ST. LOUIS - MORE THAN A GATEWAY TO THE WEST

NO FADED GLORY: In its current status as a battleground state, Missouri can seem a hard place hard to figure out.  But, its oldest big city is an easy place to visit and explore.  I frequently hate the politics of Missouri, but I love St. Louis without reservation.

St. Louis reminds me of the town I now call home in many ways.  Both St. Louis and Baltimore are historic, independent cities founded in the 18^th century that were located near strategic waterfront locations.  Both had their major growth spurts long ago and each once ranked among America’s largest cities in the first part of the 20^th century.  And, both suffered through long and painful periods of decline and, later, reinvention.  More recently, both have emerged as reinvented 21^st century cities that are dynamic places to live and work and visit.  Like Baltimore and other cities that have struggled over time, St. Louis is not without its problems, but it remains and – in some ways because of those problems – has become a more vibrant, diverse place well worth exploring.

Today, St. Louis is one of the Midwest’s great visitor destinations, with great history, interesting neighborhoods, excellent dining and good shopping, and lots of things for both adults and kids to enjoy.  Earlier this year, my family and I spent a long weekend in the city and we enjoyed all that St. Louis has to offer.  We also made plans to return in order to see more of what we missed.  As it turns out, the Gateway to the West offers much for both the first-time and repeat visitor.

SETTLING IN:  St. Louis City has a population of 318,000, which makes it only the second largest city in Missouri after Kansas City, although metropolitan St. Louis is much larger at nearly 2.9 million.  By comparison, in the 1950s, St. Louis had more than 800,000 residents.   Despite its declining size, or maybe in response to it, St. Louis is a very livable city that welcomes visitors easily.

We arrived in St. Louis for a long weekend visit with my cousin and his children who are close in age to our 11-year-old.  For us, this meant a weekend of kid-friendly activities combined with general sightseeing, getting in a run, and enough shopping, dining and chances for adult beverages to keep everyone happy.  In this regard, St. Louis does not disappoint.

St. Louis has several lodging options: (1) downtown along the Mississippi River with its convention facilities and home of Busch Stadium (the St. Louis Cardinals) and Edward Jones Dome (the St. Louis Rams); (2) the Central West End, which is an upscale, in-town neighborhood that is home to some of the city’s cultural and recreational offerings; and (3) the Delmar Loop, a fun and interesting neighborhood near the beautiful campus of the well-respected Washington University and at the edge of the city limits.  In addition, beyond the city limits are lots of other options in surrounding St. Louis County, including the very upscale county seat of Clayton, home to St Louis' outposts of the Ritz-Carlton and Neiman-Marcus chains.

We chose as our base the very stylish and hip Moonrise Hotel in the Delmar Loop near the border between St. Louis City and University City.  It's a great location and it had the personal benefit of being located a few minutes away from my cousin's home.  Along with stylishly hip accommodations, the Moonrise features a very tasty and reasonably priced restaurant, Eclipse, along with a rooftop bar and is located right on Delmar Boulevard with its many restaurants and shops.  The service at the Moonrise was warm and friendly, and its location near Forest Park and among tree-lined streets of beautiful older homes allowed me to fit in a couple of easy sightseeing runs.   Other choice hotel options in St. Louis include, as noted above, the classically beautiful Ritz-Carlton in Clayton along with the equally stylish Chase Park Plaza in the Central West End and a newer entry to the luxury accommodations roster, the Four Seasons St. Louis downtown.

FUN FOR EVERYONE:  We started our exploration of St. Louis in one of the greatest urban parks anywhere.   Opened in 1876, Forest Park, on the city's western edge, is a fabulous greensward full of attractions for literally everyone.  This nearly 1,400 acre "civic center" hosted the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and the Summer Olympics in 1904, as well as a world's fair.  Today, it simply is a wonderful place to be outside and in.  Contained within its borders are the St. Louis Zoo, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum and the St. Louis Science Center.  We spent a sunny Friday afternoon at the zoo with the kids and our animal loving son gave the St. Louis rendition a big thumb's up.

After a casual dinner at home with my cousin and our kids, we all headed out the next morning bright and early for the signature attraction of St. Louis, the Gateway Arch.  Part of the Jefferson Expansion National Historic Park, the 630-foot arch was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States following the Louisiana Purchase.  It sits on the banks of the Mississippi River at the location where St. Louis was founded in 1764.  There is an excellent visitor center at the base of the arch and, excitingly for our kids, a tram that delivers you to the top of the arch and its ever-so-slightly claustrophobic observation deck.  On the morning of our visit, fog initially completely obstructed the view but, as it began to clear, we all enjoyed seeing the mighty Mississippi and downtown buildings come into view.

Back down on the ground and a few blocks away is another kid-friendly, yet slightly bizarre attraction, the City Museum.  Housed in the former home of the International Shoe Company in the Washington Avenue Loft District, the City Museum is a hands-on museum comprised mainly of repurposed industrial and architectural salvage.  It bills itself as an eclectic mixture of children's playground, surrealistic pavilion and architectural marvel.  Approaching the museum from the first street, one is not sure what to make of the jumble of towers, turrets, a hulk of an airplane and other odd pieces, all connected by wire mesh tunnels, which are perfect for climbing and exploring, all while suspended several feet in the air.  Inside, there is an aquarium, a gift shop, several dining options and, during warmer weather, a rooftop deck serving food and beverages.

FOR THE ADULTS:  Balancing travel itineraries to keep people of all ages engaged sometimes can be challenging.  In our case, we avoided any potential conflict during the second full day of our weekend visit to St. Louis, thanks to a teenage niece looking to earn some babysitting dollars.   With the kids happily settled at home with frozen pizza, my cousin and my spouse and I met up with a former colleague and her husband, an art dealer.  As you might imagine, an art dealer's home is - well - full of art.  After admiring my friends' museum/home, we headed out together for one of those great neighborhood restaurant meals that, as a visitor, make you feel like you've been let in on the secret handshake.

Trattoria Marcella sits on a corner in a largely residential stretch of southwest St. Louis.  It's just off I-44 and not far from Tower Grove Park, another great St. Louis green space, and the Missouri Botanical Garden.   The Italian menu is simple and straightforward.  The food and service were excellent during our visit and I enjoyed knowing that I'd never have found this place but for my St. Louis friends.

The next day, we ventured to the Central West End neighborhood.  It's full of beautiful homes from another century, as well as great restaurants and stores.  I love it here.  The CWE is home, as well, to one of my favorite places to browse in St. Louis.  Local, independent bookstores are rare these days but St. Louis can proudly claim Left Bank Books, a treasure trove of intelligent, varied and diverse book selections.  Our son found a shortish volume of British history, while I checked out the local St. Louis t-shirts.

Our final evening in St. Louis had us walking from the Moonrise down the - who knew - St. Louis walk of fame on Delmar Boulevard.  Turns out, there's a remarkable number of famous people who either grew up in St. Louis or spent considerable time in the city.  The list includes Josephine Baker, William Tecumseh Sherman, Marlin Perkins, Jackie Joyner Kersee and Miles Davis.  Our destination was another St. Louis landmark, Blueberry Hill.  This restaurant has been around for four decades and serves great comfort food.  We had a great final meal in St. Louis.

I really do love this city.  It straddles the border between east and west and north and south.  Most will find something familiar with which to identify.  In the end, St. Louis is its own interesting, diverse, complex slice of America. 

MY RULES:  St. Louis is easily accessible for everyone, owing to its location in the middle of the country.   That includes direct service from Baltimore. As for my second rule, I don't think anyone is going to label Missouri as a progressive place, but I do think St. Louis is a good town in which gay people can live and prosper without too much harassment.  Time will tell, but I think this is a good town in which families of all types can settle down.