St. Louis
 

Figured I'd start the first thread here. :)

As much as I slag on my hometown, St. Louis can be a lot of fun if you are a visitor: World-class museums, Forest Park, and of course, the Anheuser-Busch brewery.

St. Louis en mis Ojos is my own St. Louis page at Sycamoreland. I have some pictures of the city, as well as a page featuring things to do, restaurants to dine at, and other links to follow.

I've got family around St Louis- on the Illinois side- Edwardsville, but have spent many afternoons in Busch stadium and watching the Blues in the old barn and later in Kiel or whatever it is these days. Grandma loves the Cards.

We went over to the city at Christmas time and went to the St Louis Basillica- with amazing mosaics, then poked around West Central looking at old cool buildings. I really enjoy the University area too.

I've been to St. Louis twice.. and going back for a third time in March this year. (The Special Interest Group for University & College Computing Services [SIGUCCS] has its Computing Services Management Symposium there every year. Can we take the people who make these titles up out back somewhere and shoot them?) I thoroughly enjoyed it both times. However, I did notice that it seems a lot of places were closed on Monday. And I passed one shop that specifically said, "Open on Monday". Thought it was kinda strange--and was annoyed too, cause I took the train out from downtown to Univ. City to visit a used bookstore & found they were closed. I never imagined a bookstore would be closed on Monday.

My only other rap on the place is that it was so darn hard to get microbrews there. The hospitality suite was just crammed with Anheuser-Busch products for some reason!

Also, I must say my ungrateful wife has STILL not eaten the package of Buffalo Jerky I bought her in the gift shop at the arch. I wonder why??? :cool:

Gateway to the West
 

http://www.saltlake2002.com/c/0/53/5...hcities_03.jpg

Torchbearer Jane Aylward carries the Olympic Flame past the
St. Louis Arch on Jan. 8. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis stands as
a monument to America's 19th-century westward expansion.
St. Louis, historically considered the jumping-off point for travels
to the Western Frontier.

Yeah, it's kinda weird. A lot of places are open either Tues.-Sat. or Tues.-Sun. I've never understood why. Which book store did you go to? Subterranean?

Gee, I wonder why. ;) Seriously though, you just have to look a little for the microbrews. Quite a few St. Louis bars and restaurants offer them now. I highly recommend Schlafly, a local product. (The Oatmeal Stout is most excellent.) In fact, if you get the time during your next visit, head to Cicero's on Delmar in the University City Loop. I believe it just reopened (it caught fire and burned down last year). They offer something like 32 beers on tap and over 100 bottled varieties. Other good places are Brandt's and Blueberry Hill, just down the street from Cicero's. Also, there is the Morgan Street Brewery on Laclede's Landing, where they actually make their own beer (or several beers...I don't remember).

Yes, it was Subterranean I believe. I'm headed back to St. Louis this weekend--we'll see how much time I have away from my conference.

http://www.canoe.ca/TravelSouthernUS..._stlouis-l.jpg

St. Louis a must see during any visit to Mississippi (sic).

Nice article about the other St. Louis.

Oh no! Southern?! :rolleyes: And Mississippi? Oh fucking hell! God, Missouri is 50 million times better than Mississippi.

*turns off St. Louis pride*

Well, St. Louis is in an odd situation. Geographically, it's in the midwest. Personality and attitude-wise, it's southern. Though, only some of the folks talk with a twang. You find them in the more "earthier" parts. And the Mississippi deal could explain why it was placed in the South.

Admittedly, I have a slight twang at times...I blame it completely on spending 3 semesters at Southeast Missouri State University. :)

For the record, as a native St. Louisan, it IS a fun place to visit. As mentioned in the article, many of the attractions are free (although riding to the top of the Arch and going to the Childrens Zoo inside the main Zoo will cost you a little).

My high school graduation was at the Cathedral Basilica (what St. Louisans call "the New Cathedral"), which is pretty damned spiffy. I like it because it's rather Romanesque and Byzantine. It kinda reminds me of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. The Basilica of St. Louis XIV ("the Old Cathedral"--on the edge of the Arch grounds) is very cool as well.

I am fully available as a tour planner should you choose to head there. :)

I second that. The vast mosaics are incredibly beautiful and worth a look. It is very visitor friendly. :)

Jack Buck: 1924-2002
 

Hall of Fame radio announcer Jack Buck passed away Tuesday evening, after battling illness for several months.

He started calling St. Louis Cardinals baseball games with Harry Caray at KMOX-AM in St. Louis in 1954, and had been there ever since, minus one year at ABC (1960). He also did a variety of jobs with CBS radio and television, including several Super Bowls, World Series, and Monday Night Football.

Some of his more memorable calls include Kirk Gibson's pinch-hit home run during Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, Ozzie Smith's home run during Game 6 of the 1985 NL Championship Series, and Mark McGwire's 61st home run in 1998. (Ironically, his son, Fox baseball announcer Joe Buck, called #62 the following night on national television.)

A public viewing and memorial service will be held at Busch Stadium tomorrow morning, and his closed casket will lie in state at home plate.

Jack Buck was an institution in St. Louis, as an announcer and as a charitable human being. What I find amazing is how well-known he was outside of St. Louis. A statue of him behind the mic stands outside Busch Stadium, at the corner of Broadway and Clark. He will truly be missed.

Among those elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame yesterday was longtime Blues center Bernie Federko. Federko was the # 7 pick overall in the 1976 NHL draft, and spent 13 of his 14 NHL seasons (1976-90) with St. Louis. The two-time all-star scored 1130 points in 1000 games, and his # 24 hangs in the rafters of the Savvis Center. Last I recall, he was doing commentator work for the Blues on Fox Sports Net.

Darryl Kile: 1968-2002
 

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kile was found dead in his hotel room in Chicago this afternoon, apparently of natural causes. He was 33.

Kile came to St. Louis from the Colorado Rockies in 2000 and was one of the aces, along with Matt Morris. He won 16 games in 2001 and 20 in 2000, both playoff seasons for the Cardinals. He was currently 5-4 with a 3.72 ERA.

Ironically, it was Kile who pitched the Cardinals into first place on Tuesday night, the night that Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck died. Today's Cardinals-Cubs game was cancelled.

I mention it on my site, but I don't have a link for it, and that is the Missouri Botanical Garden, aka Shaw's Garden. A fascinating place, featuring a Japanese garden and the Climatron, a simulation of a tropical rain forest. One of those places that should be a sightseer's must-visit list.

The Botanical Garden is huge and wonderful. I fell in love with paperbark maples (acer griseum) there. Great woodland garden too.