GUIDE TO ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

Check books in January for the complete
printed guide to St. Louis with illlustrations!

The 2nd Midwestern city closest to my heart.
I lived there (off and on) for six years and here's what I found:art & architecture:

Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis 3750 Washington Blvd.
Brand spanking new museum!
www.contemporarystl.org
Be sure to stop next door at:

The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts 3716 Washington Blvd.
Designed by Tadao Ando. Walk through the Richard Serra sculpture
in the back.
www.pulitzerarts.org

The City Museum 701 N. 15th Street
Look for the bus teetering on top of the building. or a giant shoe.
Slide down a three story slide, crawl in caves and jump with really
big rubber bands. Beware of the creaky ferris wheel.
www.citymuseum.org

Laumeier Sculpture Park 12580 Rott Road
A bit of a trek, but well worth it. Get lost in the forest and don't
forget to look up into the trees.
www.laumeier.com

Mad Art Gallery 2727 S. 12th Street
It's a trick to find, but they have really great openings & parties
and it's in an old police station.
www.madartgallery.com

Amateur Wrestling at the South Broadway Athletic Club
2301 South 7th Street.
Once a month, grandmas, 8 year old boys, and hoosiers (not the
kind from Indiana) pack into the Broadway Athletic club for some
down and dirty wrestling. Hot dogs, cheap beer, and yes, ladies
wrestling too. If you're super PC you might want to stay at home,
if not- NOT TO BE MISSED!
www.southbroadwayac.org/events/wrestling.html

food & drink:

Black Thorn Pizza
3735 Wyoming
Shuffle board, pac man, and the best pizza in St. Louis.

Riddles Penultimate Cafe & Wine Bar 6307 Delmar Blvd.
The best wine list in the city (and a very informative guide to the
wine menu), good food and politics. Sit out on the patio, try the
Shrimp Sara. Located on the Delmar Loop.
www.riddlescafe.com

Crown Candy Kitchen 1401 St. Louis Ave
It's been there since 1913 and the milkshakes are perfect.

Eat-Rite Diner 622 Chouteau Ave.
Another historic diner with a waitress/cook duo straight from the fifties.
Open late night (post bar close), food for an iron stomach, not a wobbly one.

Soulard Market 7th & LaFayette, Saturday morning
The city's public farmers market. Get a cup of coffee from the Black
Bear Bakery and have a walk through.

late night:

The Dollar Bin with Kenny Kingston every Wednesday night, 11pm
THE BEST DANCE PARTY! EVER! It used to be at Lo (RIP)
but now it's at Rue 13, 1313 Washington Ave. 1985-1995, $1 sake,
be ready to sweat.

The Upstairs Lounge 3131 S. Grand
The second best dance party in the city on Mondays (I think it's still going on).
www.upstairslounge.com

The Hi-Pointe 1001 MacCausland Ave.
One of the few places to see independent rock bands.
www.hi-pointe.com

Pin Up Bowl 6191 Delmar
Get a vesper, play with the jukebox, blow some $$$$ bowling,
and you might even see Nelly.
www.pinupbowl.com

etc:

The Riverfront Times
The free weekly newspaper. Pick up for current shows, etc.
www.riverfronttimes.com

The Delmar Loop Delmar & Skinker Ave
The largest pedestrian shop/restaurant area in St. Louis.
Stop in at The Rag O Rama (6388 Delmar) and Ziezo (6354 Delmar Blvd)
for clothes, Subterranean books and Vintage Vinyl (6610 Delmar Blvd),
one of the best record shops in town.
www.ragorama.com
www.vintagevinyl.com

The Central West End Euclid & McPherson
Stop by Mezzanine for clothes (women) and Left Bank Books (399 N. Euclid). Head across the street to Zoe (4753 McPherson) for sake and good Asian fusion. Keep walking, there's lots more hidden in this neighborhood.
www.mezzaninewearables.com
www.left-bank.com
www.saucecafe.com/zoepanasia/

Missouri Botanical Gardens 4344 Shaw Blvd.
A really great place to relax and enjoy plants. Find the nearby donut shop.
www.mobot.org

Central St. Louis
Post-industrial, train tracks, abandoned buildings, old architecture.
Get a bike and a camera and see what you find. Beware though,
cars are not bicycle friendly in this town.