It’s a small city with a compact downtown area filled with various sports arenas and stadiums, lovely suburbs with brick houses and manicured lawns, sprawling city parks with lush green space, and casinos for those seeking a little gambling action.As we entered the city, the first thing we noticed was its most famous monument, the Gateway Arch. I have to say, it’s pretty impressive up close. You can even take a trip to the top of this behemoth structure for dizzying views of the city. And the area near the Arch, close to the river, is closed to traffic and home to many restaurants, pubs and shops.
After checking in to our hotel the first thing we did, was to seek out some lunch. Believe me, you wont go hungry in St. Louis. There is no end of BBQ to be had. This includes barbequed meats, sausages, and of course pulled pork, all doused with healthy portions of rivaling sauces. We sampled the 2-meat platter at Pappy’s Smokehouse on Olive Avenue and weren’t disappointed. It was finger-licking good, and only $8.99 for more food than we could finish.
Fuelled by our lunch, we went off to explore Forest Park. Many people had likened it to Central Park, and we thought we could probably do much of it in a day. Not so. The park is actually 500 acres larger than Central Park and is home to 2 golf courses, 2 museums, a boathouse, several ponds, over 1000 acres of woods and lawns, and last but not least, the St. Louis SZoo.
The zoo is a gem within a gem. It has
over 3600 animals, many of them endangered, and is ranked as the best zoo in the country by Zagats. Some of the more remarkable features to us were the cold water misters strategically placed all over the property to help you cool down from the relentless St. Louis sun (who new it would be in the 90s!), the fact that you can buy a cold beer and drink it from the bottle while you stroll the zoo, and perhaps most amazing of all: free admission. Doesn't get better than that.
From our hotel room, we spied the Lumiere Place Casino across the street and decided to go see what it was like. Even though it was not officially non-smoking, it was relatively smoke-free and bearable despite my allergies. It was nicely designed and laid out, with endless rows of slot machines, black jack tables and roulette wheels with various limits; we sampled each one. We ended up winning a little, and losing a little so we pretty much broke even. A nice ending to a nice weekend.
Fuelled by our lunch, we went off to explore Forest Park. Many people had likened it to Central Park, and we thought we could probably do much of it in a day. Not so. The park is actually 500 acres larger than Central Park and is home to 2 golf courses, 2 museums, a boathouse, several ponds, over 1000 acres of woods and lawns, and last but not least, the St. Louis SZoo.
The zoo is a gem within a gem. It has
over 3600 animals, many of them endangered, and is ranked as the best zoo in the country by Zagats. Some of the more remarkable features to us were the cold water misters strategically placed all over the property to help you cool down from the relentless St. Louis sun (who new it would be in the 90s!), the fact that you can buy a cold beer and drink it from the bottle while you stroll the zoo, and perhaps most amazing of all: free admission. Doesn't get better than that.From our hotel room, we spied the Lumiere Place Casino across the street and decided to go see what it was like. Even though it was not officially non-smoking, it was relatively smoke-free and bearable despite my allergies. It was nicely designed and laid out, with endless rows of slot machines, black jack tables and roulette wheels with various limits; we sampled each one. We ended up winning a little, and losing a little so we pretty much broke even. A nice ending to a nice weekend.
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