St Louis

Our 7th grandchild/grandparent trip is in the books! #7 has always wanted to go to St Louis, going back three years, to our very first one! She announced to everyone her trip would be to St Louis! St Louis is amazing as there is so much to do! The Gateway Arch, St Louis Zoo, Grants Farm, Forest Park, I could go on and on! We did it all and then some!

After settling into our hotel we ventured out for dinner at Salt & Smoke. We actually ate at this same restaurant on a previous trip to St Louis. It is quintessential St Louis BBQ, featuring slow cooked ribs, brisket, chicken, pork, a host of delicious home made sides and a list of tantalizing sauces. I have trulynever seen #7 eat so much food. It was impressive! Dessert was at Insomnia Cookies! Her selection sounded so good the couple behind us ordered the same thing!

Before heading back to our room we meandered a bit, taking in the local scenery. Street art is a huge part of St Louis, showing off the city’s rich heritage. The murals are beautiful and they even have “organized art tours” for the mural aficionado!

Our first day began with The Museum at the Gateway Arch! This is a self guided tour starting with St Louis’s role in American history, from founding the city in 1764, traveling all the way to the completion of the Gateway Arch in 1965.

In 1763 Pierre Laciede and Augusta Chateau were searching for an Indian fur trading location and discovered the perfect spot. The location had river access and a bluff to prevent flooding. They marked the site in the fall and returned in February 1764 to found the settlement of St Louis, which is named after King Louis IX of France.

The French began settling and by the time of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, St Louis had grown to a population of over 1,000 people. In 1817 the steamboat launched a new era of transportation and by 1849 St Louis was major trading city, as travelers passed thru on their way to California, to follow the Oregon Trail. The 1870s brought rails and St Louis was now a major hub, ranking with our nations top cities, as a thriving metropolis.

The St Louis Worlds Fair was in 1904, along with the Summer Olympics. By the 1930s, railroads were transporting a large portion of goods previously shipped on the river. St Louis, like many midwest cities, was growing, reaching its peak population of 856,796 in 1950, according to the census.

The Mississippi River was essential in St Louis’ identity as a gateway to the west and because of that, it was felt a memorial be established near the river. In 1961 they broke ground, with the visitor center opening on June 10, 1967 and the first tram operating on July 24, 1967. The Gateway Arch is the tallest memorial in the United States and the tallest stainless steel monument in the world!

After we toured the museum, Apa and #7 took the tram to the top. The observation deck is 65 feet long and 7 feet wide, with views on the clear day, up to 30 miles!

We also took a steamboat river cruise, which gave us many different angles to view the arch!

Before heading back to our hotel, we stopped at St Louis Union Station. This is something I knew nothing about and why we need to come back. St Louis Union Station is a National Historic Landmark. It opened in 1894 and was the largest train station in the world peaking at 100,000 passengers per day, in the 1940’s. With the airline industry taking over long distance travel, the station became to expensive to maintain for its original purpose. The landmark is now home to a host of delights ranging from hotels, restaurants, shopping and spectacular attractions! We chose to ride on the St Louis Wheel.

Dinner was at Sydney Street Cafe. Here #7 taste buds were treated to a bevy of culinary delicacies. Starting with carpaccio and veal dumplings as our appetizer, she moved onto duck breast and hasselback potatoes as her main entree. Dessert was at Ted Drewes, which is a family owned frozen custard shop founded by Ted Drewes in 1929. Their signature item on the menu is the “concrete”. This particular frozen custard is so thick, it is served upside down!

Day two is the St Louis Zoo. The zoo is located in Forest Park, with the 1904 Worlds Fair being credited for its origination. We spent the entire day and truly could have easily added another.

The zoo has many “behind the scenes” tours to choose from, with #7 selecting “Elephant Encounter”! We were lucky to be the only participants and treated to an hour long, up close and personal presentation of these magnificent creatures. The best part was watching baby Jet, who was born on November 23, 2024. His birth marks the fourth generation of Asian elephants at the zoo. This multi generational family includes two males and six females, Pearl(53)first elephant to give birth at the zoo and Jets grandmother; Jade, Jets mother; Sri, Jets aunt; Raja, male and son of Pearl; Ellie, Maliha.

#7 holding an elephant tooth! Elephants go thru sixth sets of molars in their lifetimes. New teeth grow from the back, replacing the worn ones.

One fun bit of intel we learned from our “elephant guide”, was that the zoo is developing a second campus, which will have an African Safari focus! The target opening is sometime in 2027! Another reason to return to St Louis!

And an interesting bit of trivia we learned, is that this adorable creature called a Takin, was actually the inspiration for the beast in Walt Disneys “Beauty and the Beast”! Very handsome gentleman!

Leaving the zoo, we drove thru Forest Park! Forest Park is 500 acres, which is larger than Central Park in New York and the home to world class attractions, most of which are free. There was a tennis tournament finishing and they offered Apa and #7 court time and free balls.

Dinner was at Lu Lu Seafood & Dim Sum, featuring authentic Chinese food! We had hoped to order duck again but this time have it served “whole” like they did in the last scene in A Christmas Story! There was somewhat of a language barrier and while she did get the whole duck, it was alas carved! She ate all of it! Dessert was back to Insomnia Cookies!

I failed miserably at the chop stick instruction class!

Day three started at Grants Farm! This is an historic farm, built by Ulysses S. Grant, on land given him and his wife by his father-in-law in 1858. The Busch family took it over in 1903, who also owned Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company, until it was sold in 2008.

The farm at one time had animals from every continent!

Probably the most renowned habitants are the Budweiser Clydesdales. The Clydesdale is a breed of draught horse originating in the 17th century, with the name coming from the Clydesdale district of Scotland. Anheaser-Busch introduced them to the American public on April 7, 1933, to celebrate the repeal of prohibition. The qualifications to become a Budweiser Clydesdale are very particular….a gelding, at least 4yrs old, even temperment, 72 inches tall and between 1800-2300 lbs. Also, each horse must be reddish-brown in color, with a black tail and mane, 4 white stocking feet and a blaze of white on his face. There are three Budweiser Clydesdale Hitches which travel around the United States. Each hitch has 10 horses, eight in harness, with two alternates. Accompanying the hitch is a Dalmation dog, which has been a fixture since the 1950’s. The Super Bowl has been a tradition since Super Bowl XX in 1986.

The harnesses each horse will wear weighs 130lbs. They are custom made of patent leather and solid brass, stitched with pure linen, costing $12,000 apiece!

Next up, St Louis Science Center, also located in Forest Park. Upon free admission, you are immersed in a journey of hundreds of hands on exhibits, ranging from the vastness of space, to the minute intricacies of the human body. Very fun!

The 1904 worlds Fair in St Louis celebrated the 100yr anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase and has a pavillion located in Forest Park.

Dinner tonight was at a restaurant on The Hill. The Hill is a neighborhood in St Louis located near the highest part of the city, formerly called St Louis Hill. Vast numbers of northern Italians migrated to this area, having very strong roots and fabulous restaurants!

Every morning after waking up, Apa and #7 would get breakfast!

We returned to the St Louis Union Station before heading home, first checking out the Koi Pond!

There are so many fun attractions here that it was hard to settle on one! We chose the Mirror Maze. This was one of the experiences of the 1904 Worlds Fair, reimagined! Navigate thru a myriad of mirrors, whilst testing your knowledge of new inventions!

Several significant inventions were on display including the X-ray machine, typewriter, telautogragh and electric lighting advances to name a few!

Thank you St Louis for being amazing!!!!!