Linkfest!

If I said I went to Linkfest this weekend, what would you think I did? If you guessed it had something to do with blogs or sausages, you'd be wrong. Instead, it was a celebration of the opening of the new Shrewsbury line of the St. Louis Metrolink. We saw information booths, a dance performance, and a bouncy castle, and there were free rides on the new Metro line all weekend.


When we lived in Philadelphia, I took the train to work ever day. The Upsal station of the R8 was less than a quarter mile from our apartment, and the train arrived at a station under my office building. In two years of working in Center City, the only time I drove to work was the day before Ben was born, when I drove into the office to clean out my desk.

I'm excited about the Metrolink expansion here, but from a practical perspective I will rarely use it. It's simply not convenient (or cost-effective) for me to drive to the next town over and board a train to go shopping. Perhaps if I still had a monthly pass I'd consider it, but for individual trips to places where parking is free, it just doesn't make sense. I'm also sympathetic to the argument that St. Louis could have better spent the millions of dollars they poured into regional rail on improving the bus system instead. I think the train will be useful, though, should we ever decide to go to a Cardinals game, and I'd consider taking the Metrolink to the airport instead of driving.

The Metrolink makes St. Louis feel like a real city. After we boarded the train, crossed the River Des Peres, and watched the suburbs flash by, I felt cosmopolitan again.


We took the train to the Forest Park station and, despite the lack of useful crosswalk, went across the street the the History Museum. After a snack by the fountain, we went into the museum for about 20 minutes (the perfect visit length if you have a toddler). In the main hall, we saw this replica of the Spirit of St. Louis. As we took the train home, I felt affection for my adopted city.