A series that runs every Tuesday, where I ask questions unrelated to the environment, fair trade, or local politics that I’ve been wondering about but haven’t been able to google the answers to. Any advice is appreciated.
On Thursday, I fly out to visit my sis in St. Louis, Missouri, for T-giving weekend :)
Got any suggestions for places I should visit? I’m open to everything from museum to restaurant to bar to literary greats’ homes…
November 22nd, 2006 at 2:22 pm
a small in the eco-footprint entry a few days ago.
there is something called the HPI which is a measure of good your life (life satisfaction * life expectancy) is in relation to how much resources you use (eco-footprint). happyplanetindex.org. now you can calculate your own HPI: http://www.itint.co.uk/hpisurvey/
November 22nd, 2006 at 4:49 pm
A friend of mine from St. Louis recommended that I go see the new children’s museum. I haven’t been yet, but it’s supposed to be cool. When I was there I was seriously into the Arch, but not enough that I was going to pay to ride up it.
The coolest St. Louis thing that we did was actually outside of town. There’s a former munitions factory/superfund site called Weldon Spring, that has an awesome DOE run exhibit and a pyramid of rocks that you can climb a staircase up. The pyramid encapsulates all of the radioactive stuff that remains from the cleanup, and they let you go up on it! The view is spectacular - you can see for miles and miles from up there.
November 22nd, 2006 at 4:50 pm
Ill be in St. Louis too. Its not so bad. The arch is worth seeing!
November 22nd, 2006 at 4:50 pm
I should add that taking the Anheuser-Busch tour of the brewey is pretty cool. Touristy but well worth it. Who knew beer was complex?
Also the loop near Washington University has some col shops and so does the central west end. Around both the loop and the central West End there are beautiful homes. And check out Forest Park - its like St. Louis’ central park!
November 22nd, 2006 at 4:51 pm
The arch is definitely worth an hour or two. The ride up alone is worth the cost of admission ($11, IIRC).
I’d also recommend BB’s Jazz, Blues and Soup for dinner, particularly if there’s a band playing. The food is great (I had a great plate of red beans and rice) and the music is better. Have a Schlafly beer (brewed locally) on the side.
Enjoy!
November 22nd, 2006 at 4:52 pm
Definitely eat at Iron Barley on Virginia Street in South St Louis. Down home roadhouse atmosphere with an unusual menu and graet quality food
November 22nd, 2006 at 4:52 pm
Definitely check out the arch. Avoid Laclede’s Landing (touristy area next to the arch) in favor of the Delmar Loop (the area near Washington University, or Wash U as we call it) and the Central West End.
If you’re a meat eater, get a burger at Blueberry Hill on Delmar. Duff’s in the Central West End is the best place for brunch. For the best St. Louis-style pizza (extra thin crust), go to Cicero’s, also on the Delmar Loop.
Have fun!
November 22nd, 2006 at 4:53 pm
The hip place where young people hang out in STL is “the loop” (Delmar Ave in University City). Lots of good restaurants, music, etc.
Try the local pizza. It comes with provel cheese instead of mozzarella. Takes some getting used to. Try the frozen custard, too - that’s a popular dessert there. And due to A-B’s local presence, Bud is the most popular beer in town and it’s super cheap (some people think that’s a good thing - I make no judgment).
If you like trees and have time to drive a couple hours south/southwest, the Ozarks are really beautiful.
If you feel like exploring the local enviro issues, St Louis is an excellent example of urban sprawl, with a destitute inner city and concentric rings of increasingly new/upscale suburbs. Classic white flight. And the terrible traffic, air pollution, and segregation that comes with that.
You can also go check out the headquarters of Monsanto, out in Creve Couer. One of the biggest agriculture/chemical/biotech companies in the world. There have been many anti-GMO protests out there.
There are also some radioactive Superfund sites in North St Louis, left behind from the Manhattan Project.
And, of course, check out the Arch. But be warned - you frequently have to wait in line for hours before you get to go up.
November 22nd, 2006 at 4:55 pm
Wow — Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I’m not sure I’ll have time to check all of these places out (I leave tomorrow, come back Monday) — but I’ll try :) BTW — the times on the comments are gonna be off, cuz they got messed up while I was moving to a new web host this week…
November 22nd, 2006 at 6:38 pm
Siel…. drop me a note while you’re in town. Perhaps we can do a Fair Trade coffee… The museum mentioned above, the City Museum, is much more than a children’s museum…. it’s a completely unique experience.
November 23rd, 2006 at 10:33 am
I traveled to St. Louis too. I would definitely go to the City Museum. It is a playground for adults, made from all sorts of recycled things. Wear clothing you don’t care about, so you can climb around on your knees, and look for secret tunnels all over the place…I mean it, all over the place.
November 25th, 2006 at 9:57 pm
Thanks again everyone! The City Museum’s on the schedule tomorrow, as is a lotta other stuff. I’ll put up all the St. Louis adventures here :)