Blogger Tour of St. Louis and Dinner at Hiro
The week that was STLFW felt like an absolute whirlwind of fabulous fun! Friday was no exception, with a big group of fashion bloggers being invited by St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission (CVC) to tour our gorgeous city. We were all picked up by Fun Tyme Limousine outside of Union Station, and started trucking around to get those sites in our sights! We celebrated with champagne as well as Redd's Apple Ale, and got to better know one another as we traveled. Follow us through a quick photo diary of the day!
We stopped in the Delmar Loop for shopping and lunch. The two stops that we all popped into, and almost everyone bought something fabulous in, were Avalon Exchange and Bluebird Apparel. Salt + Smoke hosted us for lunch, and let me say, that place is a carnivore's dream! I love their pulled chicken and brisket (with burnt tips specifically).
We hopped out of the limo at Brown Shoe Company for an awesome photo opp with their giant shoe made of shoes! Brown Shoe was one of the biggest sponsors for STLFW this season, so we knew we had to give them some lovin' while out and about on our trip.
We concluded our tour of the city at the one and only Saint Louis City Museum, which all St. Louisans know is a true gem. We honestly could have spent all day there! I'm proud to say it seemed to really impress all the out-of-town bloggers!.
Did you notice anything strange about my outfit that day? Perhaps that it changed? Yep, you were right in assuming that halfway through the day I totally switched what I was wearing. Avalon Exchange and Bluebird were so kind to invite us in, I knew I might as well just go ahead and get a whole new outfit from shopping with them!
After the tour, we all dispersed for the early evening. Some of us napped, some of us hung out, some headed to CLR-MNSTR's happy hour, but we all reconvened at Hiro Asian Kitchen for dinner. I arrived early, and was excited to see how nicely the place settings were. Bernie, the owner, really went out of the way to make the dinner special. He even used the STLFW branding on the night's menus, and secured liquor sponsors for the evening: Pearl Vodka and Kansas Whiskey.
Our tasty, three-course meal featured a kale salad, edamame hummus with warm pita, chicken for carnivores, steamed veggies for herbivores, and truffle balls. Moscow Mule drinks were served in gorgeous copper mugs. My table of bloggers caught up about our week, what we hope to see next at STLW, and told ghost stories. When I left, I remember thinking that dinner at Hiro was one of the top-ranking events I've been invited to since beginning my blog. Bernie's warm, welcoming attitude, and clear intent to go above and beyond to impress made me smile. I also hear his brunch is incredible, so I can't wait to try more of his food!
Overall, an amazingly fun day! So many thanks to ALIVE Magazine for inviting me, and to the Saint Louis CVC for hosting us all on our tour! If you'd like to see more photos from the day, head over here to the Facebook album.