March 14th. To many, it means Pi Day (3.14 if you didn't catch on), but to St. Louisians, 3-14 holds a different meaning. 314 is the area code of St. Louis and let me tell you, people from St. Louis represent the Lou and they're proud (a little ode to Nelly right there).
While many may view STL as a flyover city, there's really so much to do, see, celebrate in St. Louis. With new areas constantly being reinvented, it seems there's a new hot spot popping up by the day. Here are reasons I love St. Louis. If you're not from here, maybe it'll convince you to visit, and if you are from here, hopefully, you'll agree with why I love our city.
1. The Arch. The Gateway to the West, the monumental landmark of St. Louis nestled along the riverfront. Who wouldn't be impressed to see a 630-foot arch of stainless steel that started being built in 1963? Want to view the city from the top? Well, you can by taking a tram the 630-feet up for the best view of St. Louis.
Fun fact bragging rights: The Gateway Arch is the tallest man-made monument in the United States!
2. Cardinals baseball. One thing you must know about St. Louis is we LOVE baseball season. Opening day is basically a city-wide holiday.
3. Beer. As much as we love baseball, we may love beer more. From
Anheuser-Busch to microbreweries spread all across the city, there are endless amounts of beer for anyone to enjoy. AB offers free brewery tours where you can see the world-famous Clydesdales! A few of my favorite breweries to visit are
4 Hands,
Square One,
Earthbound,
Civil Life, and
Urban Chestnut.
4. The diversity. There's plenty of "pockets" throughout St. Louis. There's The Hill (amazing Italian), Cherokee Street (Hispanic with great authentic Mexican), The Grove (LGBTQ friendly, hot restaurants, nightlife), Dogtown (the Irish town), Delmar (where you can find food from around the world, nightlife, music scene), South Grand (another area for worldwide cuisine), Soulard (great patios, bars, nightlife), Maplewood (rated one of the most "hippest" areas in the country). Whatever you're looking for, St. Louis definitelyyy has something to offer. (Pictured above is me goofing off in The Grove).
5. Museums and Parks.
The City Museum is an eclectic mix of children's playground, funhouse, and architectural amazement created out of unique, found objects built in a 600,000 square-foot former Shoe Company.
Forest Park has something special to offer to everyone: The History Museum, St. Louis Art Museum, The Zoo, The Muny, World's Fair Pavilion, Art Hill, The Jewel Box. Honestly, there could be an entire day devoted to Forest Park. A few more of my favorites are
Laumeier Sculpture Park,
Tower Grove Park, and
The Missouri Botanical Garden.
6. The seasons and weather. What's nice about St. Louis is that you can experience spring, summer, winter, and fall. What's not so nice about St. Louis is that you can experience all 4 seasons in a matter of days. Seriously. It could be 55 degrees and sunny, dramatically drop and be snowing a day or two later.
7. Festivals and events. Loufest is the big music festival around here. One of my favorite festivals is the Whitaker Music Festival that takes place at the Botanical Gardens through summer. You might not believe it, but Mardi Gras in St. Louis (Soulard) is the second biggest in the country. We also take celebrating St. Patrick's Day very seriously with events in both Dogtown and Downtown. We have plenty of beer festivals throughout the year. If there is a holiday, celebration, something, St. Louis will probably have an event for it.
8. THE FOOD. Can't forget about the food. St. Louis-Style Pizza. Toasted Ravioli. Gooey Butter Cake. Ted Drewes Frozen Custard. The ultimate St. Louis food bucket list.
St. Louis-Style Pizza is square cut, thin crust, and topped with Provel Cheese (which is essentially a blend of Cheddar, Swiss, and Provolone). For the authentic St. Louis square beyond compare, I'd suggest going with
Imo's Pizza. At Imo's, also order the Toasted Ravioli (or any restaurant that you visit with it on the menu...and trust me, it'll probably be on the menu of 85% of the restaurants you visit...100% if you're on The Hill). Gooey Butter Cake - check out
Gooey Louie or my out-of-town family is OBSESSED with the Gooey Butter Cookies available at Schnucks Grocery Store.
Ted Drewes Frozen Custard is situated on Historic Route 66 and a landmark that has been selling frozen custard for over 80 years.
I'd love to know, have you visited St. Louis? Or does this make you want to take a trip here? If you have been, what were/are your favorite things about St. Louis?
♥ always
Allison
Albert Einstein Pi Photo:
Slate/Pi Day 2015
