yk's 3-day St. Louis Trip Report
Mar 14th, 2006, 03:57 PM
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yk's 3-day St. Louis Trip Report
Hi everyone-
DH & I are back from our short trip to St. Louis. We were there for a total of 54 hours and had a wonderful time. We experienced a little bit of art, architecture, culture, music, high society, nature, wildlife, and of course, free beer! The weather was sunny one moment, cloudy the next, followed by rain, thunderstorm, and even tornado warning! Fortunately, the tornados did not end up hitting St. Louis.
Before I start the trip report, I'll tell you a little about us. We're in our early 30s, and this was our 1st visit to St. Louis (unless you count my 15-minute visit to the Amtrak Station in St. Louis over a decade ago).
This is a belated birthday trip I planned for DH. We live in Dallas, and thanks to a fare war between AA and Southwest, I got our plane tickets for $100pp on AA.
For our hotel, we stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Clayton via a Priceline bid of $65/night. I chose Clayton because the St. Patrick's Day parade was held during our visit in St. Louis, and I didn't want to stay in downtown and be stuck in traffic/congestion.
Now on to the trip itself...
DH & I are back from our short trip to St. Louis. We were there for a total of 54 hours and had a wonderful time. We experienced a little bit of art, architecture, culture, music, high society, nature, wildlife, and of course, free beer! The weather was sunny one moment, cloudy the next, followed by rain, thunderstorm, and even tornado warning! Fortunately, the tornados did not end up hitting St. Louis.
Before I start the trip report, I'll tell you a little about us. We're in our early 30s, and this was our 1st visit to St. Louis (unless you count my 15-minute visit to the Amtrak Station in St. Louis over a decade ago).
This is a belated birthday trip I planned for DH. We live in Dallas, and thanks to a fare war between AA and Southwest, I got our plane tickets for $100pp on AA.
For our hotel, we stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Clayton via a Priceline bid of $65/night. I chose Clayton because the St. Patrick's Day parade was held during our visit in St. Louis, and I didn't want to stay in downtown and be stuck in traffic/congestion.
Now on to the trip itself...
Mar 14th, 2006, 04:04 PM
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Day 1
Zoo, Afternoon Tea, St. Louis Art Museum
Our flight out of DFW was full, but with my Gold elite status, we sat in the exit row. I think AA was trying to impress its passengers, so our plane pushed back on time, and was able to get off ground within 10 minutes. We arrived in STL 15 minutes early.
Zoo
We picked up our rental car from Hertz and headed directly to the St. Louis Zoo.
http://www.stlzoo.org/
Entrance was free, but parking was $9. Fortunately, we were able to find a free parking spot on the street, but that required a good 8-minute walk.
We arrived around 11am. The zoo looks old and tired, but the animals there were remarkably active! We have been to a good number of zoos where the animals were either sleeping, or better yet, nowhere to be seen. At the St Louis zoo, monkeys were jumping from robe to robe, lizards were running, polar bear was playing with a ball in the pool, elephants were playing with water with their trunks.
We were a bit hungry, so we spent $10 on corndogs, soda, and chips. We left a little after 1pm.
We drove to our hotel, Crowne Plaza, in Clayton. We checked-in and changed into something nicer for our afternoon tea at Ritz-Carlton.
Afternoon Tea
The Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis is located in Clayton, 2 blocks from the Crowne Plaza. We walked over there. Our reservation was at 2:30pm.
We arrived at the lobby lounge. The lounge is quite big with plenty of tables, but only one table was occupied by 3 women. Another table, right next to the fire place, was all set up for us. The interior of the RC was the usual old-world opulence. However, there is no window or direct light from the outside. It seems a bit too stuffy for me.
We were given a choice of 4 teas to choose from. After our selection, our food arrived in a 3-tiered stand. The top tier held 4 types of finger sandwiches (2 pieces each). The middle tier has scones, Devonshire cream, carrot cake, and pound cake. The bottom tier has 4 different pastries. The portions were small, but enough to fill us up. The tea was served in beautiful fine china by Wedgewood (yes, I peaked).
After we devoured all the food, our server brought out a piece of cheesecake with a lit candle on top for DH. When I made the reservation, I casually mentioned that we were celebrating DH's birthday. It was a nice gesture on their part.
The tea set was $27pp. Even though it's been a few years since I had afternoon tea, I think the Four Seasons tea was better. We left just before 4pm.
We headed back to the hotel, and I took a much-needed nap for about 1 hour.
St. Louis Art Museum
SLAM is open until 9pm every Friday.
http://www.stlouis.art.museum/
We arrived just before 6pm. Admission is free. The main entrance of SLAM was built for the 1904 World's Fair. In front of the entrance stands a equestrian statue of Louis IX, the city's patron saint.
The Art Museum has a decent and diverse collection, though the (old) European painting section is somewhat weak. It has quite a collection of German art, with one entire room full of Max Beckmann.
We found 2 hours was plenty of time to see the entire museum, so at 8pm, we headed to Puck's, the museum's restaurant, for our dinner reservation. Puck's is named after Wolfgang Puck, who designed the restaurant's menu.
http://www.stlouis.art.museum/index.aspx?id=8
Our table was right next to a window looking out to the Sculpture Garden. Unfortunately, it was dark by then and the garden was dimly lit. We could barely make out a few sculptures (one of them being a Henry Moore).
DH ordered the French Onion soup with Gruyere cheese, followed by grilled pork chop with polenta. I had a butternut squash soup, and then potato gnocchi with wild mushrooms. All four dishes were quite good. We were so stuffed that we skipped dessert. Service, OTOH, was rather haphazard. We were served by multiple waiters. After one had taken our orders, another one came by to see if we had gotten the menu. They were all very nice and courteous, but better organization would be nice. Dinner came out to $66 (tax/tip included).
As we were rather exhausted, we skipped the idea of visiting a jazz club. We headed back to our hotel instead.
Zoo, Afternoon Tea, St. Louis Art Museum
Our flight out of DFW was full, but with my Gold elite status, we sat in the exit row. I think AA was trying to impress its passengers, so our plane pushed back on time, and was able to get off ground within 10 minutes. We arrived in STL 15 minutes early.
Zoo
We picked up our rental car from Hertz and headed directly to the St. Louis Zoo.
http://www.stlzoo.org/
Entrance was free, but parking was $9. Fortunately, we were able to find a free parking spot on the street, but that required a good 8-minute walk.
We arrived around 11am. The zoo looks old and tired, but the animals there were remarkably active! We have been to a good number of zoos where the animals were either sleeping, or better yet, nowhere to be seen. At the St Louis zoo, monkeys were jumping from robe to robe, lizards were running, polar bear was playing with a ball in the pool, elephants were playing with water with their trunks.
We were a bit hungry, so we spent $10 on corndogs, soda, and chips. We left a little after 1pm.
We drove to our hotel, Crowne Plaza, in Clayton. We checked-in and changed into something nicer for our afternoon tea at Ritz-Carlton.
Afternoon Tea
The Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis is located in Clayton, 2 blocks from the Crowne Plaza. We walked over there. Our reservation was at 2:30pm.
We arrived at the lobby lounge. The lounge is quite big with plenty of tables, but only one table was occupied by 3 women. Another table, right next to the fire place, was all set up for us. The interior of the RC was the usual old-world opulence. However, there is no window or direct light from the outside. It seems a bit too stuffy for me.
We were given a choice of 4 teas to choose from. After our selection, our food arrived in a 3-tiered stand. The top tier held 4 types of finger sandwiches (2 pieces each). The middle tier has scones, Devonshire cream, carrot cake, and pound cake. The bottom tier has 4 different pastries. The portions were small, but enough to fill us up. The tea was served in beautiful fine china by Wedgewood (yes, I peaked).
After we devoured all the food, our server brought out a piece of cheesecake with a lit candle on top for DH. When I made the reservation, I casually mentioned that we were celebrating DH's birthday. It was a nice gesture on their part.
The tea set was $27pp. Even though it's been a few years since I had afternoon tea, I think the Four Seasons tea was better. We left just before 4pm.
We headed back to the hotel, and I took a much-needed nap for about 1 hour.
St. Louis Art Museum
SLAM is open until 9pm every Friday.
http://www.stlouis.art.museum/
We arrived just before 6pm. Admission is free. The main entrance of SLAM was built for the 1904 World's Fair. In front of the entrance stands a equestrian statue of Louis IX, the city's patron saint.
The Art Museum has a decent and diverse collection, though the (old) European painting section is somewhat weak. It has quite a collection of German art, with one entire room full of Max Beckmann.
We found 2 hours was plenty of time to see the entire museum, so at 8pm, we headed to Puck's, the museum's restaurant, for our dinner reservation. Puck's is named after Wolfgang Puck, who designed the restaurant's menu.
http://www.stlouis.art.museum/index.aspx?id=8
Our table was right next to a window looking out to the Sculpture Garden. Unfortunately, it was dark by then and the garden was dimly lit. We could barely make out a few sculptures (one of them being a Henry Moore).
DH ordered the French Onion soup with Gruyere cheese, followed by grilled pork chop with polenta. I had a butternut squash soup, and then potato gnocchi with wild mushrooms. All four dishes were quite good. We were so stuffed that we skipped dessert. Service, OTOH, was rather haphazard. We were served by multiple waiters. After one had taken our orders, another one came by to see if we had gotten the menu. They were all very nice and courteous, but better organization would be nice. Dinner came out to $66 (tax/tip included).
As we were rather exhausted, we skipped the idea of visiting a jazz club. We headed back to our hotel instead.
Mar 14th, 2006, 04:18 PM
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Day 2
Cahokia, Pulitzer, Botanical Garden, Concert
Cahokia Mounds
We left our hotel around 9:30am and headed towards the Cahokia Mounds over in Illinois. We arrived at around 10am. It is the largest pre-historic archaeological site in N. America, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
http://www.cahokiamounds.com/cahokia.html
We got to the visitor center just in time for the 10am introduction movie, then we viewed the exhibits. Afterwards, we headed outside to climb the highest mound, Monks Mound. From the top of the mound, we could see the skyline of St. Louis.
Lunch
We headed back to St. Louis around 12 noon. From Highway 44, we were able to see the sea of green in downtown (the St. Patrick's Day parade).
We arrived at the Contemporary Art Museum, only to find it closed for the day due to preparations for a ball that evening. I had planned on eating at the cafe (Tempt) inside the Contemporary, so we had to find an alternative. After consulting our St. Louis guide, we decided to go to Nadoz Cafe nearby.
http://www.saucemagazine.com/nadoz/
DH & I were tempted by the crepes on the menu, so we each ordered one. Unfortunately, they were not good. The crepes had been pre-made and were reheated when ordered. It came out crispy like a taco shell, and way too greasy. The fillings were too salty. This was the worst meal we had on the entire trip. Lunch was $24.
Pulitzer
We arrived at the Pulitzer Foundation at 1pm. It is only open 2 days a week - Wed and Sat.
http://www.pulitzerarts.org/
The building was designed by Tadao Ando. We were not surprised to find the building material the same smooth concrete he used to build the Fort Worth Modern.
The Pulitzer holds art exhibitions. The current one, which ends in April, is called Minimalism and Beyond. DH both enjoyed the exhibits. Apart from the usual suspects, such as Judd and Flavin, we came across some other cool works by Roni Horn and Felix Gonzalez-Torres.
A few pieces of work were commissioned for the Foundation, including Kelly's huge Blue Black panel, and Serra's Joe in the courtyard.
We decided to stick around and join the 2pm docent-led tour. Apart from talking about the works on display in the exhibition, she also explained the architecture of the building. We finally left the Pulitzer at 3:15pm.
Missouri Botanical Garden
Our next stop was the Missouri Botanical Garden.
http://www.mobot.org/
It was an unusally warm day with great sunshine. We arrived at 3:30pm and paid $8 each for admission. Much of the garden is still brown and barren, but we saw some beautiful blooming camellias. The garden was filled with birds and we saw quite a number of cardinals. We visited both the Chinese and Japanese gardens, and fed a few huge koi. We left at 5pm.
Before heading back to the hotel, we made a detour to Ted Drewes for some frozen custard! From what I've read, skipping Ted Drewes is like skipping Pat's cheesesteak while visiting Philadelphia. The place was packed! DH & I both licked our cups clean. We then returned to the hotel so that I could take a nap.
Concert
We had tickets that evening for a chamber music concert at the Pulitzer, with musicians from the St. Louis Orchestra. The concert is held in conjuction with the current Minimalism exhibit and featured modern music. Before the concert started, the director of the Pulitzer Foundation, Matthias Waschek (a German, who worked at the Louvre prior to his current position), introduced the guest conductor, Pascal Rophé. Rophé gave a brief but informative introduction to the 2 pieces of music he picked for that evening. His explanations made the music more interesting to listen to, especially when it comes to modern music. The 2 pieces were:
Etwas ruhiger im Ausdruck by Donatoni
Vortex temporum by Grisey
I wouldn't say I enjoyed the music, but the concert did open up my horizons a little bit. The Vortex contains music written in quarter-tones.
Dinner
Our dinner reservation at Trattoria Marcella was for 10pm, but with the concert shorter than I thought, we arrived at 9pm.
http://www.saucemagazine.com/drill.p...Text=trattoria
Fortunately, we were able to get seated right away. We shared an appetizer of "polenta fries" with wild mushrooms, then DH had veal scallopini and I had lobster risotto. The appetizer was excellent, while the entrees were quite good. Dinner came out to $80.
Cahokia, Pulitzer, Botanical Garden, Concert
Cahokia Mounds
We left our hotel around 9:30am and headed towards the Cahokia Mounds over in Illinois. We arrived at around 10am. It is the largest pre-historic archaeological site in N. America, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
http://www.cahokiamounds.com/cahokia.html
We got to the visitor center just in time for the 10am introduction movie, then we viewed the exhibits. Afterwards, we headed outside to climb the highest mound, Monks Mound. From the top of the mound, we could see the skyline of St. Louis.
Lunch
We headed back to St. Louis around 12 noon. From Highway 44, we were able to see the sea of green in downtown (the St. Patrick's Day parade).
We arrived at the Contemporary Art Museum, only to find it closed for the day due to preparations for a ball that evening. I had planned on eating at the cafe (Tempt) inside the Contemporary, so we had to find an alternative. After consulting our St. Louis guide, we decided to go to Nadoz Cafe nearby.
http://www.saucemagazine.com/nadoz/
DH & I were tempted by the crepes on the menu, so we each ordered one. Unfortunately, they were not good. The crepes had been pre-made and were reheated when ordered. It came out crispy like a taco shell, and way too greasy. The fillings were too salty. This was the worst meal we had on the entire trip. Lunch was $24.
Pulitzer
We arrived at the Pulitzer Foundation at 1pm. It is only open 2 days a week - Wed and Sat.
http://www.pulitzerarts.org/
The building was designed by Tadao Ando. We were not surprised to find the building material the same smooth concrete he used to build the Fort Worth Modern.
The Pulitzer holds art exhibitions. The current one, which ends in April, is called Minimalism and Beyond. DH both enjoyed the exhibits. Apart from the usual suspects, such as Judd and Flavin, we came across some other cool works by Roni Horn and Felix Gonzalez-Torres.
A few pieces of work were commissioned for the Foundation, including Kelly's huge Blue Black panel, and Serra's Joe in the courtyard.
We decided to stick around and join the 2pm docent-led tour. Apart from talking about the works on display in the exhibition, she also explained the architecture of the building. We finally left the Pulitzer at 3:15pm.
Missouri Botanical Garden
Our next stop was the Missouri Botanical Garden.
http://www.mobot.org/
It was an unusally warm day with great sunshine. We arrived at 3:30pm and paid $8 each for admission. Much of the garden is still brown and barren, but we saw some beautiful blooming camellias. The garden was filled with birds and we saw quite a number of cardinals. We visited both the Chinese and Japanese gardens, and fed a few huge koi. We left at 5pm.
Before heading back to the hotel, we made a detour to Ted Drewes for some frozen custard! From what I've read, skipping Ted Drewes is like skipping Pat's cheesesteak while visiting Philadelphia. The place was packed! DH & I both licked our cups clean. We then returned to the hotel so that I could take a nap.
Concert
We had tickets that evening for a chamber music concert at the Pulitzer, with musicians from the St. Louis Orchestra. The concert is held in conjuction with the current Minimalism exhibit and featured modern music. Before the concert started, the director of the Pulitzer Foundation, Matthias Waschek (a German, who worked at the Louvre prior to his current position), introduced the guest conductor, Pascal Rophé. Rophé gave a brief but informative introduction to the 2 pieces of music he picked for that evening. His explanations made the music more interesting to listen to, especially when it comes to modern music. The 2 pieces were:
Etwas ruhiger im Ausdruck by Donatoni
Vortex temporum by Grisey
I wouldn't say I enjoyed the music, but the concert did open up my horizons a little bit. The Vortex contains music written in quarter-tones.
Dinner
Our dinner reservation at Trattoria Marcella was for 10pm, but with the concert shorter than I thought, we arrived at 9pm.
http://www.saucemagazine.com/drill.p...Text=trattoria
Fortunately, we were able to get seated right away. We shared an appetizer of "polenta fries" with wild mushrooms, then DH had veal scallopini and I had lobster risotto. The appetizer was excellent, while the entrees were quite good. Dinner came out to $80.
Mar 14th, 2006, 04:28 PM
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Day 3
Arch, Union Station, Anheuser-Busch
Gateway Arch
An early start got us to the Gateway Arch just after 9am.
http://www.gatewayarch.com/
Unfortunately, it was quite foggy that day. We decided to tour the museum first and go up the arch later, hoping that the fog would clear up.
The exhibit inside the Museum of Westward Expansion is rather confusing and chaotic. In one corner is a small section dedicated to Eero Saarinen, who won the competition in the 1940s to build the Arch.
We then took the "tram" to ascend the Arch. It is quite an ingenious design. I found the ride to be the best part of the trip. Once up there, I was somewhat disappointed. For some reason, I had this idea that there would be a cafe and gift shop at the top (I don't know why). In reality, the space was very small. As we looked out the windows, I found myself developing some vertigo. Even though the fog had cleared up some, we still weren't able to see too far.
Union Station
On our way from the Arch to Union Station, we drove past Wainwright Building, which was designed by Louis Sullivan.
The Union Station in St. Louis is a shopping center, not a train station.
http://www.stlouisunionstation.com
Well, it used to be a train station long time ago. We walked through the entire center before we found what we were looking for - the Grand Hall. It is truly breath-taking.
Brunch
Our next stop was brunch at SqWires located at the historic LaFayette Sq. We very much enjoyed the atmosphere there as well as the food.
http://www.sqwires.com/
Anheuser-Busch
Our last stop in St. Louis was the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. Saving the best for last, you can say.
http://www.budweisertours.com/docs/stltour.htm
We arrived just before 1pm, but we had to wait for the 1:30pm tour. In the waiting area are displays about beer, and of course, a gift shop.
The tour lasted for 1 hour. We started off with the stables where the Clydesdales reside, followed by the cellars, brewhouse, packaging plant, and finally, free beer! Each visitor was allowed 2 free beer samples, but DH & I only had one each.
Admirals Club
Our drive back to the airport was smooth, as well as returning the rental car. We were inside the terminal by 3:15pm for our 4:30pm flight. As we had 45 minutes before boarding started, I got us into the AA Admirals Club.
I am not a member of the Admirals Club, but I received a complimentary visit card in the mail a few weeks ago. The card is only valid until end of April. DH didn't receive one, but the staff at the AC was nice enough to let him in also.
Wow! It was so nice there. Unlike the noise and chaos in the normal waiting area, the AC was quiet and peaceful. We sat down in the leather seats, and we both dozed off immediately. Soon enough, it was time to board the plane.
Even though the AC was nice, I am not willing to dish out $400 for its membership fee.
Our flight to DFW was uneventful. We again sat in the exit row. Our plane touched down at DFW 15 minutes early, but our gate was not ready. In the end, we sat on the runway for 15 minutes.
Arch, Union Station, Anheuser-Busch
Gateway Arch
An early start got us to the Gateway Arch just after 9am.
http://www.gatewayarch.com/
Unfortunately, it was quite foggy that day. We decided to tour the museum first and go up the arch later, hoping that the fog would clear up.
The exhibit inside the Museum of Westward Expansion is rather confusing and chaotic. In one corner is a small section dedicated to Eero Saarinen, who won the competition in the 1940s to build the Arch.
We then took the "tram" to ascend the Arch. It is quite an ingenious design. I found the ride to be the best part of the trip. Once up there, I was somewhat disappointed. For some reason, I had this idea that there would be a cafe and gift shop at the top (I don't know why). In reality, the space was very small. As we looked out the windows, I found myself developing some vertigo. Even though the fog had cleared up some, we still weren't able to see too far.
Union Station
On our way from the Arch to Union Station, we drove past Wainwright Building, which was designed by Louis Sullivan.
The Union Station in St. Louis is a shopping center, not a train station.
http://www.stlouisunionstation.com
Well, it used to be a train station long time ago. We walked through the entire center before we found what we were looking for - the Grand Hall. It is truly breath-taking.
Brunch
Our next stop was brunch at SqWires located at the historic LaFayette Sq. We very much enjoyed the atmosphere there as well as the food.
http://www.sqwires.com/
Anheuser-Busch
Our last stop in St. Louis was the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. Saving the best for last, you can say.
http://www.budweisertours.com/docs/stltour.htm
We arrived just before 1pm, but we had to wait for the 1:30pm tour. In the waiting area are displays about beer, and of course, a gift shop.
The tour lasted for 1 hour. We started off with the stables where the Clydesdales reside, followed by the cellars, brewhouse, packaging plant, and finally, free beer! Each visitor was allowed 2 free beer samples, but DH & I only had one each.
Admirals Club
Our drive back to the airport was smooth, as well as returning the rental car. We were inside the terminal by 3:15pm for our 4:30pm flight. As we had 45 minutes before boarding started, I got us into the AA Admirals Club.
I am not a member of the Admirals Club, but I received a complimentary visit card in the mail a few weeks ago. The card is only valid until end of April. DH didn't receive one, but the staff at the AC was nice enough to let him in also.
Wow! It was so nice there. Unlike the noise and chaos in the normal waiting area, the AC was quiet and peaceful. We sat down in the leather seats, and we both dozed off immediately. Soon enough, it was time to board the plane.
Even though the AC was nice, I am not willing to dish out $400 for its membership fee.
Our flight to DFW was uneventful. We again sat in the exit row. Our plane touched down at DFW 15 minutes early, but our gate was not ready. In the end, we sat on the runway for 15 minutes.
Mar 14th, 2006, 04:34 PM
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I think a lot of people have a misconception that there's nothing to do in St. Louis, and we definitely found that NOT to be true. As I mentioned in the beginning, we experienced:
art (SLAM, Pulitzer)
architecture (Arch, Pulitzer)
culture (Cahokia Mounds)
music (St. Louis Orchestra)
high society (tea at Ritz-Carlton)
nature (Missouri Botanical Garden)
wildlife (St. Louis zoo)
I found the food to be much better and more affordable than Dallas.
Having said that though, I think it's gonna be a long while before we will revisit St. Louis again...
art (SLAM, Pulitzer)
architecture (Arch, Pulitzer)
culture (Cahokia Mounds)
music (St. Louis Orchestra)
high society (tea at Ritz-Carlton)
nature (Missouri Botanical Garden)
wildlife (St. Louis zoo)
I found the food to be much better and more affordable than Dallas.
Having said that though, I think it's gonna be a long while before we will revisit St. Louis again...
Mar 15th, 2006, 05:14 AM
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My best friend comes from St. Louis and I've always wanted to know what fun was their besides beer (which I don't drink) and baseball (wrong team for me). You have really opened my eyes and now I want to go! thanks!
Mar 15th, 2006, 05:58 AM
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YK,
Thanks for such a nice report, it's always interesting hearing a visitor's perspective on St. Louis. I agree with your view on most of what you visited., I went to the Pulitzer 2 weekends ago (saw Emily Pulitzer in her jeans showing the collection to a friend) and the museum shows well, yet only requires a short visit to see what there is to see. The architecture is just as interesting,if not more interesting, than the art.
I don't think that you mentioned that the Pulitzer has free admission. As does the zoo and the Art Museum. Complaining about parking fees when admission is free (and parking is free at SLAM) seems kind of petty. Especially when there is plenty of free, on street parking, you just have to find it and walk from it, as you found out.
Union Station, as I've said before, has not had trains in a long time. It was developed as a mall in the early '80's, and is currently in the process of being bought again by yet another developer. It is, however, the site of the famous Harry Truman photo holding up the newspaper with the headline "Dewey beats Truman".
SLAM has all it's Beckmann's because of the bequest of Morton May (May Co.) an important St. Louis benefactor and art collector. Cass Gilbert was the architect for the original Beaux-Arts building that now houses SLAM. There are beautiful cabinets that he designed in the SLAM Library.
We like both Sqwires and Trattoria Marcella, you picked some good restaurants to visit. We've had decent dessert at NaDoz, sorry that you had a bad meal there.
I do have to take issue with your comment about the zoo looking old and tired. There has been an unbelievable amount of construction and new buildings at the zoo during the last few years, and I think it looks fresh and inviting. Did you go to the River's Edge? That's where the elephants, among others, are now housed. It relaced a tiny area the elephants had before and was built so that the male elephant (Raja) born about 15 years ago to a St. Louis zoo female elephant, would have enough space to flourish.
And, to Timberwolf, I don't think St. Louis is in any way like the deep south. Please note that St. Louis city and county vote decidedly differently than the rest of the state of MO.
Thanks for such a nice report, it's always interesting hearing a visitor's perspective on St. Louis. I agree with your view on most of what you visited., I went to the Pulitzer 2 weekends ago (saw Emily Pulitzer in her jeans showing the collection to a friend) and the museum shows well, yet only requires a short visit to see what there is to see. The architecture is just as interesting,if not more interesting, than the art.
I don't think that you mentioned that the Pulitzer has free admission. As does the zoo and the Art Museum. Complaining about parking fees when admission is free (and parking is free at SLAM) seems kind of petty. Especially when there is plenty of free, on street parking, you just have to find it and walk from it, as you found out.
Union Station, as I've said before, has not had trains in a long time. It was developed as a mall in the early '80's, and is currently in the process of being bought again by yet another developer. It is, however, the site of the famous Harry Truman photo holding up the newspaper with the headline "Dewey beats Truman".
SLAM has all it's Beckmann's because of the bequest of Morton May (May Co.) an important St. Louis benefactor and art collector. Cass Gilbert was the architect for the original Beaux-Arts building that now houses SLAM. There are beautiful cabinets that he designed in the SLAM Library.
We like both Sqwires and Trattoria Marcella, you picked some good restaurants to visit. We've had decent dessert at NaDoz, sorry that you had a bad meal there.
I do have to take issue with your comment about the zoo looking old and tired. There has been an unbelievable amount of construction and new buildings at the zoo during the last few years, and I think it looks fresh and inviting. Did you go to the River's Edge? That's where the elephants, among others, are now housed. It relaced a tiny area the elephants had before and was built so that the male elephant (Raja) born about 15 years ago to a St. Louis zoo female elephant, would have enough space to flourish.
And, to Timberwolf, I don't think St. Louis is in any way like the deep south. Please note that St. Louis city and county vote decidedly differently than the rest of the state of MO.
Mar 15th, 2006, 11:03 AM
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You asked about St. Louis. St. Louis is NOT in southern Missouri. The "bootheel" of Missouri is probably the area you are thinking of. It is the most southern/eastern part of the state of MO and borders Arkansas, Tenn and KY. This is the area that has produced the state rep. that has proposed making the State of Missouri recognize only a "christian" god. I don't/would never live there.
I can't comment on Tennessee or Kentucky being part of the "deep South", I don't live there and have only visited each state once.
I can't comment on Tennessee or Kentucky being part of the "deep South", I don't live there and have only visited each state once.
Mar 15th, 2006, 03:29 PM
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I grew up in St. Louis and we never felt southern. But I'm amazed at the number of people I know from true southern states who feel this southern bond with me. I always believed the state was split, both historically and as a matter of self-opinion.
Mar 16th, 2006, 03:04 PM
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Liz-
Thanks for your comments. Yes, there are some new sections at the zoo. I think I got the "old and tired" impression from the entrance, and also the first number of buildings we visited (we started off with the Eastern side of the zoo, and ended with the newest addition).
I thought $9 for parking is a bit steep. I know, the zoo is free. But the last time we visited a zoo was the one in Washington DC, so we're kind of spoiled.
And no, Timeberwolf, St. Louis does NOT feel like the deep south at all.
Thanks for your comments. Yes, there are some new sections at the zoo. I think I got the "old and tired" impression from the entrance, and also the first number of buildings we visited (we started off with the Eastern side of the zoo, and ended with the newest addition).
I thought $9 for parking is a bit steep. I know, the zoo is free. But the last time we visited a zoo was the one in Washington DC, so we're kind of spoiled.
And no, Timeberwolf, St. Louis does NOT feel like the deep south at all.
Mar 16th, 2006, 03:54 PM
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yk
You certainly covered a lot of ground. I was impressed that you ventured over into Illinois to see Cahokia Mounds. Well worth the visit.
Your report was very detailed and most helpful to anyone planning a trip.
Thanks for taking the time to share your long weekend.
Sandy
You certainly covered a lot of ground. I was impressed that you ventured over into Illinois to see Cahokia Mounds. Well worth the visit.
Your report was very detailed and most helpful to anyone planning a trip.
Thanks for taking the time to share your long weekend.
Sandy
Mar 16th, 2006, 04:01 PM
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Even where I am at in southwest Mo, HERE it doesn't feel like "the south" to me.
I LOVE St. Louis and go there quite often for a 'city fix' of great dining and culture. (I have been to the south, New Orleans, Savannah and St. Louis to me feels like a small Chicago...) KC, MO. feels more "mid-west" than the Lou.
Just wanted to add my 2 cents....
Thanks yk for a great report! We walked into the Ritz for a look see and it looked like a retirement home...
It WAS claustrophobic and stuffy.
YK, the next time you go, try the Westin downtown! It's great.
I got the Renaissance on Priceline
downtown and it was great too.
You can get around pretty easy.
I LOVE St. Louis and go there quite often for a 'city fix' of great dining and culture. (I have been to the south, New Orleans, Savannah and St. Louis to me feels like a small Chicago...) KC, MO. feels more "mid-west" than the Lou.
Just wanted to add my 2 cents....
Thanks yk for a great report! We walked into the Ritz for a look see and it looked like a retirement home...
It WAS claustrophobic and stuffy.
YK, the next time you go, try the Westin downtown! It's great.
I got the Renaissance on Priceline
downtown and it was great too.
You can get around pretty easy.
Mar 17th, 2006, 02:44 PM
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beachkomer-
Next time we go to St Louis (whenever that might be!), we most likely will stay in downtown. The reason we stayed in Clayton was that we wanted to avoid the St Patrick's Day parade.
The Priceline bids for downtown hotels are definitely lower than for Clayton, and I bet any 4* DT hotels will be better than the Crowne Plaza in Clayton. We didn't really like the Crowne Plaza at all...
Next time we go to St Louis (whenever that might be!), we most likely will stay in downtown. The reason we stayed in Clayton was that we wanted to avoid the St Patrick's Day parade.
The Priceline bids for downtown hotels are definitely lower than for Clayton, and I bet any 4* DT hotels will be better than the Crowne Plaza in Clayton. We didn't really like the Crowne Plaza at all...
Mar 17th, 2006, 04:07 PM
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yk,
I got the Hyatt Union station for $50 and it was very easy to get around from there...right near 40. I liked the activity (except most of the stores are just t-shirt/tourist shops).Our room was nice, no view really, but for $50 it worked! I got the Ren. downtown two diff. times for $50ish....nice! Lots of marble and fancy without fussy. Check out the pictures online. It was just renovated a few years back.
Did you go to the Central West End? I didn't see it in your report. Check it out next time. Artsy, great dining. Right near Forest Park.
Next trip, just avoid summer: it is smokin' hot, probably with more humidity than Texas?
Great report! I need to visit some of the places you got to.
I got the Hyatt Union station for $50 and it was very easy to get around from there...right near 40. I liked the activity (except most of the stores are just t-shirt/tourist shops).Our room was nice, no view really, but for $50 it worked! I got the Ren. downtown two diff. times for $50ish....nice! Lots of marble and fancy without fussy. Check out the pictures online. It was just renovated a few years back.
Did you go to the Central West End? I didn't see it in your report. Check it out next time. Artsy, great dining. Right near Forest Park.
Next trip, just avoid summer: it is smokin' hot, probably with more humidity than Texas?
Great report! I need to visit some of the places you got to.
