We posted the top 10 things we’ll miss and won’t miss in St. Louis.  What’s there to love about the Big RIC?  Here’s a list:

1. Nickname.  We’re happy to be in a town where we can have some fun with a name.  Columbia has the “Cocks”.  St. Louis was the “Screw”.  We’re marking Richmond as the “Big RIC”.  The airport letters are RIC and it’s the biggest little airport you’ve ever been in.
2. Grits. Yes, grits.  We’re still seeking real grits for breakfast in Richmond’s better known diners.  While we hunt, we’re happy to at least find them in the market.
3. The market.  No family owned grocery stores here.  Richmond has marketing whore markets where competition on price is prevalent.  We’re pleased that the Baptists sold out to the Dutch and we can now buy beer and wine on Sunday here. 
4. OBX.  We’re a few hours from OBX, DC, the Queen City, the Blue Ridge, and many places serving cold beverages and good times.  Not to say Senor Pique didn’t serve us up some good times but c’mon, Ballwin?!
5. History.  Virginia was the first English settlement of the new world.  The American Revolution lead by a Virginian ended here.  Our Declaration of Independence was written by a Virginian.  It doesn’t get any more “red, white, and blue”, regardless of the pattern, than ole Virginia.
6. DMB.  Someone recently accused me of being obsessed with DMB.  I corrected them: “My wife is obsessed with DMB and I’m obsessed with my wife.”  The band is from Charlottesville.  We’re seeing and spending too much on DMB in 2010.
7. Friendlies.  It’s great to be close to old friends and making new ones.  I particularly appreciate my team at the work place – a great gang with potential and passion for what we do each day.
8. The Obvious.  Commuting between Richmond and St. Louis for the past year has been… challenging to say the least.  Now we’re under one roof again.
9. Yes, weather.  It’s breezy here in the Big RIC.  Sure, tomorrow it’s supposed to be well over 100 degrees but there will be wind.
10. Ya’ll.  Why can’t we look forward to folklore, slang, accent, dictionary…anything that says “home”?

Ok so number ten was a stretch.  I’m not the writer for David Letterman.  Even if I was, my top ten with 9 valid items is better than what CBS can muster.  Did I ever share the story of seeing a Letterman taping?  Ah, it was lame and not worth the effort to write a post on.

We hope all are having a great week.  Stay cool.  Drink fine craft brew, American craft brew.  And love your spouse.

Last week we posted a top 10 list of things we’ll miss in St. Louis.  Here’s the antithesis (big word for me):

1. Manchester Rd.  This major artery stretching from Maplewood to Ellisville is wrought with congestion.  Richmonders think Broad Street in Short Pump is bad.  Think Short Pump about 20 miles in length and you’ll get the idea.
2. The St. Louis Screw.  This concept refers to all the vendors who seek to take advantage of good hard working folks.  We never experienced the type of rip-offs and poor service until moving to STL. 
3. The St. Louis Cardinals.  Yea, I had the Cards in the top 10 things we’ll miss in last week’s post.  Now we refer to the over obsession of baseball choking out the tremendous football potential the city has.  Can’t pigskin catch a break here?  (STL is Big 12 and Big 10 hell.  We want our SEC!)
4. “What high school did you go to?” Who cares!  Get over it St. Louis and stop trying to stereotype people.  There is life outside of St. Louis.
5. Humidity.  We grew up in the Deep South and never had a problem with humidity.  The big difference with St. Louis and other places we’ve lived is wind.  There doesn’t seem to be much wind in the summer and that makes for some awfully hot and sticky days.
6. The middle of the country.  Ever looked at the map and asked “how long does it take to get to… [Insert your favorite destination here]?” 
7. Dierberg’s.  There are limited grocery options in St. Louis for foodies.  Two family operated chains control the market.  Dierberg’s is one of them. 
8. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre.  Tracey always marvels at how much I loathe this concert venue.  I don’t think it represents what an outdoor venue should be about, and the beer is way too expensive.
9. Watching our neighbor’s dog crap in our yard.  Why our mailbox was the first stop on the daily walk is beyond our comprehension.  At least she has to pick it up and that was entertaining.
10. I can’t think of a 10. We’re not going to write a “10” just for the sake of one.  On review there’s nothing here that would keep us from coming back.  Maybe…

So long St. Louis!  See you online, in our dreams, in the news, and around.

We’ve been shuffling around people and running various other errands today.  Tracey has been a good sport about staying at HQ to help with answers, etc.  I noted in her Facebook stream a picture of all the boxes in the living room with the caption “here we go again.”

Seems like everywhere I go today people are friendly.  It’s as if St. Louis is glad to have us leaving although many of the comments have been “sorry to see you go.”  The teller at the bank was happy to hear we sold the house but acted disappointed to hear we were leaving town.  Even the cashier at St. Louis Bread Co. asked if we “liked it in St. Louis.”

We have to admit with the reality of the move hitting us hard, we will miss many things about St. Louis.  Here’s a quick top 10 (in no certain order):

1. Senor Pique.  It has to be the best Mexican restaurant we’ve ever eaten at.  Authentic “from grandmother’s kitchen” recipes combined with the friendliest people, not to mention they pour a great margarita!
2. Wildwood Barbershop.  About the most politically incorrect barbershop in West County but then again aren’t most barbershops politically incorrect?
3. 3 Nicolet.  Our home here was very special to us. The Panovec/DMB weekend of 2008 was a tremendous highlight not to mention the many butts smoked on the back patio.
4. WashU. I haven’t been the best person to stay in touch with my classmates from WashU but can say the school and all it offers to someone locally as an alumnus will be missed. 
5. BBQ Reviews.  We’ll have to get back into the hunt for good BBQ Virginia style.  Trying new places here in St. Louis with people so passionate about BBQ was definitely a highlight of being here.
6. STL Cardinals.  We’re not baseball fans but I can certainly tell you I relate more to the Cardinals now that I’ve spent some time away.  We may be able to catch a game before leaving this week!
7. Schlafly.  This local craft brew is special.  They can’t make it east fast enough for us.
8. LAN HQ.  LAN HQ is always where we are however the concept reached new heights here in St. Louis.  Our bar was always stocked with brew, good Q, smoking dead animals over long holiday weekends, etc.  We certainly lived well here.
9. Free cable TV.  We’re not cable employees anymore and I tell ya I now understand how everyone else lives.  We may be Verizon Fios customers when getting to Richmond.
10. Friends.  With the last year of commuting I haven’t been much of a friend but can say I met and worked with people here I know we’ll be friends for life.  Thanks to everyone for supporting us, laughing at our jokes, and for tolerating our every day rants.  We’ll miss everyone and we’ll always have a light at our home for you wherever we may be.

Happy Trails St. Louis.  Cheers!