After all that gun play, I needed a snack and the Pint Size Bakery had good reviews on the internets so I headed over. This is where I met Naomi who was working the counter and an absolute ray of sunshine. Originally from Vermont, she described herself as a 'traveller' and was actually getting ready to head to New Orleans in a few weeks with her boyfriend. Turns out, she'd been all over North America, more places than me in fact, and it's just a shame that the cafe was busy and I didn't have more time to hear her story but it goes to show that you never where someone else has been, or what their backstory is until you ask them.
May 8, 2018 - The Grunk, Sharpshooters St. Louis - St. Louis, MO
St. Louis and especially it's northern suburbs and neighbouring East St. Louis is one of the most violent areas of the United States. Given the nature of my trip, I thought that it only made sense that I experience this part of the culture and went to a gun range for the first time. Although I seem to have a degree of aptitude in shooting things, I failed to see the attraction of putting holes in a piece of paper and still do not understand how easy access to firearms makes us safer.
May 7, 2018 - Richard, Busch Stadium - St. Louis, MO
Eventually at the baseball game, I decided to sit in my actual seat which being the cheapest ticket I could buy was in the nosebleeds. Despite the game not being competitive, a lot of the fans in my section stayed until the very end, and they all seemed to know the usher Richard, giving him hugs and high-fives on the way out. When I talked to him at the end of the game, he told me 'we're like a family every summer, and I look forward to every game'. He seemed like a genuinely sweet dude.
May 7, 2018 - William, Busch Stadium - St. Louis, MO
Arrived in St. Louis just in time to catch a Cardinals game. Unlike Toronto, most American ballparks will have designated 'concourse' or 'standing room' only area's that have incredible views of the field, and even the cheapest ticket has access to these areas. That's where I met William, a lifelong Cards fan, devout Christian and absolute music nerd. We talked about our mutual love of southern gospel influenced soul music, as well as semi-obscure Texas singer songwriters and the Drive By Truckers. I joked that i wouldn't ask him about politics, but he didn't hesitate to let me know that as a Christian, Trump was doing the opposite of what he believed in. You know what, I really liked William, I never felt a sense that he believed his views were superior to anyone else's, and I appreciated and noticed that he seemed to genuinely want to hear my perspective as a commie heathen Canadian biker. We both agreed that universal health care rocked.