Valentine's Day this year fell on a Wednesday (14 February)--my off day from work. Julie took that day off from her work and together we went to the Saint Louis Zoo. Before we left her apartment, I gave her a fresh long stem rose and a large, heart-shaped collection of artificial red roses in a lollipop configuration. Julie loved both items.
Arriving at the Zoo, we walked among several areas that we didn't get a chance to see the last time we were there this past November. We walked through the Herpetarium and the Primate Trails, then visited Big Cat Country. It was a pleasant day for a visit and some Zoo animals were outdoors for us to enjoy.
Next, Julie and I went to the Bird House and Bird Garden to see some some feathered creatures on display.
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We then walked over to see some gazelles before entering the Cypress Swamp in the 1904 Bird Cage.
After that, Julie and I entered a theater to see The Polar Express 4D Experience. It was an edited version of the movie The Polar Express, a movie based on a children's book set at Christmastime. We used the borrowed 4D glasses to fully enjoy the experience. It was very entertaining.
Julie and I then went through The Wild and Lakeside Crossing before leaving to return to her apartment. It was a fun way for us to spend Valentine's Day together.
Yesterday (17 February), we went to the Armory for St. Louis CITY SC's Season Kickoff event for season ticket holders. When Julie and I arrived, Fleur de Noise and STL Santos were leading the various chants during the matches. There were many fans in attendance at this event. Some played the games at the Armory--Julie and I tried cornhole--and others enjoyed refreshments from the bars and restaurant. CITY sold souvenirs, including the new Confluence Kit--a white away shirt with CITY Red trim. Some kids did a bit of training under the CITY Futures program. The various supporter groups had information and merchandise tables set up: St. Louligans, St. Louis City Punks, STL Santos, Fleur de Noise, No Goal Patrol, and No Nap City Ultras.
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Early that afternoon, after a DJ played some music and two team officials spoke about the upcoming season, the players and head coach Bradley Carnell came on stage. Carnell thanked the supporters who came this day and said the team was ready to go into the new season starting this coming week. Several of the players, lead by goalkeeper and captain Roman Burki, also addressed the crowd.
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After the speeches were made, Julie and I hung out at the Armory for a while before we returned to my car to leave. We had to wait about an hour to leave the parking lot, due to traffic congestion on the side street leading to the facility. Otherwise, it was a great time we had at this event. Julie and I are looking forward to CITY's new season, which starts with a CONCACAF Champions Cup match against Houton Dynamo Tuesday night and the Major League Soccer season opener Saturday night against Real Salt Lake. Both matches will be at CITYPARK.
Two great dates this past week with my sweetheart Julie.
Later.
Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:
Saint Louis Zoo: Saint Louis Zoo | Saint Louis Zoo (stlzoo.org)
The Armory: Armory STL – The Biggest Bar In St. Louis
St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)
Fleur de Noise: Home - With Merch (fleurdenoise.com)
St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)
STL Santos: Home | Home | STL Santos
St. Louis City Punks: Saint Louis City Punks
No Nap City Ultras: HOME (nonapcityultras.com)
No Goal Patrol: No Goal Patrol | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook | Linktree
CONCACAF Champions Cup: Concacaf Champions Cup
Major League Soccer: MLSsoccer.com - The Official Site of Major League Soccer
