash the city of Albuquerque, it quite pisses me off. The latest apparently is the destined for obscurity Sandra Vergara, a star in the movie “Fright Night”, which was shot in Albuquerque.

On a recent TV interview she demonstrated the serious limits of her exploration of the city. The host of the show asked Vergara if the shoot was in Albuquerque. Vergara responded, “Unfortunately.” She goes on to say, “Nothing against Albuquerque. There’s two things Genghis Mongolian barbeque and P.F. Changs and a strip club and it was the only place that had alcohol and I had to go.”

I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt – she was busy and didn’t have time to drive up to the top of the Sandias and watch the sun set over the city. Perhaps she’s not much on theater and so didn’t explore the dozen offerings each weekend. I’m sure her shooting schedule stopped her from taking a trip out to Acoma to tour the Sky City. As for alcohol? We have some fun clubs, but we’re not a week night late night party town. You want to get drunk at three in the morning, do it at home. It’s a lot safer if you’re not on our roads.

Feel free not to come back. Not even for our Balloon Fiesta – largest in the world. Or, the Gathering of Nations, one of the top events in the country. Or any of the other attractions, events, and festivals that we love and enjoy.

What I can’t understand, or forgive, is that she thought so little of us that it was easy to trash the place that welcomed her. And was so shallow that she gave in to a glib response.

Fright Night? What’s that?

Three Best Gardens in North America

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Photo by Neala

Butchart Gardens in Vancouver, British Columbia

Maybe it’s the cold weather that has me thinking about my favorite gardens, but whatever the reason, they’ve been on my mind.

Morikami Japanese Gardens in Delray Florida.
This was the very first garden I visited that inspired me to love Japanese Gardens. Since then, I try to visit every on I come across. But none have touched me the way Morikami has.

The 16-acre gardens, unified with a theme of the history of Japanese gardens, are reached by a graceful curving bridge designed to create a transition from the stress of day-to-day living into a gorgeous kaleidoscope of flowering bushes and sculptured trees. Black olive, gumbo limbo, Japanese Yew, several species of myrtle as well as pine and bamboo form forests. Flowering shrubs such as gardenia and orange jasmine scent the air.

A main path meanders along the lake and trees for about 7/8th of a mile. It’s a fairly easy walk with no steep inclines, although if you leave the main path there are some steps and occasional rougher footing. For those who enjoy exploring, there are charming detours to unexpected bits of history and tranquil niches. Read more about Morikami Japanese Gardens

Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan
When next I fell in love with a garden, it was in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Center combined the exquisite beauty of nature with the creative spirit of sculpture. What could be more impressive than strolling the paths surrounded by both forms of beauty? Not much could touch that experience.
Frederik loved sculpture and his wife Lena loved gardens, and so this loving couple joined not only their lives but their passions to create seasonal gardens, a world-class Sculpture Park, meandering nature trails, and a charming children’s garden. Take a tram tour then explore on your own.

Make sure to stop at the magnificent The American Horse. This 24-foot tall 15,000 pound casting by Nina Akimu is based on the design by Leonardo da Vinci. There are only two in the world – the other is in Milan, Italy. All this courtesy of Meijer who heard about da Vinci’s horse and was determined to make da Vinci’s vision real. Read more about Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Center

Butchart Gardens in Vancouver, British Columbia
Recently I visited Victoria, British Columbia. A city that offers fabulous pastry, great strolling, and some fine attractions. But it is also quite near the amazing Butchart Gardens. And, once again, I fell in love.
This is easily one of the finest gardens on the North American continent. Located on Vancouver Island about equidistant from Victoria and Vancouver, no visit to the Vancouver/Victoria area would be complete without spending the day enjoying these spectacular gardens.

Oddly enough, much of the topographical interest of the gardens comes from its origin as a limestone quarry. Robert Butchart made his fortune in cement, quarrying the abundant limestone in the area and in manufacturing Portland cement. The process of quarrying the limestone created an enormous pit. When the limestone was exhausted, there was a humongous crater in the ground that was spectacular for its ugliness.

Jennie Butchart may have known nothing about gardening, but she knew beauty. When the family settled in the area she began to create gardens surrounding the house. The exhausted quarry represented both a challenge, and a unique opportunity. Read more about the world-class, National Historic Site of Canada Butchart Gardens.

Out in the Countryside of Romania

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I’m riding through Romania, past fields of grapes, cabbages, onions, potatoes and stalks of harvested corn and even fruit orchards. Romania is strongly agrarian country with rich agricultural land and we’re rolling through small family farms. The people of the villages produce all their own food – eating what they grow. Horses pull carts of dried corn stalks. We pass wineries. Tradition is strong outside the city, and we pass woman wearing traditional clothing – colorful scarf, long skirt colorful and patterned.

As we tour the country, cities, villages, and hamlets, I finally realize what I haven’t seen, not even in the Bucharest. This is not a country of sculpture, or really of outdoor public art of any kind. There are statues of famous people, and memorials, but there are no murals and few pieces of sculpture. The only piece of whimsy I saw was the recently erected sculpture in front of the National Theater.

I’m told that gas is ferociously expensive. As I sit in the bus in the town of Bacu, I see cab drivers lined up waiting for passengers. But when the first cab in line gets a fare, all the drivers get out and push their cars, rather than start and stop the engine as they move up in line.

The dubious architectural legacy of Communism is seen throughout the cities – featureless concrete blocks, often in stages of disrepair and rehabilitation. These apartment buildings were thrown up as fast housing – functional but not inspiring. And when there is little money, refacing their aging exteriors is a luxury.

In one tiny town we enjoyed a traditional pastry – a sweet roll filled with sweetened cheese. Although different in form, it reminded me of the cheese danish I ate as a child growing up in NYC. It was a doubly delicious moment.

Periodically we past huge nests on electric poles. I’m told there are stork nests.

Now we are driving through Sucavea in Moldavia and the architecture has changed. These are traditional houses with ornate design elements worked into horizontal strips on the walls, on the trim and edging on the exterior corners of walls, sometimes worked into the facade itself. These are concrete blocks buildings made individually distinct and lovely through these design elements.

There are small inns and restaurants for the travelers. But despite this, tourism hasn’t yet caused an explosion of souvenir shops. My advice for those looking for “shopping opportunities” is that when you find one… you might want to take advantage of it. Especially if it’s local handcrafts. There are very few of them. Mostly, you’ll find them along roadsides in towns. Occasionally in a tourist attraction.

Everywhere we go, scenes of domestic peace abound. An old couple sit under a canopy in their yard dotted with an apple tree and children’s yellow plastic slide. In the background up on the mountain a horse grazes placidly. In another yard, sheep chew down weeds. We pass a horse-drawn cart filled with milk cans.

Water comes from individual wells, and these are covered and turned into charming tiny buildings. Horses and carts abound.

All the houses have flower gardens – swatches of wildly colorful blooms, often dahlias, as well as corn or beans. Chicken peck in the enclosure. A cow munches. Hay stacks look like pieces of sculpture.

These people aren’t prosperous, but live with a frugality. Few cars, more walking and horse drawn carts. This is rural living almost from another era, but with electricity. Indoor plumbing is not guaranteed.

Read more about:
Bucharest, Romania: City of Culture and Architecture

Historic Sighisoara and Sibiu: Two Transylvania Gems

Painted Monasteries of Bucovina in Moldavia, Romania

On the Trail of the Real Dracula: The Truth and the Legend of Vlad the Impaler Dracula

Readers’ Top 5 Favorite Articles for August on OffbeatTravel.com

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Every once in a while we like to see what folks enjoy reading on OffbeatTravel.com So for the month of August, 2011 here is what is hot!

Porto, Portugal: A city with soul, wine, and beauty
Porto, Portugal, is a city with soul, populated with a genial and supportive community. The unhurried pace of life in Porto mirrors the graceful flow of ocean waves rolling on her shores and makes the strife in the world seem distant and remote. Brilliant blue skies set against red tile roofs and the sun glittering on the Douro River summon the anticipation of summer and the promise of adventures to unfold. Northern Portugal is a remarkable oasis for travelers in a destination-saturated planet.


Destination Paris: Landmarks, Monuments, and Neighborhoods
Paris and élan, intertwined in a never-ending liaison that forms the fabric of the city’s society. Virtually every street in Paris is alive with the hum of creativity. From the ornate architecture and gorgeous French couture, to the heady aroma of fresh café au lait and warm croissants wafting on the breeze, Paris defines the nuances of living art.

Pleasures of Ponce, Puerto Rico
I’m sitting at a table in the open air La Terraza restaurant in the Ponce Hilton hotel. The sky is a cloudless blue, the sun is shining and there’s a soft breeze. I’m having breakfast and watching a black bird raid the sugar, flying off clutching a yellow packet of artificial sweetener in his beak. I idly wonder what he’s going to do with it. He can’t possibly be using it for his coffee and there are other more appropriate nesting materials available. The sparrows seem to be doing fine with the bark of the palm tree. The parrot (in a cage) has his housing needs met.

Exploring Turkey’s magic Southeast: Mardin, Hasankeyf, Urfa
I was off to the mystical land of Mesopotamia, often called ‘the cradle of civilization’, the vast plane between the biblical rivers Tigris and Euphrates. As my head started to drop and my eyes to close I dreamed about Babylonian astronomers, Persian and Assyrian worriers, and the endless caravans of traders who have moved across the plateau for thousands of years. I came back to the present with a jolt, the coach was just pulling in for another, much needed, half hour stop to get a drink, visit the powder room and stretch my aching back.

Citygarden: An Urban Oasis Blooms in St. Louis
A public garden with spectacular landscaping and internationally renowned modern and contemporary sculpture in a completely open, accessible downtown setting.