ST. LOUIS — The countdown is on to an unofficial holiday in St. Louis. Preparations are underway for the Cardinals home opener Thursday.
"I'm so excited. I can't wait for baseball to start again,” Trisha Wood said.
She and her husband Steve Wood flew to St. Louis from Florida.
"It's kind of a bucket list thing, opening day, first time ever,” Steve Wood said.
They will join the tens of thousands of Cardinals fans taking over downtown for the home opener. It means a boost for local businesses, including hotels.
The Woods are staying at The Hilton.
"You can just walk to the stadium,” 5 On Your side said.
“That's why we’re there. I didn’t want to drive tomorrow,” Steve said.
One company is trying to make sure fans don’t run into transportation hassles.
"Parking fees, walking to the stadium, safety concerns,” Evan Beard of Redbird Express said.
No one wants to deal with that.
Its why Redbird Express is relaunching for the first time since 2019, picking up Cards fans from St. Clair Square beginning at 10 Thursday morning for $15 roundtrip.
"There's a bus leaving from Fairview Heights every 10 minutes, and you can reserve your spot for a specific departure time,” Beard said.
Drop off is at Gate 6 at Busch Stadium. Tickets can be purchased here.
Speaking of Busch, restaurants are ready for fans too.
"We’re going to be able to handle it. We got this,” Madison Stottlemyre of Koibito Poké said.
It's going to be Koibito Poké's first home opener in business. The sushi restaurant just opened Wednesday.
"People finally see ‘now open’ instead of ‘coming soon’” Stottlemyre said. Staff are prepping for a rush. "We can't even hold our excitement in. We’re so over the moon about this opportunity. We can't wait to see everybody tomorrow."
Everyone is getting into the spirit for the day that rolls around once a year … St. Louis' very own unofficial holiday.
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