The Museum of Broken Relationships, St Louis Stop

I am so sad that I went to see this in the last 3 hours it was in town, because that was not nearly enough time to encourage others to check it out. Even worse, I think St Louis was the last stop on the world tour. Now I wish I had taken pictures of everything!



We all agreed that when we walked in, we were kind of disappointed that it was so small, and thought we would be in and out of there in ten minutes. We ended up spending nearly an hour reading all the stories that went with the donations.



The idea here is that people can donate stuff that was left behind when relationships ended, along with a little story or description of the item and it's significance. There is even a table near the entrance where you can leave your stuff. Had I known, I might have dug through some boxes in the basement before I visited. More about the deeper meaning of the Museum's mission on their website.



Some of my favorites, for better or worse:


Container of tears. If this kind of guilt trip has ever gotten the kind of results you fantasized about, I'd love to hear about it. I suspect this has never, ever worked. I congratulate this person on giving up the vial.


One that made me laugh. "I'm just really sorry I didn't break this pen as soon as I got it, because if I did, I wouldn't have written all that romantic crap he did not deserve."


"No time for the rest," says the tag. WHAT? I'm assuming this was a donation dropped off at the exhibit, and if that is the case, why did the person have this with them? Why no time for the story? I'm dying!


One of my favorites. She got over the relationship wearing this t-shirt while dying her hair. Kind of like that scene in Singles where Kyra Sedgewick is cleaning the toilet with Campbell Scott's shirt. Been there, sister.


One of the best things about this exhibit was listening to people quietly react to what they were reading, with a giggle or a groan. This one was cute. "It began so sweet, just like the two little dogs in love, and it ended in pure monkey business."


A broad bean (aka fava bean) heater from Egypt with the note, "our relationship never got warmed up, but the friendship remained as strong as dried broad beans." Aww.


Because long distance relationships make you watch the clock all the time, always doing that time-zone math. Truth.

Finally, a couple favorites from the white board where people can leave their comments about the exhibit, or relationships in general.


Dear Heart, You are an extremely valuable asset to this company and we appreciate your hard work and valiant efforts. Lately you obsessions have been clouding judgment. I think you should take a sabbatical vacation... regroup and rejoin us. Sincerely, The Brain


"My schadenfreude quota has been filled. Thanks!" Indeed, Anonymous. Indeed.

Ghost Hunting in Lebanon

Last weekend Keith, Courtney, Amy and I went to Lebanon, IL for some ghost hunting with Len Adams, from our favorite group Illinois Hauntings, and author of Phantoms in the Looking Glass. This is the same group that we tour Alton with in the Halloween season, usually with Luke Naliborski. It had been a few years since we had been ghost hunting with Len, and it was even more fun that I remembered.



We were lucky enough to arrive in Lebanon on the tail end of a thunderstorm, which made for great pictures. Lebanon was established in 1814 and it's downtown St Louis Street is lined with old buildings full of shops and restaurants (and spirits?)



Len lives in the area, so he has the inside scoop on the ghost stories, along with a wealth of historical knowledge. Even better, he has access to a lot more indoor space than the Alton tour, so not only do you feel like you're doing more "investigating", you also have more opportunities to get out of the elements.



As is my rule, I will not be repeating any of the ghost stories from the tour. Len is the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic tour guide you could ever hope to find and I would never be able to do the stories justice in this format. There are tours at least once a month, and I will post a link to the website at the end. Everything past this point has a story!









I will break in at this point to tell you that Charles Dickens - yes, THE Charles Dickens - stayed at the Mermaid House in 1842.







I have to interject one more time: I dare you to walk into this basement (of the Tapestry Room Restaurant) and not immediately think "Blair Witch".







All the details: Lebanon, IL is located about 30 miles east of St Louis. Here's a link to the Haunted Lebanon tour schedule. I hear the AGS Fall Festival is moving to Lebanon this year, so look for updates on Facebook when I find out the date! I look forward to returning to Lebanon!

Caffe Carnevale

This one is going to be a little shorter than usual, but there's really only one thing you need to know: Caffe Carnevale has some of the best hot dogs in town!



This is one of those times where I'm torn. The owner is awesome, the food is delicious, the cafe itself is cute and has a great comfy vibe. I can totally see this being my new weekend lunch spot. The question is, do I want to share it?



Well of course I do, that's what this blog is all about. I love telling people about things they haven't discovered on their own. Just make sure you leave me a table on Saturday afternoons, ok?



Check out this amazing "American Dog". Bacon, tomato, cheese, on a jumbo beef dog. I don't think I can make a habit of bacon and hot dog, but you know I go the culinary distance for CC&G. It was worth every calorie. There are over 20 different hot dogs on the menu, and if you include the "Up 2 U" build your own dog, the options are endless!



Amy got the Chicago Dog, which she rated as "delicious". The menu on the website is actually the new menu being rolled out on Tuesday, and Jay managed to get a sneak preview of the Spicy Peanut Dog, which is near the top of my list of dogs to try in the near future. The best part is, you can get any of these with a beef, turkey, or VEGGIE hot dog, so it's a win for everyone!



Caffe Carnivale is located at 4904 Devonshire Avenue in St Louis, near the corner of Kingshighway and Devonshire (next to Lily's). The hot dogs are worth a visit all by themselves, but they also have a couple sandwiches, popcorn, Billy Goat Chips (if you haven't tried these yet, you need to), Gus's Pretzels, cotton candy, and specialty beverages. They also have a dog friendly outdoor patio and free wifi! I'm in love!