Travel Eye on St Louis (Missouri, USA)

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Overview:

St. Louis makes a stunning first visual impression. It has a look that is all its own, of red brick and cobblestone streets, terra cotta friezes and stained glass.  The Mississippi River laps against a cobblestone levee.  Reflected in the mighty river are towering office buildings, elegant shopping centers, hotels, and apartment complexes, all well maintained, marking the visible signs of the city's success.

The construction of the 630 foot Gateway Arch in the 1960's was intended to bring recognition to St. Louis as having been the "Gateway to the West" in those days of pioneer settlement. It accomplished far more than the original intent, however.  The Arch helped spark the rebirth of downtown St. Louis, which until then had been abandoned in the rush for the suburbs.   What followed was one of the country's largest urban renewal projects and a billion dollar building boom, which resulted in the vital and energetic city that is St. Louis today.

Today St Louis is the biggest city in Missouri and one of the largest inland ports in the country. It is a modern, commercial, industrial and cultural centre. Although a cosmopolitan river metropolis, reminders of its frontier history are in evidence throughout the city, most visibly in the shining steel Gateway Arch that is the famous landmark of St Louis dedicated to the pioneers of the western frontier.

St.  Louis offers attractions of interest to the whole family at a nominal cost. Admission to many  of the museums and historic sites is free!  There is no charge, for example,  to visit the St. Louis Zoo.  The public transportation system whisks visitors around the city center easily and efficiently.  For visits to the vast outlying areas, a car is preferable.

Locality:

St. Louis lies on the Mississippi River at the junction of I-70, I-55, and I-44, a 290 mile 5 hour drive southwest of Chicago.

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do:

It is a city with numerous personalities: a mix of authentic America with a vaguely European air. Music from the nation's past floats from the famous jazz and blues clubs over the waters of the Mississippi, paddle steamers dock along the riverfront where warehouses that once housed industrial cargoes now contain antique shops and restaurants as part of the revitalised Laclede's Landing Historic District.

Popular attractions include:

Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tours - Tours include the recently renovated Brewhouse, Clydesdale stables, lager cellar, packaging plant, hospitality room.

Anheuser-Busch - St. Louis Conference and Sports - A 32-acre, multi-use facility; conferences, banquets, sports. Site of youth, collegiate and World Class Soccer events. Daily, 7 a.m. - 10 p.m.

America's Center - St. Louis' state-of-the-art convention complex. Group tours of the 70,000 seat Trans World Dome SM at America's Center by reservation only, Mon. - Fri.. Admission fee.

Calvary Cemetery - Grave sites of playwright Tennessee Williams, General William Tecumseh Sherman, Dred Scott. Many architecturally significant tombs and memorials. Historic tour guides available at the office.

Forest Park - Forest Park is one of the largest urban parks in the United States. At 1,370 acres, it is approximately 500 acres larger than Central Park in New York City. Contains Art Museum, Science Center, Zoo, Jewel Box greenhouse, History Museum and The Muny theatre, connected by the Shuttle Bug from the Forest Park MetroLink Station. 7.5-mile biking, jogging and skating path, ice skating rink, lakes.

Golf & Recreation - Come and play the majestic Annbriar Golf Course, which features a unique blend of open, links-style terrain on the scenic front nine and wooded rolling terrain on the back nine.