We built a monument to the people who left.
Just as faux St. Louisan Frances Gumm, aka Judy Garland, sang in the movie. Actually, work and other stuff preclude my meeting you in St. Louis for NN16. I have lived the greater part of my adult life in and around the city and have grown to love it, warts and all. As you spend a few days next week I hope you’ll look beyond the Ferguson headlines (I know Kossacks will do this) and the Todd Akin Gynecological Institute for Shuttin’ Things Down and check out some gems in the River City. My interests in history, music and beer are reflected in my choices.
City Museum, 750 N. 16th Street
Unlike any ‘museum’ you will experience. This is hands-on stuff from the fertile imagination of the late Bob Cassilly. www.citymuseum.org.
National Blues Museum, 615 Washington Avenue
Opened just a short while ago, the story of the blues is laid out here in beautiful, interactive detail. As a stopping point between the deep South and Chicago, St. Louis played an integral part in the development and success of blues music. www.nationalbluesmuseum.org.
Old Courthouse, 11 N. 4th Street
When Dred Scott sued for his freedom this is where the case was heard. www.nps.gov/.... Associated with this is the Eugene Field House and Toy Museum, 634 S. Broadway. Eugene Field was a children’s poet (“Little Boy Blue”), but his father, Roswell, defended Dred Scott (and won the case at the local level). eugenefieldhouse.org. Unfortunately, it appears the Field House is temporarily closed.
Forest Park (bounded by Hwy 64/40, Kingshighway, Lindell, and Skinker Boulevards)
A recent poll named Forest Park, site of the 1904 World’s Fair and 1/3 again as large as New York City’s Central Park, as the Best City Park in the U.S. It’s home to the world-class (and free admission) St. Louis Zoo. The St. Louis Art Museum is housed in the only permanent structure remaining from the World’s Fair (a statue of a mounted Louix IX, the city’s namesake, sits at the entrance). Forest Park has been home to the Muny Opera for over a century, where stars like Yul Brynner, Bette Davis, Cary Grant and Gene Kelly have appeared. “Young Frankenstein” runs during NN16. www.stlzoo.org. www.slam.org. www.muny.org.
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, 30 Ramey Street, Collinsville, IL
St. Louis was once known as the “Mound City”, a result of the Mississippian culture that dominated the region ca. 1200. The mounds were all eventually leveled except one, which was returned to the Osage tribe last year. But there are a number of mounds, including the impressive “Monk’s Mound” across the river in Illinois that recall a thousand-year old civilization whose influence and trading network stretched all the way to Mexico. It is also designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. cahokiamounds.org.
Lewis and Clark State Historic Site, One Lewis and Clark Trail, Hartford, IL
This is the modern-day site of Camp Dubois, named for the nearby River Dubois (Wood River) where Lewis and (mainly) Clark trained the men of the Corps of Discovery and gathered supplies in the winter of 1803-04. The actual confluence of the Missouri and the Mississippi in their time was a little farther north than the present-day location. Replicas of the keelboat and pirogues underscore the difficulty of the task ahead and people in period costumes are often engaged in typical activities. The Corps revisited the site briefly on the return visit in 1806 before descending the Mississippi to St. Louis. www.campdubois.com.
Alton, IL
A few miles northwest of the Lewis and Clark site is the historic town of Alton, IL. There is a monument to Elijah Lovejoy, early abolitionist and martyr of a free press. The last of the Lincoln-Dougas debates took place at the old town square here. The remains of a confederate prison can be found in Upper Alton and a now-submerged island in the Mississippi was the final resting place for hundreds who succumbed to a smallpox epidemic. It is also the home of the world’s tallest man, Robert Wadlow, the “Alton Giant” who, due to a pituitary problem, grew to 8 feet, 11 inches. The Great River Road north of Alton follows the Mississippi to its confluence with the Illinois River at Grafton. www.visitalton.com.
Microbreweries
None of these are owned by a Belgian conglomerate. If you feel a need to tour the Anheuser-Busch Brewery by all means go ahead. But St. Louis has a thriving microbrewery scene, with 40+ locations in the metro area. The oldest of these is the Schlafly Tap Room. Don’t worry, Tom Schlafly is from the good side of the clan here. His family helped desegregate St. Louis public schools. Any brew from Phyllis would be too bitter. www.stlbg.com.
Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard
Englishman Henry Shaw made his fortune in cutlery (some allege he was involved in the slave trade) and he bequeathed his summer house and garden to the city, which has seen it grow to world-class status in botanical research. The Buckminster Fuller-designed Climatron is a must-see as are the Japanese Gardens. Also known as Shaw’s Gardens. www.missouribotanicalgarden.org.
Grand Center Arts District, midtown
The cultural and artistic hub of the city includes the Fabulous Fox Theater, The Sheldon Concert Hall, Powell Symphony Hall, The Black Repertory Theater, the Contemporary Art Museum, Jazz at the Bistro and much more. www.grandcenter.org.
Busch Stadium, 700 Clark Avenue
Baseball is a religion in St. Louis and this is its shrine. The Cardinals have a weekend series at home with the Marlins during NN16. stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/....
Musical Entertainment
There are always musical offerings in the city. Just south of the stadium on Broadway are BB’s Jazz, Blues and Soups, Beale on Broadway and the Broadway Oyster Bar. A little farther down south Broadway is the Soulard neighborhood, where bars and saloons are many. Collar suburbs Manchester and University City have regular musical offerings. Laclede’s Landing is a few blocks north of the stadium and still has music most evenings, albeit in reduced amounts. Washington Avenue downtown in the old Garment District has clubs (it’s where Tennessee Williams grew to loathe the city). Stovall’s Grove in the suburb of Wildwood has been a home to country music since 1935, with a wooden dance floor and roadhouse vibe. For full listings go to www.kdhx.org/....
Neighborhoods
St. Louis has nearly 80 neighborhood areas within its boundaries, which were established in 1876. The Ville is where Chuck Berry and other middle class black families lived due to segregation. Old North St. Louis is where you’ll find Crown Candy Kitchen, home of the artery-clogging BLT and milkshakes served in a fountain glass alongside the metal mixing container’s remains. The Hill was settled by Italian immigrants and Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola lived across the street from each other on Elizabeth Avenue. Soulard is one of the oldest neighborhoods and its Farmer’s Market has been in operation since 1779. Enjoy the beautiful red brick architecture of these neighborhoods. Visit Bellefontaine Cemetery and Calvary Cemetery, next to each other on West Florissant Avenue for a great lesson in St. Louis history. William Clark is buried in the former and William Tecumseh Sherman is buried at Calvary following the largest funeral St. Louis ever witnessed. Find out more at en.wikipedia.org/....
KDHX radio, 88.1FM and www.kdhx.org
KDHX is a full-power community radio station whose origins go back to KDNA in the late ‘60s. When the FCC said get back on air or lose the license (probably to a religious broadcasting outfit) we went live again on October 15, 1987 and haven’t missed a beat since. Over half of the operating revenue comes from listener support and a few years ago we relocated to the Grand Center Arts District. Our DJs curate musical selections for an amazing variety of genres. Full Disclosure: I’m one of the 80 or so volunteer DJs and I host “The Back Country” on Saturday afternoons, 3-5PM CT. We are not the local PBS station, that’s 90.7FM, KWMU and 88.7FM, WSIE is the jazz station.
I know everyone attending NN16 will come away with lots of good ideas to consider and begin to implement. I also hope you will take away a good feeling from your visit here such that you’ll consider returning some day.
