DON’T MISS SAINT LOUIS!

April – May, 2022

We dislike – no hate – breaking camp, traveling and then setting up in the rain or, even worse, thunderstorms. After 4+ years on the road we’ve become a bit smarter, realizing that there is little reason to cause us to rush anywhere save a grandchild’s birthday party or other special event, and we don’t mind staying put an extra day or 2 to avoid stuff we hate. Because of expected foul weather we ended up spending an extra day in OKC. It cut our time in Marshfield, MO to an overnight stay, but then it was on to…

The Lou, Gateway to the West, Mound City, Chess Capital of the World, Lion of the Valley, River City, Rome of the West, or There’s More Than Meets the Arch – nicknames for our next stop along this journey started so long ago. St Louis is a quintessential midwestern city, sitting on the western banks of the Mississippi River some 664 miles south of its headwaters at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, and just downriver from our Country’s longest river (by 139 miles give or take) – the Missouri.

St Louis is home to Gateway Arch National Park, was the embarkation point for Lewis and Clark’s expedition west, was the birthplace of Maya Angelou, T.S. Elliot, Josephine Baker, Jack Dorsey (Twitter), Miles Davis, Tina Turner, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Eberhard Anheuser, tried the Dred Scott case, and gave the world Chuck Berry, Budweiser Beer and Michelob. Its culinary inventiveness boasts toasted ravioli, grilled rather than smoked bbq, gooey butter cake and pizza cut into squares or rectangles instead of wedges and prepared on a yeast-free cracker thin crust using provel cheese. It is the setting for a series of books about the supernatural – “Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter” – by Laurel K. Hamilton.

Our expectations for visiting St Louis weren’t very high – guess we felt like it was a place to stop on our way to someplace else. Kansas City, Nashville and Chicago are fairly close by and from experience are big cities that are uniquely exciting – places you’d want to visit, taking in the sights and enjoying all that the city has to offer – restaurants, nightlife, cultural events and more. However, there are over 300,000 people that live in St Louis proper, and an estimated 2,800,000 souls in the metro area. Something holds all of those people to the metro, and the population grows consistently at about 5% rate annually. Hmmm, perhaps we need to reconsider our uneducated judgement?

Built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States the stainless steel Gateway Arch has been standing guard over the city of St Louis since it opened in 1965. Built in the form of a weighted catenary arch it reaches 630 feet at its apex, and is considered to be the world’s tallest arch. The Gateway Arch became a National Park in 2018 after 53 years as a National Monument.

The National Park is not just The Gateway Arch and the Old Courthouse.

There’s a museum at the base of the Arch itself. Once inside, rooms depict a longitudinal story of St Louis’ founding and its early years, there’s a balcony that affords a bird’s eye view of an auditorium-sized map of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and a commemorative display honoring the politicians, architect and engineers whose vision created, funded and constructed The Gateway Arch. Development of The Gateway Arch began in 1945, and it took 20 years to go from concept to completion – not an easy feat!

Tickets to ride to the top of The Gateway Arch are timed which permits crowd control in the viewing room. Traveling to the viewing room is an easy well-organized process. A numbering system assigned us to a car to enter for both directions of the trip. Entering that car requires anyone over 5 feet tall to watch their head, and the seats are not made for comfort. The tiny orb travels up/down on a rickety, angular tram system similar to that of a Ferris wheel and takes about 5 minutes. Easy to endure for the spectacular view.

If The Gateway Arch is solidly iconicly St Louis how about some unique, unusual and fun sights?

This is reportedly the world’s largest Amoco sign, and, since BP owns the Amoco trademark, it is likely that the sign will hold its place in perpetuity. A must see!

Local artist Bob Cassilly designed a playground simply made for young and old alike to climb upon and enjoy…we give you the Turtle Sculpture Garden…

PS – A warning – the 4th picture features a serpent.

From a life of poverty Chuck Berry became a beloved musician and the first person enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. From his website: “He emulated the smooth vocal clarity of his idol, Nat King Cole, while playing blues songs from bands like Muddy Waters. For his first stage performance, Berry chose to sing a Jay McShann song called ‘Confessin’ the Blues.’ It was at his high school’s student musical performance, when the blues was well-liked but not considered appropriate for such an event. He got a thunderous applause for his daring choice.” The rest…well you know…

His unique guitar playing and vocal styling gave him the title of the “Father of Rock and Roll.”

We went searching for all things Chuck Berry, and found our thrill and more along the Delmar Loop neighborhood – an 8-block hipster neighborhood of restaurants, bars, and a great bowling alley!

Blueberry Hill is a restaurant and music club across the street from Chuck Berry’s statue. It is a bunch of 10 mis-matched rooms that are filled with a “legendary” collection of offbeat pop culture memorabilia and pictures of a never-aging owner, Joe Edwards, with an innumerable number of rock groups, celebrities and sports figures spanning, oh, the last 50 years. Visitors are encouraged to stroll through and check out the displays in the Elvis, Duck, Pac-Man, St Louis, Piano, and Dart Rooms, the Old Bar, New Bar and Dining Rooms, and the Smoking Porch. As an FYI – it’s burgers are rated in the top 5 in St Louis by the locals year after year.

Pin-Up Bowl is a cocktail bar offering up a limited menu of bar food that just happens to be disguised as a bowling alley. Up and down “The Loop” there were ads posted on the utility poles announcing that the Lady Balls were “bowling tonight” and inviting new participants to join in on the fun. Lady Balls? We’re in! We stopped to watch the bowlers, and just had to have a couple of cocktails, some toasted ravioli, and a pizza…

Just happened to run across this photo opportunity so Brian took the shot…Chicken Out’s wacked-out delivery vehicle!

The World Chess Hall of Fame serves as a museum, an education center, and a monument to great achievements in the classic, most cerebral of games. There are 19 chess masters inducted into the World Hall of Fame. In comparison 52 have been inducted into the U.S. Hall of Fame (which is also in the building). Rarefied air indeed! Experienced or not, there is something for everyone interested in chess. The WCHOF even offers free lessons for the beginner. Come on down!  

Recently returned to its home after needed repairs Steven Gregory’s 1988 sculpture of a human-size fish sporting a squiggly smile as it appears to pedal a bicycle across the surface of Lewis Park pond was reportedly inspired by a quote of unknown origin: “Man needs God like a fish needs a bicycle.”

Usually we know from whence our adventures originate; however, in this case we’re just not sure. Barbara gets all of the credit for finding Donut Drive-In. There are no car hops or even a drive-thru window and there’s no coffee served. We got out of our car and bought a baker’s dozen – immediately wolfing down our favorite donut. As we continued on our journey for the day Brian caught Barbara eating “a bite” out of 5 more, and, of course, donuts not finished become stale oh so very, very quickly. Guess we only brought 6 of those fried dough delights back to Amiee. They may have lasted a day or so?

We went to Union Station to find the whispering arch – a place where something said very quietly into the arch is heard clearly at a particular spot directly across the room. While we found the stained-glass arch that is said to be one side of the phenomenon, there have been so many changes in the building we couldn’t find the other spot on which to stand.

What we did find at Union Station was a magnificent building opened in 1890 as the City’s railroad depot that had been renovated and converted into a hotel, bar, restaurant, wedding venue and conference center.

Just west of St Louis in the small town of Florissant and with roots dating back to the late 18th Century is the oldest Catholic Church west of the Mississippi. Maintained by the Friends of Old Saint Ferdinand the Church, Rectory and Convent comprising Old Saint Ferdinand Shrine is recognized by the National Registry of Historic Places.

We were given a tour by a most excellent docent who has dedicated her post teaching career to the Shrine. We came to appreciate the clergy and parishioners’ dedication to mission in the not very sophisticated nor tolerant western reaches of the very young United States, and how the Church’s own Sister Rose Philippine Duchesne’s courage and perseverance held the parish together. Further, her commitment to teaching the Indigenous Peoples was without limit. The Shrine stands in honor of and commemorates Sister Duchesne’s life. Sister was canonized into sainthood by Pope John II in 1988.

But that’s not why we wanted to visit to Old Saint Ferdinand’s – the history was a very unexpected bonus. Rumor was that a likeness of Saint Valentine was entombed under the alter, and who wouldn’t be intrigued to see such a display?

We’ve been known to roam around a cemetery or 2 during our time on the road, sometimes for the statuary or a special display and at other times to see the graves of the famous who have passed on before us. However, 2 graves at Bellefontaine Cemetery have perhaps the strangest stories we’ve come across when exploring a graveyard.

The Lemp family were hard working German immigrants who made a fortune in America as beer brewers during the 19th century. The family bought a plot of land at the highest point in Bellefontaine Cemetery and constructed a large family tomb in which their deceased might rest in peace. Despite their success and all the privilege that comes with wealth “many” family members took their own lives or died under mysterious circumstances. The large mausoleum is less than half-full; however, according to paranormal enthusiasts there is still plenty of activity inside. It has been reported that Lemp family spirits have been observed walking around the tomb at dawn and dusk.

The Girl in the Shadow Box is a beautiful marble sculpture encased in a stone chamber with a glass window. However, it does not depict a person buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery, but a girl for whom a local man longed. Herman Luyties, owner of the first proprietary drugstore in St. Louis and one of the pioneers of homeopathy in the area, visited Italy in the early 1900s. During this trip he fell for a beautiful girl who was modeling for the Genoese sculptor Giulio Monteverde. After she turned down his multiple proposals of marriage, the heartbroken Luyties commissioned Monteverde to create a 12-foot marble statue of her. For all time she’ll stand overlooking his grave.

There are many famous St Louisans buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery including brew master and founder of Anheuser-Busch, Adolphus Busch. But we believe William Clark of Lewis and Clark fame is deserving of notice for his accomplishments in service to the United States.

Enough of the unique, unusual and fun sights?

The sculpture Eros Bendato is described by Atlas Obscura as “a creepy sculpture of a decapitated head.” We added the sculpture to the bucket list so we could “see St Louis through Eros Bendato’s empty eyes.” We found the sculpture alright, but rather than one of those singularly unique, unusual and fun sights we found an urban art installation filled with outstanding sculpture. A terrific find…

There are some physical places in this world that are the epitome – the very real definition of sanctuary. Those places evoke an internal sense of peace, a feeling that there is a force greater than mankind and bigger than any single individual and are a place that just seems to envelope those who venture into its confines with awe and warmth. St Patrick’s Cathedral and Temple Emanuel in NYC, and Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island are such places. From the ancient world The Pantheon in Rome felt to us to be another such place. The Cathedral Basilica of St Louis can be added to that list. How strange it is to read such comments from 2 Wandering Jews – a feeling of sanctuary within a Catholic House of God.

The Laumeier Sculpture Park is a 105-acre open-air museum and sculpture park which is home to over 60 outdoor sculptures and features a 1.4-mile walking trail. On a beautiful sunny day we figured that the Park would afford us the pleasure of our indulging in a couple of our favorite activities. What we didn’t realize until we were at the Park was that the 35th Annual Laumeier Art Fair was taking place – most of the sculptures and accesses to the walking path were unavailable. What we didn’t realize was that the foot traffic and the overnight rains the last couple of evenings had made dodging muddy grounds a tough chore. Undaunted we kept calm and sallied on to see what we could of the sculptures and grounds.

While driving through the Science Center area within Forest Park we bumped into this figure who is obviously studying the stars, day or night!

Wherever we have stopped along this journey, and have had time we’ve made it a point to search out and photograph murals and other street art. In St Louis the place to find creatively decorated buildings is in The Grove…

We were on the way to the Cathedral Basilica of St Louis, and found ourselves in need of sustenance. Quickly checking with google for bbq we found an unassuming renovated gas station with a “maître d’/waiter/car hop carry-out only” service with a line of cars winding around the lot and almost backed up onto the street. So here’s the gig – the maître d’, etc. handed us a menu, comes back in a couple of minutes and while we’re surrounded by the sweet aroma of grills hard at work we made our order and paid the man. Unless otherwise stated every meal comes with potato salad and is smothered in the joint’s signature slightly sweet KC-style sauce. About 5-10 minutes later our order arrived and we drove off to find somewhere to eat. It was drizzly and so we simply took our rib tip and brisket lunches and pulled to the side of the road across the street and opened our styrofoam containers. The top was jammed with potato salad (just ok), the bottom held a piece of white bread soaking in the sauce and juices from the meat, and in-between the goodness of the pitmaster’s craft. The car has not smelled this good in a long while, and our bellies were happy indeed. By the way – this is a candidate for Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives!

The first settlers were of French origin who found that the Mississippi River and its deep harbor made St Louis a perfect port city and stop along the River’s 2,340 miles. But it was the old-world sturdiness and toughness of the “next-wave” German and Irish immigrants that made St Louis what it is today – a broad-shouldered metro that takes pride in its heritage and is ever moving into the future. The photographs Brian took did not do justice to the City’s history.

There were overcast and drizzly days, there were days with sunshine. We ate St Louis-style pizza, gooey butter cake, toasted ravioli and bbq. We did touristy things and off-the-beaten path things. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in this City with so many nicknames. St Louis is a recommended destination.

Whew – what a long blog!

Barbara and Brian

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.“ – Henry David Thoreau