Not too long ago, Gov. Matt Blunt rankled local urbanists by suggesting that cities are places “where nobody wants to live.”

But what about places to visit?

In a push to promote state tourism at a time when gas prices might keep people home, Blunt is trumpeting a four-day RV-tour that he and First Lady Melanie Blunt are taking around the state.

Blunt’s road trip begins today around St. Genevieve; works its way up to Mark Twain’s birthplace in Florida, Mo.; meanders to the Thomas Hart Benton Home in Kansas City; and ends with the dedication of the Lewis and Clark Trailhead Monument in Jefferson City.

Missing is any stop in the St. Louis area: No time at the Arch, no stop at the Missouri Botanical Garden or visit to Grant’s Farm. (Does Busch Stadium have RV parking?)

His absence, though, might be more logistics than an intentional slight: Blunt’s four-day swing also stays away from southwest Missouri, and we’re sure that Blunt would not want to offend the part of the state he calls home.

St. Louis not on Blunt’s itinerary