June Is Bustin' Out All Over!

[ehowton]

All over the meader and the hill!

Took the in-laws to see the Arch this evening. This marked the first time I've been under the arch, where they have a museum of the mid-west which is really well done, and various other displays and shops. And a beautiful carved stone mural which displays the arch prominently amongst other American monuments.



Buds're bustin' outa bushes

Walked through the old part of town, The Landing which hosts a fabulous Blues Festival each year. We attended one the weekend I proposed to my wife when we were here in '97. She wanted to eat dinner at the Brewery, and we found one, Morgan Street Brewery where I, in a surprising move, ordered a Golden Pilsner. It was fantastic. I had the grilled chicken & andouille sausage over penne pasta which was cajun spicy and delicious. It even filled me up - no small feat! I ended my meal with their Graham Cracker Porter, which was to die for. My father-in-law, a very difficult man to impress, was so thrilled with his steak, he thanked the entire waitstaff and the checkout girl. I'd never seen him so pleased. I think that alone made the entire outing worth it.

And the rompin' river pushes

It had stormed most of the day and was calm and cool by the time we hit the streets, a perfect evening to an otherwise hectic day. All this would not have been possible of course without the help of galinda822 who watched the children for us so we could enjoy this evening with my wife's folks. Thank you!

Ev'ry little wheel that wheels beside a mill!

Laclede's Landing, named for Pierre Laclede, St. Louis' French founder, is a vibrant entertainment district just north of the Gateway Arch along the Mississippi River. Once the hub of river trade where fur trappers rendezvoused, music now echoes off the Landing's cobblestone streets, and restaurants, music clubs and shops fill the former warehouses that once held tobacco, cotton and other products brought to St. Louis by steamboats. On the edge of the Landing, modern casinos recall a time when gambling boats plied the Mississippi.

If there's one place that conjures up images of St. Louis' river past, Laclede's Landing is it. Streets in the nine square block area of the Landing are the same as they were when Laclede laid them out in his original plan.

Here cobblestone thoroughfares harken back to the time when St. Louis was a center of river commerce and conjure images of traders selling their furs, tobacco and cotton arriving on steam boats and paddle wheelers taking on and discharging passengers. In fact, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Landing was a busy area of manufacturing and commerce.

Today the Landing's preserved historic brick and iron façade buildings house some of St. Louis' best restaurants, exciting music clubs, the country's longest running dinner theatre, the unique Dental Health Theatre and the Laclede's Landing Wax Museum. At the foot of the landing is the President Casino, St. Louis' only downtown casino.

As dusk overtook us, the city lit up and we concluded our evening with a walk down the riverside.

Comments

[vember.livejournal.com]

St. Louis is a strangely magical/mystical city. Of the places you mentioned I only went to the Arch (going up to the top is pretty nifty, too) and spent the rest of my time west of there, roaming strangely gothic-feeling streets and putzing about in their Union Station - all in all a positive experience, but it sounds like there's so much I've missed I should go back :D

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

The fictional Guilty Pleasures vampire club from the Anita Blake novels by Laruell K. Hamilton is down by the riverfront. My mother-in-law wanted to visit there as well. I mentioned to her, "There really isn't a Guilty Pleasures down here, it's only in the books. My wife chose that moment to add, "There's not really vampires here either!"

[schpydurx.livejournal.com]

Just to be sure, I wouldn't go outside after dark. Rumors don't catch on unless there's a bit of truth to them.

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

And you probably really believe that the Enterprise really exists too. I've met people like you before, and they scare me.

[schpydurx.livejournal.com]

I may scare you, but you make Kitty scared.

[galinda822.livejournal.com]

Glad you had such a good time enjoying st. Louis!
See it's not so bad here. hehe
The kids were great - no worries!

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

The entire evening was, in a word, perfect.

[celtmanx.livejournal.com]

Just say NI!

[celtmanx.livejournal.com]

I am glad your evening was enjoyable!

[professortom.livejournal.com]

I want to learn to spell computer sceinist when I grow up.