ST. LOUIS — Frigid temperatures gripped the St. Louis area Friday.
Popular downtown streets that are usually bustling with bar-hoppers and weekend revelers looked more like a ghost town.
Still, at Union Station it was a much different story.
"Me and my mom actually wanted to come for multiple years and once I had my son, we decided tonight was the best time to come. It wasn't too cold at all," said an excited Kylee Behm.
Behm was among the many parents who packed Union Station for the "Polar Express Train Ride."
The eighth annual event officially kicked off the holiday season at Union Station.
5 On Your Side's Robert Townsend talked to many people who were enjoying the below-freezing temperatures.
People said the chilly weather puts them in the mood for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
"For me, the colder the better. I actually would like some snow or just to see some flurries would be really pretty," said Ginger Davis, who lives in Jerseyville.
Davis and several of her grandchildren also had a blast at the holiday event at Union Station.
Friday night, there were plenty of people in coats, thick jackets and lots of layers.
Kristen and Bolivar Reyes and their cool canine were visiting a cold St. Louis from Minnesota.
"Oh it's cold here, but this really isn't cold compared to Minnesota. We just bundled up," said Bolivar Reyes.
"I got on my scarf. My hood is up, but I forgot my gloves. It's okay. We also like the cold weather. We're making it," added Kristen Reyes.
A cab driver also told us tonight's chilly weather put a big chill on business for him.
Throughout the evening he really didn't pick up many fares like he normally would on a warmer November day in St. Louis.