Before a recent trip to St. Louis, all that I knew about the “gateway to the West” was just that — the St. Louis a/k/a “Gateway” Arch. Au contraire! There is far more to this city of 354,000 than the iconic 630-foot high and 630-foot wide monument. Lush parks, vibrant festivals, beautiful museums and unique, local foods rank high among the many offerings.
As luck would have it, my visit coincided with the 36th annual Great Forest Park Balloon Race. The colorful, two-day event kicked off on Friday evening with the traditional “balloon glow;” roughly 39 inflated hot air balloons, illuminated by their burners, stood in Forest Park’s Central Field where spectators strolled, snapped photos and partook of food and drink. The next day’s race filled the sky with these plump, cheerful balloons. Both on land and in the air they were a breathtaking sight.
The 1,293-acre Forest Park is a site in its own right. Home to the 1904 World’s Fair, it now contains the city’s art and history museums, zoo, science center, tennis center and opera house. An art addict, I spent an afternoon admiring the works of such diverse artists as Chuck Close, Alexander Calder, Vincent van Gogh and Francisco Zurbaran as well as pre-Columbian and Oceanic art at the free St. Louis Art Museum. I didn’t make it to the 3-story International Bowling Museum where I would have learned about the sport’s 5,000-year history and even bowled a free frame. Maybe next time.
I didn’t miss out, though, on the brass star-lined St. Louis Walk of Fame or the fantastic independent shops lining Euclid, Delmar Boulevard and the Delmar Loop. New/used record stores such as Euclid Records and Vintage Vinyl, bookstores such as Left Bank Books and Big Sleep Books, the home furnishings shop Rothschild’s Antiques, home and kitchenware store Winslow’s Home and the quirky Star Clipper were among the great local spots.
Nor did I overlook all the wonderful foods. St. Louis is renowned for its sweet, dense gooey butter cakes, toasted ravioli, thin pizzas topped with “Provel” cheese and Ted Drewe’s candy, nut and fruit-filled frozen custards. It also possesses a thriving local-seasonal movement and a bounty of farmer’s markets, including Soulard Farmer’s Market, which has been in operation since 1779.
Craving less casual fare, my friend Nickie and I dined at one of her favorite restaurants, Pomme. A fast favorite for me, Pomme serves up French-American cuisine in a sophisticated yet congenial atmosphere. Smoked salmon and trout with apple-celeric salad and slices of toasted baguette, pan-seared tuna, two rainbow trout filets draped over shitakes, hazelnuts and chives, a trio of housemade ice creams – vanilla, banana chocolate chip and rum raisin – with three crisp sugar cookies, and an exceptional wine list were just a few of the high points.
Another culinary high point? Thanks to liberal open container laws, I gulped down local, $2 beer – Bud, Busch and the like – at Soulard Farmer’s Market while shopping for pasta, preserves and produce. Needless to say, after all this drinking and noshing I could have used another St. Louis creation, the antacid TUMS.
The beer kept flowing at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery tour. After an hour of exploring the Clydesdales’ stables, brewhouse and packaging plant, we were treated to two glasses of an Anheuser-Busch beer of our choice. Not bad for free!