Gateway City

Sadly, our tour is nearing an end.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that we're running out of steam a little bit, and that we're starting to miss our own beds and our dogs.

Having said that, St. Louis is another highlight of the trip.

We're staying in the Ballpark Hilton, so we can actually look into the stadium from our room.

The park itself isn't spectacular, but it does have a lot of the cool statues and murals of past Cardinal greats.

The place actually reminded me of Wrigley, in that it's more about the atmosphere than the actual stadium.

While the new Busch is definitely an upgrade from the old one, and has a distinct retro feel, complete with a giant scoreboard, tons of concession options and Budweiser beer and signage everywhere, it lacks the bells and whistles of all the other new parks.

And I think that's because, like at Wrigley, the Cardinals are such a big deal, and the fans so loyal, that it isn't necessary to turn the stadium into an amusement park. The Cardinals are the draw.

Yes, the Rams and Blues play here, but the Cards own this town. And that's cool.

Before and after the game there were parties everywhere, jam-packed bars with live bands playing in every direction of the stadium.

A near capacity crowd of 43,000 rabidly rooted for the Cards (who are 19-26 by the way), against the Nationals (who are now 3-0 in games attended by Mr. and Mrs. Zimmer).

It rained a little bit, and due to the threat of more rain today I waited to buy tickets for the Saturday game.

Mistake.

Now all that's left is standing room only, and I don't think I'm going to fork over $40 to stand in the CF plaza.

We'll see. There's always a trip to the Bud brewery, or to the top of the arch.

*Twins have won 5 of 7? Maybe I should stay away. Sounds like Boof and Baker are pitching well. With all these injuries, why can't Carlos Silva or Ramon Ortiz come down with something?