When my mom left a copy of John Jakes' new novel, California Gold, in the car, it wasn't an accident. She brought it to St. Louis on purpose for Matt to read. It's part of what she called his "homeward bound" series....ah ha! The grandparents are trying to corrupt his young impressionable mind with thoughts of moving back to California!
Well, before he gets started reading California Gold, I've given him a couple of other recommendations about books he should read....
From Log Cabin to White House, the story of James Garfield, a good midwestern boy who grew up strong to become the 20th president of the United States; and, The Universal Traveler, a book about creative problem solving and the design process.
In the meantime, maybe I ought to leave a copy of this article in the folks' hotel room for their reading enjoyment on the plane ride home...
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Monday, November 07, 2005
Accidentally on Purpose?
The whole California relative crew just arrived for a big convention being hosted this week in St. Louis. Since the Renaissance Grand Hotel was booked solid, they're staying across the street at the Roberts Mayfair Hotel, which is working out great.
The Grandparents Bonasch will never completely forgive us for leaving California 12-plus year ago, with Kerri 8 months pregnant with their first grandson (Matt). Whenever we see them, we're always reminded of subtle reasons that we should be in California. Typically, the conversation will drift to the hardship of dealing with Missouri weather. It's nice how for this visit, Mother Nature is offering up some of the best weather of the year.
Yesterday, Grandpa Dr. B got to join on the high school tour outing with Matt and me. We visited St. John Vianney in Kirkwood and St. Mary's on S. Grand. Our Mayor, and Aldermen Gregali and Wessels would be glad to learn that Grandpa was more impressed with St. Mary's than Vianney.
Still, they'll never get over how we pulled up stakes and moved 2,000 miles east away from the family home. Compounding the situation, a couple of years ago, I convinced my sister to move here from California as well. Maybe that explains why when I got in the car this morning, I found a copy of John Jakes latest novel, California Gold lying on the floor of the car?
The Grandparents Bonasch will never completely forgive us for leaving California 12-plus year ago, with Kerri 8 months pregnant with their first grandson (Matt). Whenever we see them, we're always reminded of subtle reasons that we should be in California. Typically, the conversation will drift to the hardship of dealing with Missouri weather. It's nice how for this visit, Mother Nature is offering up some of the best weather of the year.
Yesterday, Grandpa Dr. B got to join on the high school tour outing with Matt and me. We visited St. John Vianney in Kirkwood and St. Mary's on S. Grand. Our Mayor, and Aldermen Gregali and Wessels would be glad to learn that Grandpa was more impressed with St. Mary's than Vianney.
Still, they'll never get over how we pulled up stakes and moved 2,000 miles east away from the family home. Compounding the situation, a couple of years ago, I convinced my sister to move here from California as well. Maybe that explains why when I got in the car this morning, I found a copy of John Jakes latest novel, California Gold lying on the floor of the car?
Friday, November 04, 2005
Hidden Historics
With the century-plus age of many of our neighborhoods, followed by demolition and new construction in some places, it is not uncommon to find historic buildings interwoven in our modern urban fabric. A good example is the Clemens house on Cass in North City.
There are many others. If you drive the area near Powell Hall, sandwiched between surface parking lots are individual homes that were built in the 19th century. Another place you see scattered historic buildings surrounded by many vacant lots and some new construction is around the Scott Joplin House.
Many of these buildings are in places where so much of the original historic material has been lost, that the area is no longer eligible for historic district status. And if the buildings themselves don't have any culturally historic significance, they aren't eligible for individual listing on the National Register.
So what about them? Should they be prioritized for preservation, or should our preservation resources be targeted into more intact historic areas?
There are many others. If you drive the area near Powell Hall, sandwiched between surface parking lots are individual homes that were built in the 19th century. Another place you see scattered historic buildings surrounded by many vacant lots and some new construction is around the Scott Joplin House.
Many of these buildings are in places where so much of the original historic material has been lost, that the area is no longer eligible for historic district status. And if the buildings themselves don't have any culturally historic significance, they aren't eligible for individual listing on the National Register.
So what about them? Should they be prioritized for preservation, or should our preservation resources be targeted into more intact historic areas?
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Northside Holiday Gift Basket Drive
With the holidays fast approaching, many in our community work to help provide holiday gift baskets to families with very low incomes. These gifts help brighten the holiday season for our neighbors.
One organization working to spread good cheer is the Riverview West Florissant Development Corporation. The RWFDC serves the Walnut Park and Mark Twain neighborhoods of North St. Louis, near Calvary Cemetary. They rely on donations from individuals and local retailers to make the gift program work.
If you are interested in helping Riverview West Florissant succeed on this project, please contact Cecilia Penny at their office, telephone (314)382-9000, for more information. By mail, their address is 6000 West Florissant, St. Louis, MO 63136.
Please consider making a donation. Any size contribution will help Riverview West Florissant make the holiday season brighter for another of our neighbors. The Riverview West Florissant Development Corporation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation.
One organization working to spread good cheer is the Riverview West Florissant Development Corporation. The RWFDC serves the Walnut Park and Mark Twain neighborhoods of North St. Louis, near Calvary Cemetary. They rely on donations from individuals and local retailers to make the gift program work.
If you are interested in helping Riverview West Florissant succeed on this project, please contact Cecilia Penny at their office, telephone (314)382-9000, for more information. By mail, their address is 6000 West Florissant, St. Louis, MO 63136.
Please consider making a donation. Any size contribution will help Riverview West Florissant make the holiday season brighter for another of our neighbors. The Riverview West Florissant Development Corporation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Benton Park West Art Show and Silent Auction
"Community Portraits of Benton Park West"
by the 2005 Artists/Apprentices of ArtWorks
Presented by St. Louis Artworks to benefit the Benton Park West Neighborhood Association and sponsored by the the Incarnate Word Foundation.
Admission is free. Meet the artists. Refreshments provided.
Date: Sunday, November 13
Time: 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Place: Cherokee Place Business Incubator, 2715 Cherokee
Packages of notecards with a sampling of the art work available for a $5 donation to the BPWNA.
For more information please call the Incarnate Word Foundation, 773-5100.
by the 2005 Artists/Apprentices of ArtWorks
Presented by St. Louis Artworks to benefit the Benton Park West Neighborhood Association and sponsored by the the Incarnate Word Foundation.
Admission is free. Meet the artists. Refreshments provided.
Date: Sunday, November 13
Time: 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Place: Cherokee Place Business Incubator, 2715 Cherokee
Packages of notecards with a sampling of the art work available for a $5 donation to the BPWNA.
For more information please call the Incarnate Word Foundation, 773-5100.
Restorations Plus
One of the prides of the Carondelet neighborhood is Restorations Plus, a local provider of artistic restoration services, specializing in religious art. Their work in helping to preserve our beautiful religious institutions in St. Louis is wonderful.
Visit their old and new websites to learn more about their history and services.
Visit their old and new websites to learn more about their history and services.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Life without Hwy 40
I just read a desperate email posted to the StLouist about the proposed closing of Highway 40 for reconstruction.
The poster wrote that without Hwy 40, he and many other St. Louis area residents couldn't even find their way into the City. "You might as well close the Zoo" he said.
If there's one thing St. Louis offers, it's alternate routes. Does the proposed closing of Highway 40 mean the end of the civilized world as we know it? Or could it break some lifelong St. Louisans of their highway driving routines, helping them to learn their way around more like non-natives?
The poster wrote that without Hwy 40, he and many other St. Louis area residents couldn't even find their way into the City. "You might as well close the Zoo" he said.
If there's one thing St. Louis offers, it's alternate routes. Does the proposed closing of Highway 40 mean the end of the civilized world as we know it? Or could it break some lifelong St. Louisans of their highway driving routines, helping them to learn their way around more like non-natives?
Credit the kids...and their parents
In spite of a steady rain, we had between 150 and 200 trick or treaters last nite. The cutest one was a year and a half old pirate. He even said "thank you!"
Matt went out as a zombie rocker, with a skeleton face mask, spiked mohawk, studded and fingerless leather gloves, a spiked dog collar, black boots, jeans, a sleeveless, glow- in-the-dark skeleton t-shirt, see-through nylon arm sleeves covered in tatoos, strapped on to a trashed 1960s-vintage Japanese electric guitar (recovered from one of the dumpsters). He looked great. For one day...
Just so long as he limits the spikes, dog collar, and tatoos to Halloween, everything will be just fine!
Matt went out as a zombie rocker, with a skeleton face mask, spiked mohawk, studded and fingerless leather gloves, a spiked dog collar, black boots, jeans, a sleeveless, glow- in-the-dark skeleton t-shirt, see-through nylon arm sleeves covered in tatoos, strapped on to a trashed 1960s-vintage Japanese electric guitar (recovered from one of the dumpsters). He looked great. For one day...
Just so long as he limits the spikes, dog collar, and tatoos to Halloween, everything will be just fine!
Monday, October 31, 2005
No Phone
I don't have a cel phone. Can't stand the things. They're expensive, easy to lose, and unreliable. Nonetheless, it seems almost everyone else has one.
When people learn I don't carry a cel phone, they get that taken aback look on their faces; when kids ask to borrow my cel phone, they're even more stunned when they find out I don't have one.
In the building where I work, people are glued to their cel phones. Rather than greet the people around them, they scurry about from the sidewalk, through the lobby, and onto the elevator, never looking up, engrossed in cel phone conversations.
Same thing with people in their cars. Whenever someone makes a dunce-headed driving move, the first thing I look for is a cel phone. Most of the time, sure enough, they're talking on it.
The other day, KMOX morning news host Debbie Monterey was lamenting our society's growing dependence on cel phones. What dependence? We survived fine before cel phones. Debbie wishes she didn't have to have one. That's easy, just get rid of it! Leave it on the shelf!
I never miss not having one. I feel freer NOT having one. I figure I'm saving at least $50 a month not having one. Besides, unless I'm on a long distance road trip (very seldom), I'm never more than 5 minutes away from a regular land line phone. What's the rush to have instant phone access at all times?
Uncomplicate your life! Ditch your cel phone!!
When people learn I don't carry a cel phone, they get that taken aback look on their faces; when kids ask to borrow my cel phone, they're even more stunned when they find out I don't have one.
In the building where I work, people are glued to their cel phones. Rather than greet the people around them, they scurry about from the sidewalk, through the lobby, and onto the elevator, never looking up, engrossed in cel phone conversations.
Same thing with people in their cars. Whenever someone makes a dunce-headed driving move, the first thing I look for is a cel phone. Most of the time, sure enough, they're talking on it.
The other day, KMOX morning news host Debbie Monterey was lamenting our society's growing dependence on cel phones. What dependence? We survived fine before cel phones. Debbie wishes she didn't have to have one. That's easy, just get rid of it! Leave it on the shelf!
I never miss not having one. I feel freer NOT having one. I figure I'm saving at least $50 a month not having one. Besides, unless I'm on a long distance road trip (very seldom), I'm never more than 5 minutes away from a regular land line phone. What's the rush to have instant phone access at all times?
Uncomplicate your life! Ditch your cel phone!!
Friday, October 28, 2005
Talking In Code
On the ride home from work today, I heard a segment of the Sean Hannity program on 97.1 FM, the conservative talk radio station in St. Louis. Hannity was lamenting a lot of the recent travails surrounding the Bush White House. He chalked a lot of it up to a type of left-wing person he describes as a "Child Of The Sixties".
A "Child Of The Sixties? Is he talking about me?
I was a child during the Sixties. I grew up in a sprawl suburb smack dab between UC Berkeley and Altamont. Born in 1959, and if the math is right, turned 13 in 1973. I remember Viet Nam, Patty Hearst, People's Park, Kent State, and 1968.
Looking back, the Sixties were a l-o-n-g time ago. Four decades (or is it five?). That would be like me back in 1977 calling someone a "Child Of The 30s". Huh? No one ever said anything like that. How could we even relate?
The 1930s was a decade out of the history books, the high (or more appropriate *low*) point of the Great Depression.
Nonetheless an equal timespan is being invoked today to discredit some people from participating in our current political discourse.
A lot of the people reading this blog were probably not even born by the 1970s, let alone the '60s. So when they hear someone like a Sean Hannity complain that a modern-day political critic is a "Child Of The Sixties", do they even care?
A "Child Of The Sixties? Is he talking about me?
I was a child during the Sixties. I grew up in a sprawl suburb smack dab between UC Berkeley and Altamont. Born in 1959, and if the math is right, turned 13 in 1973. I remember Viet Nam, Patty Hearst, People's Park, Kent State, and 1968.
Looking back, the Sixties were a l-o-n-g time ago. Four decades (or is it five?). That would be like me back in 1977 calling someone a "Child Of The 30s". Huh? No one ever said anything like that. How could we even relate?
The 1930s was a decade out of the history books, the high (or more appropriate *low*) point of the Great Depression.
Nonetheless an equal timespan is being invoked today to discredit some people from participating in our current political discourse.
A lot of the people reading this blog were probably not even born by the 1970s, let alone the '60s. So when they hear someone like a Sean Hannity complain that a modern-day political critic is a "Child Of The Sixties", do they even care?
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Scam Warning
Just received an overseas phone call (from India to be precise) requesting a donation to the "Junior Police Academy".
After I ask a few questions about the weather and the economy in India, the original solicitor transfers the call to his "manager". The manager asks if there is "a problem", then refers me to this website. The link takes you to the organization's IRS Form 990.
Look closely...anyone see a red flag raised by the numbers in this report? (For a hint, check out line 30 of the form....)
After I ask a few questions about the weather and the economy in India, the original solicitor transfers the call to his "manager". The manager asks if there is "a problem", then refers me to this website. The link takes you to the organization's IRS Form 990.
Look closely...anyone see a red flag raised by the numbers in this report? (For a hint, check out line 30 of the form....)
BIG New Something Rising on The Landing
Just drove into downtown from East St. Louis via the McKinley Bridge, and saw a major new project under construction in the Laclede's Landing riverfront neighborhood.
Based on the size of the basement excavation, it's going to be a huge, skyline redefining project. Any word on what it is? It looks like the footprint for a new hotel or high rise apartment building.
Based on the size of the basement excavation, it's going to be a huge, skyline redefining project. Any word on what it is? It looks like the footprint for a new hotel or high rise apartment building.
Monday, October 24, 2005
STL Stands Up for Gays In Military
In a resolution adopted last week, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen calls for an end to the US military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy.
A-B
No, this entry is not about that famous brewer in South City. It's about the practice in elementary school sports of dividing kids up according to their skill level. Some places call it "gold and silver". Whatever you call it, "structuring" teams according to skill level is a source of constant discontent.
Now in so-called "select" (private) leagues, structuring teams comes with the territory. Young athletes enter these programs seeking a higher level of competition, so the idea of dividing kids up by their skill level furthers that purpose.
However, in school leagues, it's a whole different situation. "Making an A-team" can be a big deal for a kid, or it can be equally frustrating and disappointing for the ones who don't.
Parents get angry about A/B decisions, and systems to select kids for the A or B team are far from perfect. This past weekend, I heard a story about a parent in a suburban school district threatening to sue the school's athletic association if they ended the A-B split. This particular parent didn't want his son playing with "B" level players.
Rationale for having structured teams in school sports varies. One argument is that if you don't structure the teams, the better players will all go to the select leagues. Huh? Aren't they doing this already??
The main reason it happens is for that great all-time rationale, because "everyone else is doing it". If "School A" has an upper and lower division team, and your school "balances" its teams, then you have a problem competing against the other school. Your team is too strong for the "B" team level, and too weak for the "A" team level. To address the inbalance, the athletic association at your school justifies the decision to structure its teams in order to be competitive with other schools. It's about remaining competitive in the quest to win championships.
However, is that the purpose of elementary school sports? To win championships? It's supposed to be about a lot more than that. However, as long as league rules sanction the formation of A/B teams at the grade school level, the practice will continue. Was your child ever cut?
I wonder what you'd find out if you asked kids what they think about having separate A and B teams?
Now in so-called "select" (private) leagues, structuring teams comes with the territory. Young athletes enter these programs seeking a higher level of competition, so the idea of dividing kids up by their skill level furthers that purpose.
However, in school leagues, it's a whole different situation. "Making an A-team" can be a big deal for a kid, or it can be equally frustrating and disappointing for the ones who don't.
Parents get angry about A/B decisions, and systems to select kids for the A or B team are far from perfect. This past weekend, I heard a story about a parent in a suburban school district threatening to sue the school's athletic association if they ended the A-B split. This particular parent didn't want his son playing with "B" level players.
Rationale for having structured teams in school sports varies. One argument is that if you don't structure the teams, the better players will all go to the select leagues. Huh? Aren't they doing this already??
The main reason it happens is for that great all-time rationale, because "everyone else is doing it". If "School A" has an upper and lower division team, and your school "balances" its teams, then you have a problem competing against the other school. Your team is too strong for the "B" team level, and too weak for the "A" team level. To address the inbalance, the athletic association at your school justifies the decision to structure its teams in order to be competitive with other schools. It's about remaining competitive in the quest to win championships.
However, is that the purpose of elementary school sports? To win championships? It's supposed to be about a lot more than that. However, as long as league rules sanction the formation of A/B teams at the grade school level, the practice will continue. Was your child ever cut?
I wonder what you'd find out if you asked kids what they think about having separate A and B teams?
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Historic Steak'n Shake Restaurants To Come Down
A general manager of one of our local Steak'n Shake restaurants told me this morning that within a couple of years all of the original Steak'n Shake restaurants in the St. Louis area will be torn down and replaced with larger stores.
They make excellent hamburgers (excuse me...I mean..Steakburgers) and milkshakes, but this is sad news. I wonder if they would be interested in some federal and state historic rehabilitation tax credits?
They make excellent hamburgers (excuse me...I mean..Steakburgers) and milkshakes, but this is sad news. I wonder if they would be interested in some federal and state historic rehabilitation tax credits?
Magdalen Lanes
Attended a private party last nite at Magdalen Lanes. What a hidden gem this place is! Some friends of ours booked the whole facility to celebrate their daughter's 40th birthday. They had exclusive use of the place from 7 - 11 PM.
If I heard the bartender/bowling lane mechanic correctly, the flat rate to rent the facility is something like $100 per hour. They let you bring in your own food, and the beer, wine, and soft drink prices are very reasonable. The place has ten nice bowling lanes, a pin ball arcade, and lots of places to just hang out and visit with friends.
Among the 150 or so in attendance, there were elected officials with their families, many neighborhood regulars, lots of parents with their kids (we recruited a new catcher for next year's South Sox team), and one lady regular of Magdalen parish. (She has attended every parish event we've ever been to for over 12 years. She doesn't need an invitation. She just shows up, helps out, and keeps the place nice. I get the impression she lives somewhere on the church property, but people say that's not true.)
She said across the street over at Magdalen Church, they're getting ready to remodel the interior of the building (pretty gutsy of them, considering the A-D just closed their school), and that their longtime priest, Monsignor Doerhoff, has been transferred to a parish in South County, so they have a new priest.
Magdalen Lanes offers other affordable package deals for smaller sized groups if you don't want to rent out the whole place.
For a party for one or two hundred of your closest friends, you can't beat it. Stop by their facility off of South Kingshighway to check it out and get more information.
If I heard the bartender/bowling lane mechanic correctly, the flat rate to rent the facility is something like $100 per hour. They let you bring in your own food, and the beer, wine, and soft drink prices are very reasonable. The place has ten nice bowling lanes, a pin ball arcade, and lots of places to just hang out and visit with friends.
Among the 150 or so in attendance, there were elected officials with their families, many neighborhood regulars, lots of parents with their kids (we recruited a new catcher for next year's South Sox team), and one lady regular of Magdalen parish. (She has attended every parish event we've ever been to for over 12 years. She doesn't need an invitation. She just shows up, helps out, and keeps the place nice. I get the impression she lives somewhere on the church property, but people say that's not true.)
She said across the street over at Magdalen Church, they're getting ready to remodel the interior of the building (pretty gutsy of them, considering the A-D just closed their school), and that their longtime priest, Monsignor Doerhoff, has been transferred to a parish in South County, so they have a new priest.
Magdalen Lanes offers other affordable package deals for smaller sized groups if you don't want to rent out the whole place.
For a party for one or two hundred of your closest friends, you can't beat it. Stop by their facility off of South Kingshighway to check it out and get more information.
Friday, October 21, 2005
Role Models
Yesterday, after the Cards lost the Series to Houston, it seemed like the baseball season was pretty much over, at least here in St. Louis. It was a great year, with some inspiring players. Guys like David Eckstein are the kind of people you want young players to emulate.
Last nite, a meeting on the Illinois side made me late for dinner. After a late start, we barbequed and had a relaxing dinner til around 9:00. Earlier in the day, a package arrived from Matt's hockey coach. Last weekend, we held Matt out of all of his sports activities, since he wasn't working hard enough in school and around the house. Hope we don't have to do that again. Not sure that sort of discipline really works.
Even though it was dark, and we were in the middle of making dinner, Matt wanted to show me a pitch he had been working on. That would have to wait, but it's hard turning down a game of catch. After dinner, the rain had stopped, so at about 9:15 we went down to the park. We found a good new spot under some lights for a catch. We tossed it around for about 15 minutes, and Matt was making some good pitches.
After watching Oswalt mow down the Cardinals, I think Matt has a better idea of what it means when someone talks about "leg drive". Driving through and finishing his pitches, he was throwing the ball noticeably harder. Pretty soon, I won't be feeling completely safe catching for him.
When we returned home, we went through the package his hockey coach had sent. It was full of team information, ice times, and other good stuff. There was also a hand written note to Matt. For anyone involved with kids sports, this note was one of the best things I've seen come down from a coach to a player.
Matt,
Sorry we missed you this last weekend. I'm sure some of the guys told you about last Friday night's loss.
Keep your grades up. They're a lot more important than hockey! Besides, we're going to need you this year.
Work hard at school and at the rink. No more benchings from home, ok?
See you Saturday.
Coach
Lots of people put in a lot of hours coaching kids sports, but too many get the priorities way out of whack. They act like the whole thing is more for the adults than the kids.
We'll save the note from Matt's hockey coach. We might pin it to the wall in his room. I might pin it to mine.
Last nite, a meeting on the Illinois side made me late for dinner. After a late start, we barbequed and had a relaxing dinner til around 9:00. Earlier in the day, a package arrived from Matt's hockey coach. Last weekend, we held Matt out of all of his sports activities, since he wasn't working hard enough in school and around the house. Hope we don't have to do that again. Not sure that sort of discipline really works.
Even though it was dark, and we were in the middle of making dinner, Matt wanted to show me a pitch he had been working on. That would have to wait, but it's hard turning down a game of catch. After dinner, the rain had stopped, so at about 9:15 we went down to the park. We found a good new spot under some lights for a catch. We tossed it around for about 15 minutes, and Matt was making some good pitches.
After watching Oswalt mow down the Cardinals, I think Matt has a better idea of what it means when someone talks about "leg drive". Driving through and finishing his pitches, he was throwing the ball noticeably harder. Pretty soon, I won't be feeling completely safe catching for him.
When we returned home, we went through the package his hockey coach had sent. It was full of team information, ice times, and other good stuff. There was also a hand written note to Matt. For anyone involved with kids sports, this note was one of the best things I've seen come down from a coach to a player.
Matt,
Sorry we missed you this last weekend. I'm sure some of the guys told you about last Friday night's loss.
Keep your grades up. They're a lot more important than hockey! Besides, we're going to need you this year.
Work hard at school and at the rink. No more benchings from home, ok?
See you Saturday.
Coach
Lots of people put in a lot of hours coaching kids sports, but too many get the priorities way out of whack. They act like the whole thing is more for the adults than the kids.
We'll save the note from Matt's hockey coach. We might pin it to the wall in his room. I might pin it to mine.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Perfect Weather
It's cool, gray, and raining softly today. This rain is not the hard driving, warm weather thunderstorm variety. It's a moody, quiet, sit by a fire sort of rain.
This is definitely not baseball weather. Fall is here, and winter is coming fast. The cool and gray is good for today. Baseball is over for the year. Busch is coming down. It's too early to think about next year.
Most years, St. Louis is blessed with other good professional sports teams to carry us over til Spring Training. But this year, the Blues and Rams are not looking very promising.
We'll be paying more attention to SLU soccer, Affton hockey, and CYC basketball. When those are through, the new Busch will be getting ready to open, the Cards will be starting new in Florida, and the warm weather will be back again.
This is definitely not baseball weather. Fall is here, and winter is coming fast. The cool and gray is good for today. Baseball is over for the year. Busch is coming down. It's too early to think about next year.
Most years, St. Louis is blessed with other good professional sports teams to carry us over til Spring Training. But this year, the Blues and Rams are not looking very promising.
We'll be paying more attention to SLU soccer, Affton hockey, and CYC basketball. When those are through, the new Busch will be getting ready to open, the Cards will be starting new in Florida, and the warm weather will be back again.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Memory Made
Last nite was beautiful weather, but after the Cardinals stunning 2-out, ninth inning, comeback victory over the Astros, it wasn't a good nite for sleeping. My mind is still overcharged from the wattage flowing from Pujol's bat.
In games like these, Kerri can't stand to watch the television. Matt and I were watching it, and the game played out very slowly. The Cardinals took an uncomfortable 2-1 lead late into the game. You had a sinking feeling there was no way the one run Cardinal lead would hold up. Especially in the "Juice Box"
Then on a weak swing, the Astros' Berkmann connects for a 3-run, opposite field home run into the short porch "Crawford Boxes" 318 feet away in left, giving the Astros a 4-2 lead. With the Cardinals now having to deal with the Astos lights-out bullpen in the 8th and 9th innings, things looked grim.
It was closing in on 11:00 PM, way past Matt's bedtime, and we're watching the Astros methodically erase the Cardinals hopes. I was getting close to turning off the television and sending Matt to bed, but this was one of those times when it seemed more important to let him stay up watch the game together, win or lose, til the end.
In the 9th inning, the Astros came with their closer, Brad Lidge. He dominated the first two Cards' in the ninth, J-Rod and John Mabry, with fast balls hitting 97 miles per hour and sliders that were exploding down in the strike zone. The Cardinals were down to their final out, trailing by two runs, facing the hardest thrower in major league baseball, and Tony LaRussa couldn't have had things set up better for a Cardinal comeback.
The next batter was David Eckstein. I'm thinking to myself: there's no way Eckstein lets himself make the last out in this Cardinal's season. Lidge gets him to two strikes, but then Eckstein grounds sharply into the hole between short and third for a single. The Astros were within one strike from going to their first World Series ever, but now they would have to face at least one more Cardinal. Enter Jim Edmonds. The Astros fans were going crazy. They had been on their feet screaming since the 8th inning.
Edmonds had been in a similar situation last year, coming to bat in game six of of the NLCS against Houston, winning the game with a walk-off home run and sending the series to game seven. But this time, the Cardinals didn't need a home run; they needed another base runner. Fox starts going nostalgic on Busch Stadium, retelling some of the great moments about the soon-to-be-demolished ballpark.
Edmonds stood in against Lidge, and Fox announcer, Bob Brenly, a former major league catcher, notices something off in Lidge's rhythm. Edmonds works Lidge for a walk, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate in Albert Pujols. Earlier in the game, Fox showed a sign hung on the stadium wall that read "Walk Pujols". The Astros infield and pitching coach met on the mound to ready Lidge to face Albert. Brenly says, "Better not get those wrecking balls out just yet..."
On the first pitch, Lidge fools Albert with a wicked slider down in the zone. Strike one. The Astros fans are going nuts. On the second pitch, Lidge hangs a slider out over the middle of the plate. Throughout the series, the Cardinals were swinging at bad pitches, and taking good ones. Not this time. Albert had a bead on the ball, and he connected with it in classic Pujols fashion.
On slow motion instant reply, Astro's starting pitcher Andy Pettitt mouthed the words "O-h m-y g-o-d". With a one strike count, Pujols launched a monster 3-run home run shot that went over the stadium wall beyond the left field grand stand, landing on the silly train tracks that run high above the Crawford Boxes. Matt and I jumped up and exchanged "High-5s". Upstairs, Kerri could hear shouts of celebration coming through the open windows of neighbor's homes up and down the street.
The Cards had a 5-4 lead. They never gave the dimensions of the home run. It might have travelled 500 feet. The Astros fans were crestfallen. From deafening cheers to stunned silence with one mighty swing of the bat. Watching from a luxury box, Nolan Ryan had a look of total disbelief on his face.
Cards closer Jason Isringhausen took the 5-4 lead into the bottom of the ninth and pitched flawlessly. He shut the Astros down 1-2-3, securing the victory and sending the Series back to St. Louis.
We went upstairs and talked about the unlikely win for another half hour.
Eckstein the spark plug. Edmonds the seasoned veteran. Pujols the legend. It was all too much to believe. There wouldn't be much sleeping tonite. At least for me. We sent Matt to bed, and he was out after about five minutes. I'm not sure if I ever really made it into a deep sleep the whole night.
I think I am starting to understand why people love baseball. It's not so much whether your home team wins or loses. We just love the game. Memories are made. The love of the game is passed on from one generation to the next. Late at nite. Past bedtime. We want the season to continue. Everything comes down to one pitch, one out, one game, win or lose. Last nite, the Cards won it.
Now it's one more game for Busch...maybe two, maybe more...
Excellent article on Pujol's heroics: ESPN-How Pujols Changed the World
In games like these, Kerri can't stand to watch the television. Matt and I were watching it, and the game played out very slowly. The Cardinals took an uncomfortable 2-1 lead late into the game. You had a sinking feeling there was no way the one run Cardinal lead would hold up. Especially in the "Juice Box"
Then on a weak swing, the Astros' Berkmann connects for a 3-run, opposite field home run into the short porch "Crawford Boxes" 318 feet away in left, giving the Astros a 4-2 lead. With the Cardinals now having to deal with the Astos lights-out bullpen in the 8th and 9th innings, things looked grim.
It was closing in on 11:00 PM, way past Matt's bedtime, and we're watching the Astros methodically erase the Cardinals hopes. I was getting close to turning off the television and sending Matt to bed, but this was one of those times when it seemed more important to let him stay up watch the game together, win or lose, til the end.
In the 9th inning, the Astros came with their closer, Brad Lidge. He dominated the first two Cards' in the ninth, J-Rod and John Mabry, with fast balls hitting 97 miles per hour and sliders that were exploding down in the strike zone. The Cardinals were down to their final out, trailing by two runs, facing the hardest thrower in major league baseball, and Tony LaRussa couldn't have had things set up better for a Cardinal comeback.
The next batter was David Eckstein. I'm thinking to myself: there's no way Eckstein lets himself make the last out in this Cardinal's season. Lidge gets him to two strikes, but then Eckstein grounds sharply into the hole between short and third for a single. The Astros were within one strike from going to their first World Series ever, but now they would have to face at least one more Cardinal. Enter Jim Edmonds. The Astros fans were going crazy. They had been on their feet screaming since the 8th inning.
Edmonds had been in a similar situation last year, coming to bat in game six of of the NLCS against Houston, winning the game with a walk-off home run and sending the series to game seven. But this time, the Cardinals didn't need a home run; they needed another base runner. Fox starts going nostalgic on Busch Stadium, retelling some of the great moments about the soon-to-be-demolished ballpark.
Edmonds stood in against Lidge, and Fox announcer, Bob Brenly, a former major league catcher, notices something off in Lidge's rhythm. Edmonds works Lidge for a walk, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate in Albert Pujols. Earlier in the game, Fox showed a sign hung on the stadium wall that read "Walk Pujols". The Astros infield and pitching coach met on the mound to ready Lidge to face Albert. Brenly says, "Better not get those wrecking balls out just yet..."
On the first pitch, Lidge fools Albert with a wicked slider down in the zone. Strike one. The Astros fans are going nuts. On the second pitch, Lidge hangs a slider out over the middle of the plate. Throughout the series, the Cardinals were swinging at bad pitches, and taking good ones. Not this time. Albert had a bead on the ball, and he connected with it in classic Pujols fashion.
On slow motion instant reply, Astro's starting pitcher Andy Pettitt mouthed the words "O-h m-y g-o-d". With a one strike count, Pujols launched a monster 3-run home run shot that went over the stadium wall beyond the left field grand stand, landing on the silly train tracks that run high above the Crawford Boxes. Matt and I jumped up and exchanged "High-5s". Upstairs, Kerri could hear shouts of celebration coming through the open windows of neighbor's homes up and down the street.
The Cards had a 5-4 lead. They never gave the dimensions of the home run. It might have travelled 500 feet. The Astros fans were crestfallen. From deafening cheers to stunned silence with one mighty swing of the bat. Watching from a luxury box, Nolan Ryan had a look of total disbelief on his face.
Cards closer Jason Isringhausen took the 5-4 lead into the bottom of the ninth and pitched flawlessly. He shut the Astros down 1-2-3, securing the victory and sending the Series back to St. Louis.
We went upstairs and talked about the unlikely win for another half hour.
Eckstein the spark plug. Edmonds the seasoned veteran. Pujols the legend. It was all too much to believe. There wouldn't be much sleeping tonite. At least for me. We sent Matt to bed, and he was out after about five minutes. I'm not sure if I ever really made it into a deep sleep the whole night.
I think I am starting to understand why people love baseball. It's not so much whether your home team wins or loses. We just love the game. Memories are made. The love of the game is passed on from one generation to the next. Late at nite. Past bedtime. We want the season to continue. Everything comes down to one pitch, one out, one game, win or lose. Last nite, the Cards won it.
Now it's one more game for Busch...maybe two, maybe more...
Excellent article on Pujol's heroics: ESPN-How Pujols Changed the World
Monday, October 17, 2005
Painting by Flashlight
This weekend was a good one for doing a lot things besides watching the Cardinals hopes fade down at Houston's Minute Maid ("Juice Box") Park. Plus, since Matt was sitting out his sports activities for providing too little effort on school work and chores around the house, we had his help all weekend to work with us on our collective "to-do" list.
Our place is one of the oldest homes in the neighborhood, and as a result has a slightly wider lot than most. Typical gangways run 8 feet or so; ours is closer to 14. When we bought the home, there were no fences, which wouldn't work with a family dog. Over time, we've been completing the fences.
The one in the west gangway was the most complicated to design because of the layout of our yard and the neighbor's lot. By building it, we would be permanently enclosing part of the neighbor's yard into our lot. It's always been an area that we've maintained since it's on the back side of their garage and inaccessible from their yard. Nonetheless, permanently enclosing it into our yard makes the situation appear more official in terms of them acceding part of their lot to ours.
So, for a couple of years we've talked with the neighbors about how to work it, while avoiding any downstream legal entanglements. We agreed on the concept of preparing a shared access and licensing arrangement, no prescriptive easement implied or otherwise, and so we started building the fence this weekend.
It's solid wood, three posts set in concrete, to be painted all-white, with a gate and arbor creating a nice entry into the backyard.
From their kitchen window early this morning, the neighbors might have seen me painting by flashight. Hopefully, when the project's complete, they'll believe the end result makes both homes look better.
Our place is one of the oldest homes in the neighborhood, and as a result has a slightly wider lot than most. Typical gangways run 8 feet or so; ours is closer to 14. When we bought the home, there were no fences, which wouldn't work with a family dog. Over time, we've been completing the fences.
The one in the west gangway was the most complicated to design because of the layout of our yard and the neighbor's lot. By building it, we would be permanently enclosing part of the neighbor's yard into our lot. It's always been an area that we've maintained since it's on the back side of their garage and inaccessible from their yard. Nonetheless, permanently enclosing it into our yard makes the situation appear more official in terms of them acceding part of their lot to ours.
So, for a couple of years we've talked with the neighbors about how to work it, while avoiding any downstream legal entanglements. We agreed on the concept of preparing a shared access and licensing arrangement, no prescriptive easement implied or otherwise, and so we started building the fence this weekend.
It's solid wood, three posts set in concrete, to be painted all-white, with a gate and arbor creating a nice entry into the backyard.
From their kitchen window early this morning, the neighbors might have seen me painting by flashight. Hopefully, when the project's complete, they'll believe the end result makes both homes look better.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Time Extended
St. Louis has a reputation for being one of the most haunted cities in the country. I wonder if the ghosts of Busch Stadium are weighing in on this year's post season?
If it weren't for the Cardinals making it to the post season, the wrecking ball would already be knocking down Busch.
And now, having the season extended for at least one more series, Busch will play host for another week of baseball.
If we win the League Championship Series against Houston, then Busch Stadium will host the World Series, and baseball will be played in old Busch until the end of October.
Leaving one to wonder if we end up winning the World Series this year, are we setting up the "Busch Stadium Curse"?
Busch Stadium ends its run in glory, giving St. Louis a World Series Championship, only to curse future generations of St. Louisans with a hundred-year drought on future world titles for tearing her down after a championship season...
That wouldn't happen, could it?
Maybe if they'd built the new ballpark outside of the city, then maybe it would have...
If it weren't for the Cardinals making it to the post season, the wrecking ball would already be knocking down Busch.
And now, having the season extended for at least one more series, Busch will play host for another week of baseball.
If we win the League Championship Series against Houston, then Busch Stadium will host the World Series, and baseball will be played in old Busch until the end of October.
Leaving one to wonder if we end up winning the World Series this year, are we setting up the "Busch Stadium Curse"?
Busch Stadium ends its run in glory, giving St. Louis a World Series Championship, only to curse future generations of St. Louisans with a hundred-year drought on future world titles for tearing her down after a championship season...
That wouldn't happen, could it?
Maybe if they'd built the new ballpark outside of the city, then maybe it would have...
Home Mortgage Deduction Limits Proposed
A panel appointed by President Bush is proposing to cap mortgage interest deductions according to a forumla based on average regional housing prices.
It's a plan intended to level the playing field (and generate increased tax revenue to government). Holders of large mortgages would no longer receive greater tax deductions over moderate income housheholds living in averaged priced housing.
On the plus side, the proposed law would lessen the incentive under current tax law for homeowners to always seek higher priced housing, removing one of the pressures that rewards urban sprawl.
Given that capital gains tax rules have changed, including lesseing the tax on the gain on the sale of an existing home, presumably people moving to St. Louis from higher priced areas can "buy-down", still get a comparable or superior home, and pocket most (if not all) of the gain on the sale of their old residence tax free.
It's a plan intended to level the playing field (and generate increased tax revenue to government). Holders of large mortgages would no longer receive greater tax deductions over moderate income housheholds living in averaged priced housing.
On the plus side, the proposed law would lessen the incentive under current tax law for homeowners to always seek higher priced housing, removing one of the pressures that rewards urban sprawl.
Given that capital gains tax rules have changed, including lesseing the tax on the gain on the sale of an existing home, presumably people moving to St. Louis from higher priced areas can "buy-down", still get a comparable or superior home, and pocket most (if not all) of the gain on the sale of their old residence tax free.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Team Parenting
Lots of articles talk about the benefits of raising children in a two parent household. No question about it, raising kids complicates your life, costs a fortune (the braces go on today...), and we only have one. Families with multiple kids really have their hands full.
Lately we've been noticing some trends. Maybe its the age. Matt and his classmates are in 7th grade now, and their hormones are starting to flow. They're testing their boundaries, getting more independent, and trying new things-not always very bright things.
The girls are chasing the boys, and the boys are chasing the girls. Girls calling the house and asking for Matt is a daily routine. Gossip and rumors abound, and hurt feelings result. And for some of the boys, the grades are not all pretty. We're seeing that, too.
In addition to two parents in the home, we've started expanding the parenting boundaries. We live in a fairly tight knit community with most of the kids attending the same school, playing sports and doing other activities together. The parents know most of the kids, and the kids know most of the parents.
As parents, in addition to caring for our own kids, we watch out for our neighbor's and friend's kids too, and we openly talking about it with the kids.
Maybe the kids like it; they're probably not excited about it. We don't know how this will work out. Whatever happens, it's somewhat reassuring to be in a place with lots of people willing to give it a try.
Lately we've been noticing some trends. Maybe its the age. Matt and his classmates are in 7th grade now, and their hormones are starting to flow. They're testing their boundaries, getting more independent, and trying new things-not always very bright things.
The girls are chasing the boys, and the boys are chasing the girls. Girls calling the house and asking for Matt is a daily routine. Gossip and rumors abound, and hurt feelings result. And for some of the boys, the grades are not all pretty. We're seeing that, too.
In addition to two parents in the home, we've started expanding the parenting boundaries. We live in a fairly tight knit community with most of the kids attending the same school, playing sports and doing other activities together. The parents know most of the kids, and the kids know most of the parents.
As parents, in addition to caring for our own kids, we watch out for our neighbor's and friend's kids too, and we openly talking about it with the kids.
Maybe the kids like it; they're probably not excited about it. We don't know how this will work out. Whatever happens, it's somewhat reassuring to be in a place with lots of people willing to give it a try.
Monday, October 10, 2005
Local Talent
The St. Louis Hills Neighborhood Association held its annual house tour this weekend, and this year's event was expanded to include an art fair, day-long concert, and food booths featuring local restaurants.
The Pink Sisters came through and the weather was perfect. The homes we visited on the tour were beautiful, most interesting of all the home of Tom and Linda Bess of Tom Bess Automotive. The Bess's home includes an original 1950s vintage "Brady Bunch" bathroom that is still in like-new condition and someday should be the highlight photo spread when another of those "what's old is new again" interior design stories makes news.
Jim and Joyce Legrand of Legrand's Tom Boy Market were selling brats, burgers and hot dogs; Paul and Pete Manzo of Manzo Importing Company, Inc. were serving their best in St. Louis salsciccia sausage; Gino's served meatball sandwiches, red wine, and A-B products in the new metal bottles, and Michael and his wife Elise from Bartolino's was serving pasta, wine and beer.
Artists lined the lily pad pond of Francis Park, with musicians performing in the center of the park. The headline music act was Erin Bode, who drew over 500 jazz fans. Earlier in the day, the jazz trio of Intuicion/DJC featuring Jan Marra on vocals and guitar, Carol Eder, jazz guitarist (and ceramic artist at the art fair), and Darrell Mixon on bass performed in their first live gig, and by some accounts stole the show.
Across Nottingham from Francis Park, in an outcome similar to a soccer game played two weeks previously, the 7th grade boys of St. Mary Magdalen Church were defeating the St. Gabriel's team in a CYC volley ball match. Maybe in its parish closing and realignment efforts, the St. Louis Arch Diocese was trying to figure out a way to break up that 7th grade Magdalen juggernaut?
By dark, you couldn't even tell a day long neighborhood celebration had taken place at Francis Park, as dozens of St. Louis Hills Neighborhood Association volunteers had everything picked up again.
The Pink Sisters came through and the weather was perfect. The homes we visited on the tour were beautiful, most interesting of all the home of Tom and Linda Bess of Tom Bess Automotive. The Bess's home includes an original 1950s vintage "Brady Bunch" bathroom that is still in like-new condition and someday should be the highlight photo spread when another of those "what's old is new again" interior design stories makes news.
Jim and Joyce Legrand of Legrand's Tom Boy Market were selling brats, burgers and hot dogs; Paul and Pete Manzo of Manzo Importing Company, Inc. were serving their best in St. Louis salsciccia sausage; Gino's served meatball sandwiches, red wine, and A-B products in the new metal bottles, and Michael and his wife Elise from Bartolino's was serving pasta, wine and beer.
Artists lined the lily pad pond of Francis Park, with musicians performing in the center of the park. The headline music act was Erin Bode, who drew over 500 jazz fans. Earlier in the day, the jazz trio of Intuicion/DJC featuring Jan Marra on vocals and guitar, Carol Eder, jazz guitarist (and ceramic artist at the art fair), and Darrell Mixon on bass performed in their first live gig, and by some accounts stole the show.
Across Nottingham from Francis Park, in an outcome similar to a soccer game played two weeks previously, the 7th grade boys of St. Mary Magdalen Church were defeating the St. Gabriel's team in a CYC volley ball match. Maybe in its parish closing and realignment efforts, the St. Louis Arch Diocese was trying to figure out a way to break up that 7th grade Magdalen juggernaut?
By dark, you couldn't even tell a day long neighborhood celebration had taken place at Francis Park, as dozens of St. Louis Hills Neighborhood Association volunteers had everything picked up again.
Friday, October 07, 2005
Not Ready for Prime Time
Due to the fact that San Diego and St. Louis play in the two smallest media markets of all the teams participating in this years' baseball post-season, the Cards/Padres series is being relegated to odd hours for the games.
The first game was held at 1:00 PM STL time on Tuesday, yesterday's game started at 3:05 CST, and Saturday's game begins at 10:00 PM CST. Meanwhile, yesterday, at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals defeated the Padres 6-2, taking a commanding 2 games to none lead in the series, in front of a standing room only crowd of over 52,000 fans.
Down in Atlanta, last nite's prime time game had the Atlanta Braves going up against the Houston Astros. The game featured two of the league's marquis pitchers in a classic matchup: John Smoltz for Atlanta and Roger, "The Rocket", Clemens for Houston.
The Atlanta fans showed how not to act on national television. Camera shots showed Atlanta's stadium with thousands of empty seats. (Did that mean the Braves owners demanded a media blackout in Atlanta?). With Atlanta holding a comfortable 5-1 lead over Clemens, they booed him as he was walking to take his turn to bat. And then in every pressure situation, with the Atlanta organist leading the way, the Atlanta fans would begin their "Tomahawk Chop" chant and gesturing ("Whooa-whooa-whooa...whoooa-whoooa-whoooa.... [repeat ad nauseum]).
[Aside-one of my favorite scenes from TV would be to see Jane Fonda standing behind home plate reluctantly performing the Tomahawk Chop alongside Ted Turner. Talk about a seeing a conflicted person in action.]
Atlanta calls itself "America's Team". Shouldn't that title more rightly be given to the Cardinals? The Cardinal fan base stretches throughout the midwest and beyond. Apparently the media brass does not take that fact into consideration when scheduling time slots for televising post-season games.
The first game was held at 1:00 PM STL time on Tuesday, yesterday's game started at 3:05 CST, and Saturday's game begins at 10:00 PM CST. Meanwhile, yesterday, at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals defeated the Padres 6-2, taking a commanding 2 games to none lead in the series, in front of a standing room only crowd of over 52,000 fans.
Down in Atlanta, last nite's prime time game had the Atlanta Braves going up against the Houston Astros. The game featured two of the league's marquis pitchers in a classic matchup: John Smoltz for Atlanta and Roger, "The Rocket", Clemens for Houston.
The Atlanta fans showed how not to act on national television. Camera shots showed Atlanta's stadium with thousands of empty seats. (Did that mean the Braves owners demanded a media blackout in Atlanta?). With Atlanta holding a comfortable 5-1 lead over Clemens, they booed him as he was walking to take his turn to bat. And then in every pressure situation, with the Atlanta organist leading the way, the Atlanta fans would begin their "Tomahawk Chop" chant and gesturing ("Whooa-whooa-whooa...whoooa-whoooa-whoooa.... [repeat ad nauseum]).
[Aside-one of my favorite scenes from TV would be to see Jane Fonda standing behind home plate reluctantly performing the Tomahawk Chop alongside Ted Turner. Talk about a seeing a conflicted person in action.]
Atlanta calls itself "America's Team". Shouldn't that title more rightly be given to the Cardinals? The Cardinal fan base stretches throughout the midwest and beyond. Apparently the media brass does not take that fact into consideration when scheduling time slots for televising post-season games.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Our Civic "Great Room"
It doesn't matter if you're black, white, brown, or green, in St. Louis, the one color that unites us is RED.
St. Louis is steeped in tradition and a sense of community. There is strong neighborhood and community identity.
However, there's one place where it doesn't matter which side of town you're from, which side of the river, or which side of Skinker: it's Busch Stadium and it's like our civic "great room".
New homes are built with large center rooms where friends and family gather together for parties, meals, and celebrations. For St. Louis, our favorite gathering place, for more than 40 years, is Busch Stadium.
In a region of 2,500,000 people, Cardinal Nation draws over 3,000,000 fans. St. Louis becomes a sea of red. The family tradition of getting together over the Cardinals is going strong, where it belongs: in the heart of our region, in the heart of downtown.
Red is the color of passion, and St. Louis is passionate about the Cardinals. We've won more World Series championships than any other national league town, and are in the hunt once more in 2005.
Will this be our year? Maybe. But win or lose, we're in it together, the same as we have been for over one hundred years.
Can you feel it? That sea of red that binds us together? What do you want to bet the other cities and teams can. It's our mojo. It's an awesome thing. And there's nothing they can do about it. They can only imagine.
St. Louis is steeped in tradition and a sense of community. There is strong neighborhood and community identity.
However, there's one place where it doesn't matter which side of town you're from, which side of the river, or which side of Skinker: it's Busch Stadium and it's like our civic "great room".
New homes are built with large center rooms where friends and family gather together for parties, meals, and celebrations. For St. Louis, our favorite gathering place, for more than 40 years, is Busch Stadium.
In a region of 2,500,000 people, Cardinal Nation draws over 3,000,000 fans. St. Louis becomes a sea of red. The family tradition of getting together over the Cardinals is going strong, where it belongs: in the heart of our region, in the heart of downtown.
Red is the color of passion, and St. Louis is passionate about the Cardinals. We've won more World Series championships than any other national league town, and are in the hunt once more in 2005.
Will this be our year? Maybe. But win or lose, we're in it together, the same as we have been for over one hundred years.
Can you feel it? That sea of red that binds us together? What do you want to bet the other cities and teams can. It's our mojo. It's an awesome thing. And there's nothing they can do about it. They can only imagine.
Respecting Our Elders
The City is looking to find the oldest living city resident, and the person who has lived here the longest. We pay lots of attention to the young people in our community; let's think of our seniors too.
Maybe you know someone who might be the city's most senior citizen, or the person who has lived in the city the longest (not necessarily the same person). Let's find them and give them some credit.
Maybe you know someone who might be the city's most senior citizen, or the person who has lived in the city the longest (not necessarily the same person). Let's find them and give them some credit.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Proposed 16th Ward Community Center To Take Next Step
Community Center advocates plan to submit their offer to purchase the Nottingham School to the Board of Education before the end of the year.
Before the project becomes a reality, there will be a signature drive to establish a Community Improvement District to fund construction of the facility, and the Board of Aldermen would have the final vote.
Before the project becomes a reality, there will be a signature drive to establish a Community Improvement District to fund construction of the facility, and the Board of Aldermen would have the final vote.
Put A Bow On It
The new Target at Hampton Village opened yesterday. Employees at the store could hardly believe the anticipation from neighborhood residents about the opening of the new store.
Word was that the old Target was the highest dollar Target in the entire St. Louis area. With their new offer, they should expect to see even higher sales volume.
Has there ever been such a love affair between a neighborhood and a chain store?
Word was that the old Target was the highest dollar Target in the entire St. Louis area. With their new offer, they should expect to see even higher sales volume.
Has there ever been such a love affair between a neighborhood and a chain store?
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
We Have A Name!
Last month I posted about a project I've been working on for some time where people network together for bartered services, ultimately resulting in a financial contribution being made to a worthwhile community-based organization. We were looking for a name for the project. Now we have one!
We're calling it the "Community Service Exchange", and tonite I'll be issuing the first voucher for services rendered: five guitar lessons for a serious young guitar student.
Here's how it works. Caleb, the student, has his fifth guitar lesson tonite (he's sticking with it...yeah!). His dad attends the lessons, and will leave this evening with a voucher describing the donated services along with a contribution form directing his payment to the community organization, in this case, our local school's music program.
I never see a payment, nor know the amount of the contribution. However the coupon to be sent with the contribution describes the nature of the donated services and bears the name "Community Service Exchange" on the form.
If you'd like more information about this project (which hopefully grows over time with more service providers, customers, and resulting donations), please drop me a line or post a comment or suggestion here. Thanks.
We're calling it the "Community Service Exchange", and tonite I'll be issuing the first voucher for services rendered: five guitar lessons for a serious young guitar student.
Here's how it works. Caleb, the student, has his fifth guitar lesson tonite (he's sticking with it...yeah!). His dad attends the lessons, and will leave this evening with a voucher describing the donated services along with a contribution form directing his payment to the community organization, in this case, our local school's music program.
I never see a payment, nor know the amount of the contribution. However the coupon to be sent with the contribution describes the nature of the donated services and bears the name "Community Service Exchange" on the form.
If you'd like more information about this project (which hopefully grows over time with more service providers, customers, and resulting donations), please drop me a line or post a comment or suggestion here. Thanks.
Block Party Season
This is the time of year you see block parties breaking out all over. We had ours this past Saturday. Overall, it was a pretty low-key affair.
Before things got started, there was Steve Patterson cruising by on his scooter. He even let me try it out for a ride. Thanks, dude.
At the block party, we had a cake walk, PA'd music, one of those inflated get-inside-and-jump-around things kids love, basketball, bike riding, a wine taste, and a big screen projection movie show for everyone after dark. Oh, and a campfire and s'mores. Everyone had a good time, and to follow up, this year we plan to circulate a block directory for neighbors to fill out and share their contact info with each other.
During the day, one of our old neighbor kids, "Johnny C", came back for the block party. He's a fourth or fifth grader, the middle child of three high-energy, big-fun kids. Little Johnny could out run kids twice his age. He was a demon during alley wiffle or b-ball games. Everyone would want Johnny C on their team. His brother and sister weren't too shabby neither.
It was nice seeing Johnny at the block party, and we welcomed him back. He still plays for the parish soccer team, even though his family moved out of the neighborhod this summer for a house on a big lot out somewhere around Manchester and Hwy 40.
I asked him if he missed anything about the old neighborhood. He said he didn't like the way houses were so much farther apart in their new neighborhood, and how it made it harder for them to visit their friends. And he said he didn't like the neighbor who lived up the hill from them very much.
Johnny said the neighbor was sort of an older man, and how whenever he or his brother or sister would hit balls from their backyard into the neighbor's, the neighbor man would get real angry with them about it. I don't remember the "C" kids ever getting into much trouble around our block. And if there was a problem, we'd talk with them about it and that would be the end of it. If anything, I remember them always being the first ones eager to help out with things if it meant our Matt could join them in some sandlot-styled game.
The "C" kids were chatty, fun kids to have around. And they had tons of kids to play with on our street. In fact, the kids sort of took over the place, and we figured that was a good thing.
Before things got started, there was Steve Patterson cruising by on his scooter. He even let me try it out for a ride. Thanks, dude.
At the block party, we had a cake walk, PA'd music, one of those inflated get-inside-and-jump-around things kids love, basketball, bike riding, a wine taste, and a big screen projection movie show for everyone after dark. Oh, and a campfire and s'mores. Everyone had a good time, and to follow up, this year we plan to circulate a block directory for neighbors to fill out and share their contact info with each other.
During the day, one of our old neighbor kids, "Johnny C", came back for the block party. He's a fourth or fifth grader, the middle child of three high-energy, big-fun kids. Little Johnny could out run kids twice his age. He was a demon during alley wiffle or b-ball games. Everyone would want Johnny C on their team. His brother and sister weren't too shabby neither.
It was nice seeing Johnny at the block party, and we welcomed him back. He still plays for the parish soccer team, even though his family moved out of the neighborhod this summer for a house on a big lot out somewhere around Manchester and Hwy 40.
I asked him if he missed anything about the old neighborhood. He said he didn't like the way houses were so much farther apart in their new neighborhood, and how it made it harder for them to visit their friends. And he said he didn't like the neighbor who lived up the hill from them very much.
Johnny said the neighbor was sort of an older man, and how whenever he or his brother or sister would hit balls from their backyard into the neighbor's, the neighbor man would get real angry with them about it. I don't remember the "C" kids ever getting into much trouble around our block. And if there was a problem, we'd talk with them about it and that would be the end of it. If anything, I remember them always being the first ones eager to help out with things if it meant our Matt could join them in some sandlot-styled game.
The "C" kids were chatty, fun kids to have around. And they had tons of kids to play with on our street. In fact, the kids sort of took over the place, and we figured that was a good thing.
Downtown Itinerary With Kids
We have family coming in for a week at the start of November. Grandma, grandpa, brother, sister-in-law, and two boys, ages 4 and 6. They're here for a national science convention, and this time, instead of staying with us, they're staying downtown at the Mayfair.
Brother and dad will be attending meetings, and mom, sister-in-law, and the boys will have days to explore. Starting with downtown, what would you recommend for things to do, places to eat? Remember, the boys are only 4 and 6, so fancy restaurants are a little beyond their attention span.
Things to do?
City Museum
Arch
Old Court House
Campbell House?
Downtown library
Shopping at Macy's
Union Station
Places to eat?
Wendy's
Fridays
Bread Co
Lion's Choice
But I know mom (grandma), likes to eat at nicer places, so what about some of downtown's nicer restaurants that would be okay with a couple of semi-active, nice boys? (appetites are not a problem.)
I was thinking of:
Dooley's
Downtown Cantina
Beffa's (but they won't have a car...they could borrow mine though; that'd work)
There must be some others. What about things to do?
Brother and dad will be attending meetings, and mom, sister-in-law, and the boys will have days to explore. Starting with downtown, what would you recommend for things to do, places to eat? Remember, the boys are only 4 and 6, so fancy restaurants are a little beyond their attention span.
Things to do?
City Museum
Arch
Old Court House
Campbell House?
Downtown library
Shopping at Macy's
Union Station
Places to eat?
Wendy's
Fridays
Bread Co
Lion's Choice
But I know mom (grandma), likes to eat at nicer places, so what about some of downtown's nicer restaurants that would be okay with a couple of semi-active, nice boys? (appetites are not a problem.)
I was thinking of:
Dooley's
Downtown Cantina
Beffa's (but they won't have a car...they could borrow mine though; that'd work)
There must be some others. What about things to do?
Monday, October 03, 2005
What's your story?
St. Louis conjures up completely different realities for people, depending on who's experiencing it. For many, the city is continuing on a steady path of recovery. Neighborhoods all across the city are seeing major improvements. Billions of dollars of new investments are happening. Property values are up. Things are the best they've been in over forty years.
Yet, despite the progress, there are still those who see St. Louis as it was back in its down days. This morning, on KMOX, the owner of 2 Cents Plain, the historic downtown pastrami sandwich place, called downtown "Done-town". He's sold his building and is going into retirement.
Standing in the crowd at Sunday's "Parade-A-Palooza" sponsored by KMOX, two elderly gentlemen, both retired, while discussing St. Louis, called one particular neighborhood "the only good neighborhood left in the City". Where have they been???
It's strange really. One city. The same facts, visible improvements, and plentiful positive news stories available to everyone, and there are still those that see St. Louis as a place in decline. The negative sentiments always amaze me. Try to convince them otherwise, and some of these old-timers (either physically or in spirit) look at you like you have two heads.
So, what's your story?
Yet, despite the progress, there are still those who see St. Louis as it was back in its down days. This morning, on KMOX, the owner of 2 Cents Plain, the historic downtown pastrami sandwich place, called downtown "Done-town". He's sold his building and is going into retirement.
Standing in the crowd at Sunday's "Parade-A-Palooza" sponsored by KMOX, two elderly gentlemen, both retired, while discussing St. Louis, called one particular neighborhood "the only good neighborhood left in the City". Where have they been???
It's strange really. One city. The same facts, visible improvements, and plentiful positive news stories available to everyone, and there are still those that see St. Louis as a place in decline. The negative sentiments always amaze me. Try to convince them otherwise, and some of these old-timers (either physically or in spirit) look at you like you have two heads.
So, what's your story?
Downtown Tops Lively STL Weekend
St. Louis lived up to its motto this weekend as "The Place To Be".
The day started with a parade down Market Street featuring Mayor Slay, Lou Brock, the Vashon High School marching band, Police Chief Mokwa, Fred Bird, Father Time, and many more.
After the parade, Taste St. Louis continued on the Gateway Mall, along with a downtown street fair at Kiener Plaza.
Later in the day, the St. Louis Cardinals rallied from a 5-0 deficit to complete a 3-game sweep of the Cincinatti Reds, winning their 100th game of the season on the occasion of the last regular season game in the storied history of Busch Stadium.
Following the game, there was a celebration of Busch Sstadium and Cardinal Nation as most of the current and former Cardinal players were introduced on the field, along with many of the long-time workers at Busch Stadium.
As the festivities at Busch were coming to a close, things were heating up over at Savvis Center. The St. Louis Blues were closing out their preseason with a rousing 2-1 defeat over the Chicago Blackhawks.
Fall is a great time of year in St. Louis. There were things happening all around the region, and downtown was leading the way, attracting tens of thousands of visitors.
The day started with a parade down Market Street featuring Mayor Slay, Lou Brock, the Vashon High School marching band, Police Chief Mokwa, Fred Bird, Father Time, and many more.
After the parade, Taste St. Louis continued on the Gateway Mall, along with a downtown street fair at Kiener Plaza.
Later in the day, the St. Louis Cardinals rallied from a 5-0 deficit to complete a 3-game sweep of the Cincinatti Reds, winning their 100th game of the season on the occasion of the last regular season game in the storied history of Busch Stadium.
Following the game, there was a celebration of Busch Sstadium and Cardinal Nation as most of the current and former Cardinal players were introduced on the field, along with many of the long-time workers at Busch Stadium.
As the festivities at Busch were coming to a close, things were heating up over at Savvis Center. The St. Louis Blues were closing out their preseason with a rousing 2-1 defeat over the Chicago Blackhawks.
Fall is a great time of year in St. Louis. There were things happening all around the region, and downtown was leading the way, attracting tens of thousands of visitors.
Friday, September 30, 2005
From Curtis Mayfield to Jeff Beck
Last nite we watched the PBS special on the 60s. The program included footage of the funeral train carrying the casket of Bobby Kennedy. Americans lined the track across the country to pay their respects. The sound track playing during the sad procession was of Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions performing "People Get Ready".
Until last nite, I never knew there was an earlier rendition of the song. I had always associated it with a duet performed by Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart. Stewart is not one of my favorites, but on this recording his voice sails and blends perfectly with the guitar playing of Beck. The song is recorded on Jeff Beck's "Flash" album.
The 60s special continued, giving covereage of Woodstock and the ill-fated Rolling Stones concert at Altamont. The Altamont concert was billed to be a West Coast version of Woodstock, but it turned out tragically. Originally, the concert was planned to take place in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, but promoters could not get permission from city officials to hold the concert. The next place they tried was Sears Point Raceway, near the border of Marin and Sonoma counties, but once again they were turned away.
Concert promoters were running out of options and time, and so, with the assistance of the famed San Francisco trial attorney, Melvin Belli, a last minute deal was worked out to hold the concert at the Altamont Speedway in the Livermore hills, situated about thirty miles east of San Francisco.
I was a fifth grader at the time, and our home had a view of the Altamont Pass. I wasn't old enough to be aware of the historic events that were taking place across the valley from where we lived. The Rolling Stones, Santana, the Jefferson Airplane, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were all on the Altamont bill.
Today, Altamont is mostly known for the windfarm that has sprouted up there over the past 20 years. It's a barren stretch of hills at the far eastern edge of the Bay Area, separating the Bay Area from California's Central Valley.
Nothing marks the location of the infamous events that happened there in 1969. Instead, the area is the morning and afternoon passage for tens of thousands of bleary-eyed commuters making the grueling 2-3 hour drive from their semi-affordable homes in places like Tracy and Stockton to jobs in the South Bay Area and Silicon Valley. Hey, but like they say, "the weather's good!"
Until last nite, I never knew there was an earlier rendition of the song. I had always associated it with a duet performed by Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart. Stewart is not one of my favorites, but on this recording his voice sails and blends perfectly with the guitar playing of Beck. The song is recorded on Jeff Beck's "Flash" album.
The 60s special continued, giving covereage of Woodstock and the ill-fated Rolling Stones concert at Altamont. The Altamont concert was billed to be a West Coast version of Woodstock, but it turned out tragically. Originally, the concert was planned to take place in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, but promoters could not get permission from city officials to hold the concert. The next place they tried was Sears Point Raceway, near the border of Marin and Sonoma counties, but once again they were turned away.
Concert promoters were running out of options and time, and so, with the assistance of the famed San Francisco trial attorney, Melvin Belli, a last minute deal was worked out to hold the concert at the Altamont Speedway in the Livermore hills, situated about thirty miles east of San Francisco.
I was a fifth grader at the time, and our home had a view of the Altamont Pass. I wasn't old enough to be aware of the historic events that were taking place across the valley from where we lived. The Rolling Stones, Santana, the Jefferson Airplane, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were all on the Altamont bill.
Today, Altamont is mostly known for the windfarm that has sprouted up there over the past 20 years. It's a barren stretch of hills at the far eastern edge of the Bay Area, separating the Bay Area from California's Central Valley.
Nothing marks the location of the infamous events that happened there in 1969. Instead, the area is the morning and afternoon passage for tens of thousands of bleary-eyed commuters making the grueling 2-3 hour drive from their semi-affordable homes in places like Tracy and Stockton to jobs in the South Bay Area and Silicon Valley. Hey, but like they say, "the weather's good!"
Thursday, September 29, 2005
The ScholarShop
An excellent St. Louis resale concept store, the "ScholarShop", operates two locations in our area, one in Clayton and the other in Webster Groves. Proceeds from the stores fund scholarships and low interest loans to fund secondary education for income-eligible, St. Louis area students.
Over the past few years, our household has saved thousands of dollars off the cost of buying retail on everything from professional to casual clothing and accessories. Next time you're clothes shopping, this local gem deserves a look.
Over the past few years, our household has saved thousands of dollars off the cost of buying retail on everything from professional to casual clothing and accessories. Next time you're clothes shopping, this local gem deserves a look.
Historic Districts and Then Some
St. Louis is a city rich with history. The city proper was generally completely built out by 1950, making most of it eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. One of the best places to read about the city's many landmarks and historic districts can be found at the website for the City's Cultural Resources office.
However, even though most of the city qualifies for historic district status, the majority of it is not listed on the National Register. Why not? There are a number of reasons. First, it requires a proactive effort to list buildings or districts on the National Register. Second, it costs money. And third, it requires community support.
Some neighborhoods oppose historic district status because they are concerned about adding red tape and increasing rehab costs necessary to comply with historic district standards. This issue can be mitigated depending on how you establish your historic district as either a "local" or "national" historic district.
Usually, since historic district status offers significant financial resources that encourage historic rehab, historic district nominations are carried out as part of a neighborhood revitalization strategy. However, some neighborhoods actually oppose historic district status out of a concern that being listed on the National Register will restrict the use of their property or limit their rehab alternatives. This is not the case.
The only time federal or state rehabilitation codes are enforced within a National Register Historic District is if you plan to use state or federal historic rehabilitation tax credits, or federal funds in your project. If your construction activities are privately financed, say like building a new garage or installing new windows, there are no historic design standards. This is different in the case of "local historic districts", such as Lafayette Square and Soulard, where local historic codes do govern the design specifications of rehabilitation and new construction.
So the question is, if you lived in a city neighborhood that was not listed on the National Register, say in a place like St. Louis Hills or the O'Fallon neighborhoods, would you support having your neighborhood listed on the National Register?
However, even though most of the city qualifies for historic district status, the majority of it is not listed on the National Register. Why not? There are a number of reasons. First, it requires a proactive effort to list buildings or districts on the National Register. Second, it costs money. And third, it requires community support.
Some neighborhoods oppose historic district status because they are concerned about adding red tape and increasing rehab costs necessary to comply with historic district standards. This issue can be mitigated depending on how you establish your historic district as either a "local" or "national" historic district.
Usually, since historic district status offers significant financial resources that encourage historic rehab, historic district nominations are carried out as part of a neighborhood revitalization strategy. However, some neighborhoods actually oppose historic district status out of a concern that being listed on the National Register will restrict the use of their property or limit their rehab alternatives. This is not the case.
The only time federal or state rehabilitation codes are enforced within a National Register Historic District is if you plan to use state or federal historic rehabilitation tax credits, or federal funds in your project. If your construction activities are privately financed, say like building a new garage or installing new windows, there are no historic design standards. This is different in the case of "local historic districts", such as Lafayette Square and Soulard, where local historic codes do govern the design specifications of rehabilitation and new construction.
So the question is, if you lived in a city neighborhood that was not listed on the National Register, say in a place like St. Louis Hills or the O'Fallon neighborhoods, would you support having your neighborhood listed on the National Register?
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Stagger Lee Shot Billy
The famous blues song, "Stagger Lee", has roots dating back to 1890s St. Louis. Legend has it that there was a fight over a fancy hat in a saloon in the "Deep Morgan" section of the old city, leading to a shooting by a carriage driver named "Stack Lee". "Stack Lee" evolved into "Stagger Lee", and from St. Louis the story travelled southward down the Mississippi River toward New Orleans, where it was passed along from generation to generation through an oral history traditon. The legend continued to grow until it became the basis of the famous song.
A recent book, entitled Stagolee Shot Billy, traces the story from many different perspectives, all starting with the same episode in a St. Louis bar. A novel written by the Harlem Renaissance writer Arna Bontemps entitled God Sends Sunday also devotes part of its story to Stack Lee.
As noted below, some historians claim that the original brick row house located across Tucker from the Post Dispatch (the same building recently planned to house the horses for downtown's mounted police patrol), is the home (and former brothel) of the same Stagger Lee.
From the 3clearlight.com website:
Tourists note
911 N. 12th Street, which was "Stag" Lee Sheldon's house, is still standing, although it was recently boarded up and for sale; it's the only house remaining on the block (directly across from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch building). About 15 years ago, an alderman named Bruce Sommer ran a restaurant there called the Sommer House -- with live music, including old-time performers Cousin Curtis & the Cash Rebates, and blues singer Tom Hall. Tom wasn't aware that he was singing in Stagger Lee's old house.
(Click here for the lyrics to Stagger Lee.)
(Click here for more of the history behind the song, including a story about how the popular rhythm and blues number did not go over well with Dick Clark, the icon of the 50's hit music television program, American Bandstand.)
(Click here for a detailed essay on the legend of Stack O. [Stagger] Lee)
A recent book, entitled Stagolee Shot Billy, traces the story from many different perspectives, all starting with the same episode in a St. Louis bar. A novel written by the Harlem Renaissance writer Arna Bontemps entitled God Sends Sunday also devotes part of its story to Stack Lee.
As noted below, some historians claim that the original brick row house located across Tucker from the Post Dispatch (the same building recently planned to house the horses for downtown's mounted police patrol), is the home (and former brothel) of the same Stagger Lee.
From the 3clearlight.com website:
Tourists note
911 N. 12th Street, which was "Stag" Lee Sheldon's house, is still standing, although it was recently boarded up and for sale; it's the only house remaining on the block (directly across from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch building). About 15 years ago, an alderman named Bruce Sommer ran a restaurant there called the Sommer House -- with live music, including old-time performers Cousin Curtis & the Cash Rebates, and blues singer Tom Hall. Tom wasn't aware that he was singing in Stagger Lee's old house.
(Click here for the lyrics to Stagger Lee.)
(Click here for more of the history behind the song, including a story about how the popular rhythm and blues number did not go over well with Dick Clark, the icon of the 50's hit music television program, American Bandstand.)
(Click here for a detailed essay on the legend of Stack O. [Stagger] Lee)
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
St. Louis: Halloween Headquarters
Fall is one of the best times of the year in St. Louis, and Halloween is one of our most celebrated holidays.
The St. Louis area is known as one of the most haunted regions in the country. Some of our most famous haunted places are across the river in Alton, Illinois.
Also, this is the time of year when haunted houses open up to scare fright fans of all ages. So, if you're looking for a "spooktacular" good time, be sure to check out some of the many St. Louis haunts from now til the first part of November...
The St. Louis area is known as one of the most haunted regions in the country. Some of our most famous haunted places are across the river in Alton, Illinois.
Also, this is the time of year when haunted houses open up to scare fright fans of all ages. So, if you're looking for a "spooktacular" good time, be sure to check out some of the many St. Louis haunts from now til the first part of November...
Monday, September 26, 2005
St. Louis Planning and Development Maps
For those wanting to learn more about St. Louis, studying maps is a good place to start. The East-West Gateway Coordinating Council has lots of maps accessible at their website, all updated since 2004 or 2005.
There you will find a wide variety of St. Louis maps, ranging from maps about population density to maps of our many historic sites.
Development activity can be tracked to information found on maps. Consider the ubiquitous QuikTrip Corporation. Ever wonder why QuikTrip is so interested in building in the City of St. Louis? Just take one look at our population density.
Many locations where QuikTrip operates are low density, suburban areas. By comparison, the City of St. Louis offers three to four times the population density of its suburban neighbors. More people equal more potential customers. Many studies have shown that there is greater purchasing power per square mile in the City of St. Louis than in many of its surrounding suburbs.
To see the full list of maps available online, visit the East-West Gateway map page.
There you will find a wide variety of St. Louis maps, ranging from maps about population density to maps of our many historic sites.
Development activity can be tracked to information found on maps. Consider the ubiquitous QuikTrip Corporation. Ever wonder why QuikTrip is so interested in building in the City of St. Louis? Just take one look at our population density.
Many locations where QuikTrip operates are low density, suburban areas. By comparison, the City of St. Louis offers three to four times the population density of its suburban neighbors. More people equal more potential customers. Many studies have shown that there is greater purchasing power per square mile in the City of St. Louis than in many of its surrounding suburbs.
To see the full list of maps available online, visit the East-West Gateway map page.
Cool Places Around St. Louis
As we enter fall color season, this is a good time to think about some of the beautiful places we have here around St. Louis. One of the best is the picturesque campus of Principia College, above Elsah, Illinois, just north of Alton.
Here's a link to a virtual tour of Principia's Elsah campus. If you've never visited this place, you should check it out sometime. It's one of the best kept secrets in the St. Louis area. The views of the Mississippi River from the high bluff location of the Principia campus are awesome.
And if you plan to check out Principia College, then you should try to add a little time to also visit the delightful village of Elsah. It's one of the prettiest, historic small towns anywhere in the Midwest.
Here's a link to a virtual tour of Principia's Elsah campus. If you've never visited this place, you should check it out sometime. It's one of the best kept secrets in the St. Louis area. The views of the Mississippi River from the high bluff location of the Principia campus are awesome.
And if you plan to check out Principia College, then you should try to add a little time to also visit the delightful village of Elsah. It's one of the prettiest, historic small towns anywhere in the Midwest.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
"Forest Park South"
Following the example of the "Garden District", another coalition of city neighborhoods has pulled together to work to improve their combined area.
The area, roughly bounded by: Vandeventer at 40, southwest along Vandeventer to the RR right-of-way, then west along the RR right-of-way over to Manchester and Macklind, west on Manchester to Hampton, north on Hampton to 40, and then east on 40 back to Vandeventer has been dubbed "Forest Park South" and includes all of the Forest Park Southeast, Kings Oak, and Cheltenham neighborhoods.
One of the area's first goals is to work for the improvement of the corridors along Manchester, Chouteau, and Oakland Avenues. From a marketing perspective, Forest Park South is the host of this year's area house tour, featuring properties in Forest Park Southeast, the Garden District, and the Lofts at the Highlands. The house tour will take place September 24th from 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Registration is $5. The tour will feature a Resource Fair, Art Vendors, and a "Taste of Forest Park Southeast".
The idea of neighborhoods working together to foster community improvement, while still preserving individual neighborhood identity, is a good one with lots of potential in city neighhborhoods.
The area, roughly bounded by: Vandeventer at 40, southwest along Vandeventer to the RR right-of-way, then west along the RR right-of-way over to Manchester and Macklind, west on Manchester to Hampton, north on Hampton to 40, and then east on 40 back to Vandeventer has been dubbed "Forest Park South" and includes all of the Forest Park Southeast, Kings Oak, and Cheltenham neighborhoods.
One of the area's first goals is to work for the improvement of the corridors along Manchester, Chouteau, and Oakland Avenues. From a marketing perspective, Forest Park South is the host of this year's area house tour, featuring properties in Forest Park Southeast, the Garden District, and the Lofts at the Highlands. The house tour will take place September 24th from 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Registration is $5. The tour will feature a Resource Fair, Art Vendors, and a "Taste of Forest Park Southeast".
The idea of neighborhoods working together to foster community improvement, while still preserving individual neighborhood identity, is a good one with lots of potential in city neighhborhoods.
DT-Running Out of Buildings to Rehab?
Last nite we rode from the 2700 block of Locust to the corner of St. Charles and 15th. This area used to feel like some distant future phase of downtown's loft renaissance.
Not any more. It is starting to appear that nearly every vacant warehouse building in downtown has some sort of active loft project either "coming soon" or under construction.
Any predicitions on when DT might start to see some new construction loft projects?
Not any more. It is starting to appear that nearly every vacant warehouse building in downtown has some sort of active loft project either "coming soon" or under construction.
Any predicitions on when DT might start to see some new construction loft projects?
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
From 2000-2004, St. Louis' Economy Outperformed Many Big Cities
Employment change in St. Louis from 2000-2004 saw a 1.2% decline.
Compare that to a 4.8% drop in Chicago, a 4.9% drop in New York City, a 7.1% drop in Boston, and a 13.6% drop in San Francisco.
More information can be found in this article from the latest issue of St. Louis Commerce Magazine.
Compare that to a 4.8% drop in Chicago, a 4.9% drop in New York City, a 7.1% drop in Boston, and a 13.6% drop in San Francisco.
More information can be found in this article from the latest issue of St. Louis Commerce Magazine.
Downtown's Homeless Residents
Having both lived in and visited San Francisco over many years, I've witnessed firsthand what a major homeless problem is. There are literally thousands of people camped out on the streets of San Francisco.
Office workers chatting on cel phones, stepping over sleeping (or dead?) homeless people laying on the sidewalk, lean-tos holding all the worldly possesions of a homeless person are seen set up along the side walls of fancy restaurants; hundreds and sometimes thousands of people sleep outdoors in the city's parks. At one time, the park in front of San Francisco's glorious City Hall looked like a tent city.
Never in St. Louis would you see this sort of situation. There has been some documentation recently about Lucas Park being a homeless encampment. And there's a controversy surrounding the possibility of developing a dog park at the same location, dislocating the homeless. However, yesterday and today, I had my first San Francisco homeless deja vue experience right here in downtown St. Louis.
For the past couple of days, I've had to be at work downtown about an hour earlier than usual, and then leave the office for meetings that were starting around 7:30 am. Each day, I travelled Pine out of downtown, past the Soldier's Memorial.
Across from the Soldier's Memorial is a small park. It sits between Pine, Olive, 13th and 14th. The park has turned into a homeless encampment. As I drove by I could see fifteen to twenty groups of people, some sleeping, some just waking up, in the park. Some had blankets spread out on the ground, others were sleeping on benches. Maybe there's a sense of security for homeless people to gather together overnight.
Just a few years ago, there were very few visible signs of homeless people on the streets of downtown. There were stories about some longtime downtown homeless that slept in the bushes next to the stairs of the Civil Courts building. But they weren't taking over city parks.
I'm curious to hear what others' think we as a community should be doing for the homeless people living in St. Louis.
Office workers chatting on cel phones, stepping over sleeping (or dead?) homeless people laying on the sidewalk, lean-tos holding all the worldly possesions of a homeless person are seen set up along the side walls of fancy restaurants; hundreds and sometimes thousands of people sleep outdoors in the city's parks. At one time, the park in front of San Francisco's glorious City Hall looked like a tent city.
Never in St. Louis would you see this sort of situation. There has been some documentation recently about Lucas Park being a homeless encampment. And there's a controversy surrounding the possibility of developing a dog park at the same location, dislocating the homeless. However, yesterday and today, I had my first San Francisco homeless deja vue experience right here in downtown St. Louis.
For the past couple of days, I've had to be at work downtown about an hour earlier than usual, and then leave the office for meetings that were starting around 7:30 am. Each day, I travelled Pine out of downtown, past the Soldier's Memorial.
Across from the Soldier's Memorial is a small park. It sits between Pine, Olive, 13th and 14th. The park has turned into a homeless encampment. As I drove by I could see fifteen to twenty groups of people, some sleeping, some just waking up, in the park. Some had blankets spread out on the ground, others were sleeping on benches. Maybe there's a sense of security for homeless people to gather together overnight.
Just a few years ago, there were very few visible signs of homeless people on the streets of downtown. There were stories about some longtime downtown homeless that slept in the bushes next to the stairs of the Civil Courts building. But they weren't taking over city parks.
I'm curious to hear what others' think we as a community should be doing for the homeless people living in St. Louis.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Blackened Salmon
Last nite, in the middle of an especially busy Saturday, I covered a filet of Atlantic Salmon with Old Bay and put it out on the grill to cook on medium heat. Knowing we had a trip after dinner planned to Trader Joe's, I decided to make the short drive to the Southtown PetSmart for some dog food, cat litter, and other supplies to save some time while the salmon was baking.
Inside PetSmart was a row of adoptable dogs in metal cages, reminding me of the time five years ago when we adopted Hollie, the "VooDoo Priestess" from the Sunset Hills PetSmart.
After about twenty or so minutes, I made it back home. As soon as I stepped out the car, I noticed the acrid smell of burning olive oil, salmon skin, and Old Bay. Looking up the gangway, I saw a column of gray smoke rising into the trees. $#*!, I thought, the dinner is toast, and hurried into the house. The Weber was spewing flames from underneath, so I figured the interior was like a blast furnace. I carefully opened the lid with the handle of the grill brush with one hand, armed with a container of water in the other.
Inside, the salmon was in tact, not on fire, but very black around the edges. Maybe salvagable. We brought it in, scraped away the burned off parts, and then gave it try. Not bad. Pretty good actually. Dinner saved.
After dinner, we headed for the Richmond Heights Trader Joe's. Good as always. Some great finds on wine. MacMurray label (as in Fred MacMurray, the actor). Murphy Goode. Some good stuff. For less than $6 they even have a frozen shellfish medley with a lobster tail, stone crab claws, scallops and shrimp. Maybe next time.
Lamenting the lack of Trader Joe's in the City, one of the staff members(a city resident), said it would be at least two years before TJ opens a city location. They're looking west first.
On our way home, we were tempted to stop at the Epiphany Parish picnic, but as we drove by, we figured, better to check on the goings on at a birthday party Matt was attending. So we did. He's at the age where the hormones are raging. When we arrived, the kids were all downstairs, doing there own thing, doors closed.
Not comfortable with that situation, we decided to do some friendly parental checking in. Things seemed pretty innocent, mostly conversations about who likes who and such, but still, we decided, we'd call it a night and take the Mattman home.
Earlier that day, after watching Matt and his 7th grade teammates defeat the St. Margaret's of Scotland soccer team 2-0 (that's a first, Kafani Mar'Na not on the field for St. Margaret's) I had spent about six hours at work gearing up for a presentation involving possible redevelopment in one of the most economically depressed communities along the east side riverfront.
Today, after another half day at work, (yeah, it's Sunday, and I'm going to work instead of attending mass), it'll be watching the kid play volleyball and then hockey practice.
Then tonite, maybe we'll try blackening a hunk of beef to go with that bottle of Murphy Goode. But this time there won't be any side trip to Southtown Centre in the middle of the barebequeing...
Inside PetSmart was a row of adoptable dogs in metal cages, reminding me of the time five years ago when we adopted Hollie, the "VooDoo Priestess" from the Sunset Hills PetSmart.
After about twenty or so minutes, I made it back home. As soon as I stepped out the car, I noticed the acrid smell of burning olive oil, salmon skin, and Old Bay. Looking up the gangway, I saw a column of gray smoke rising into the trees. $#*!, I thought, the dinner is toast, and hurried into the house. The Weber was spewing flames from underneath, so I figured the interior was like a blast furnace. I carefully opened the lid with the handle of the grill brush with one hand, armed with a container of water in the other.
Inside, the salmon was in tact, not on fire, but very black around the edges. Maybe salvagable. We brought it in, scraped away the burned off parts, and then gave it try. Not bad. Pretty good actually. Dinner saved.
After dinner, we headed for the Richmond Heights Trader Joe's. Good as always. Some great finds on wine. MacMurray label (as in Fred MacMurray, the actor). Murphy Goode. Some good stuff. For less than $6 they even have a frozen shellfish medley with a lobster tail, stone crab claws, scallops and shrimp. Maybe next time.
Lamenting the lack of Trader Joe's in the City, one of the staff members(a city resident), said it would be at least two years before TJ opens a city location. They're looking west first.
On our way home, we were tempted to stop at the Epiphany Parish picnic, but as we drove by, we figured, better to check on the goings on at a birthday party Matt was attending. So we did. He's at the age where the hormones are raging. When we arrived, the kids were all downstairs, doing there own thing, doors closed.
Not comfortable with that situation, we decided to do some friendly parental checking in. Things seemed pretty innocent, mostly conversations about who likes who and such, but still, we decided, we'd call it a night and take the Mattman home.
Earlier that day, after watching Matt and his 7th grade teammates defeat the St. Margaret's of Scotland soccer team 2-0 (that's a first, Kafani Mar'Na not on the field for St. Margaret's) I had spent about six hours at work gearing up for a presentation involving possible redevelopment in one of the most economically depressed communities along the east side riverfront.
Today, after another half day at work, (yeah, it's Sunday, and I'm going to work instead of attending mass), it'll be watching the kid play volleyball and then hockey practice.
Then tonite, maybe we'll try blackening a hunk of beef to go with that bottle of Murphy Goode. But this time there won't be any side trip to Southtown Centre in the middle of the barebequeing...
Friday, September 16, 2005
St. Louis High School Rituals
One of the more useless traditions of St. Louis is the age-old question, "where did you go to High School?". Dropping the pretense, it's code for determining your family's wealth. And it's also symptomatic of our highly parochial nature and private school tradition. Anyhow...with a child beginning 7th grade, we're in the middle of the whole "pre" high school, high school experience. Actually, it starts in the 6th grade...
Last nite, Bishop DuBourg High School held one of its "high school night" open houses. At these events, representatives from the area's many private Catholic High Schools send representatives to sell 6th, 7th, and 8th graders on their schools.
We attended three sessions: SLUH, Vianney, and DuBourg.
Lots of the SLUH kids are on a family track to attend SLUH. Their dad did, and his dad did, so it's expected junior will too. I've seen one kid turn physically ill dealing the pressure to make it into SLUH. Now I understand why. In addition to being the model child in terms of your overall "well-roundedness" and good grades, you have got to have really good grades to make it in. Get more than two final course grades of 84% or less on your report card throughout all of 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, and your application goes into the second review stack. More than three and you're in real tough shape.
Basically, unless he pulls nearly straight A's for all of 7th and 8th grade, our son, Matt is pretty much already ruled out from considering SLU High. And he's a good kid: excellent scores on the "Iowa" standardized tests, multi-sport athlete, musician, with lots of community service.
Vianney's message was pretty clear: we're a good school, and we're real good at SPORTS!
And DuBourg's message was similar: we're a good school, and we're CO-ED!
Where I grew up, we didn't face these sorts of decisions. Everyone went to the same public school. Given the poker game environment of choosing a private high school in St. Louis (things like "if you don't list us as your first choice, we will not grant you admission"), public school is starting to look like a lot better option more and more.
Last nite, Bishop DuBourg High School held one of its "high school night" open houses. At these events, representatives from the area's many private Catholic High Schools send representatives to sell 6th, 7th, and 8th graders on their schools.
We attended three sessions: SLUH, Vianney, and DuBourg.
Lots of the SLUH kids are on a family track to attend SLUH. Their dad did, and his dad did, so it's expected junior will too. I've seen one kid turn physically ill dealing the pressure to make it into SLUH. Now I understand why. In addition to being the model child in terms of your overall "well-roundedness" and good grades, you have got to have really good grades to make it in. Get more than two final course grades of 84% or less on your report card throughout all of 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, and your application goes into the second review stack. More than three and you're in real tough shape.
Basically, unless he pulls nearly straight A's for all of 7th and 8th grade, our son, Matt is pretty much already ruled out from considering SLU High. And he's a good kid: excellent scores on the "Iowa" standardized tests, multi-sport athlete, musician, with lots of community service.
Vianney's message was pretty clear: we're a good school, and we're real good at SPORTS!
And DuBourg's message was similar: we're a good school, and we're CO-ED!
Where I grew up, we didn't face these sorts of decisions. Everyone went to the same public school. Given the poker game environment of choosing a private high school in St. Louis (things like "if you don't list us as your first choice, we will not grant you admission"), public school is starting to look like a lot better option more and more.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Urban Summit
Some people have been talking about the idea of holding an "urban summit" dedicated to the future of St. Louis. There are lots of possibilities for a project like that.
It's definitely something that would require a long-range effort in order to accomplish any lasting results. I wonder if anyone would be willing to get involved?
It's definitely something that would require a long-range effort in order to accomplish any lasting results. I wonder if anyone would be willing to get involved?
Amazing Ice Breaker
This morning, I walked through downtown carrying half a cake enclosed in a pretty, hand-painted crystal cake plate and cover. St. Louis people are known to be friendly, but the reaction this morning was totally unexpected.
A lady on the street offered to open my umbrella for me; single women exiting their cars in the garage were exchanging friendly glances; without exception: one look at the cake and its crystal plate, and there was nothing but friendly smiles all around.
Carrying flowers never had this kind of positive reaction. There must be a lesson here...
A lady on the street offered to open my umbrella for me; single women exiting their cars in the garage were exchanging friendly glances; without exception: one look at the cake and its crystal plate, and there was nothing but friendly smiles all around.
Carrying flowers never had this kind of positive reaction. There must be a lesson here...
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Neighborhood Destinies
Over at the Arch City Chronicle, there is an interesting discussion taking place about the recent demolition of an old city library, and the possibility of a new Walgreen's being built at the location.
Some historic preservation advocates decry the loss, while other members of the community advocate bringing new shopping to the area.
There are many different opinions on how we should develop our communities. Given the neighborhood focus of St. Louis, well-organized community organizations can have a significant role in determining the direction of neighborhood development decisions.
Some historic preservation advocates decry the loss, while other members of the community advocate bringing new shopping to the area.
There are many different opinions on how we should develop our communities. Given the neighborhood focus of St. Louis, well-organized community organizations can have a significant role in determining the direction of neighborhood development decisions.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Lawn Challenge
About two years ago, we moved off of our old tree-less, heavy traffic block onto a much quieter, tree-lined street. The street trees stand 50-70 feet tall and provide wonderful shade. Unfortunately, they make it almost impossible to grow a decent lawn.
Shortly after we moved in, the sewer line along the side of our house collapsed. We hired a contractor to replace the line, but when they were through, they had destroyed the lawn in the gangway between our neighbor's house and ours.
Three tries later, it looks like we've finally gotten the upper hand at reestablishing the side lawn. Now the problem is the main front lawn.
Like on the side, we're now on our third attempt to reestablish the front lawn. We've seeded it once (no luck), and sodded it twice. The last attempt at sodding ended with mixed results. We had to go to three separate nurseries to find enough sod. Not that our yard is very big-it isn't-it was just because the nurseries we're all sold out of their supply of sod.
So, unfortunatley, we wound up with an inconsistent quality of sod. The heartier sod seems to be making it...barely. But the lesser sod is quickly dying out. Our plan now is to overseed the whole thing this fall, and hope to thicken the lawn with new grass. But to date, seeding efforts seem to be futile.
Don't get me wrong...I'd much rather have our canopy of awesome shade trees and struggle to maintain the lawn than have a green lawn and bake in the summer sun. Nonetheless, it sure would be great to have a beautiful green lawn in our front yard. Given that a lot of the neighbors are able to grow a decent lawn, maybe there's hope yet.
Shortly after we moved in, the sewer line along the side of our house collapsed. We hired a contractor to replace the line, but when they were through, they had destroyed the lawn in the gangway between our neighbor's house and ours.
Three tries later, it looks like we've finally gotten the upper hand at reestablishing the side lawn. Now the problem is the main front lawn.
Like on the side, we're now on our third attempt to reestablish the front lawn. We've seeded it once (no luck), and sodded it twice. The last attempt at sodding ended with mixed results. We had to go to three separate nurseries to find enough sod. Not that our yard is very big-it isn't-it was just because the nurseries we're all sold out of their supply of sod.
So, unfortunatley, we wound up with an inconsistent quality of sod. The heartier sod seems to be making it...barely. But the lesser sod is quickly dying out. Our plan now is to overseed the whole thing this fall, and hope to thicken the lawn with new grass. But to date, seeding efforts seem to be futile.
Don't get me wrong...I'd much rather have our canopy of awesome shade trees and struggle to maintain the lawn than have a green lawn and bake in the summer sun. Nonetheless, it sure would be great to have a beautiful green lawn in our front yard. Given that a lot of the neighbors are able to grow a decent lawn, maybe there's hope yet.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Jr. Blues Begin Quest for Third Straight National Title
While the NHL Blues are still awaiting their first national championship, the St. Louis Junior Blues, playing out of Affton, have their sights set on bringing home a third consecutive National B Championship to St. Louis.
A visit to the Affton rink will give you a close-up look at one of hockey's top trophies. The National B Championship trophy stands about three feet tall, and lists the names of National B champions for the past twenty or so years. Like the Stanley Cup, the National B Champtionship trophy stays in the home arena of the championship team. The National B trophy is now beginning its third year being housed at the Affton Arena.
The Junior Blues are a powerhouse in amatuer hockey. In St. Louis, amateur hockey continues to grow in popularity, with Affton home to some of the area's best teams.
St. Louis is blest with an abundance of ice rinks. It's hard to drive more than 15 minutes without coming to another ice skating facility somewhere around the St. Louis area.
If you enjoy watching ice hockey, and don't want to pay the high price of an NHL game, check out one of our many high school or other amateur league games.
A visit to the Affton rink will give you a close-up look at one of hockey's top trophies. The National B Championship trophy stands about three feet tall, and lists the names of National B champions for the past twenty or so years. Like the Stanley Cup, the National B Champtionship trophy stays in the home arena of the championship team. The National B trophy is now beginning its third year being housed at the Affton Arena.
The Junior Blues are a powerhouse in amatuer hockey. In St. Louis, amateur hockey continues to grow in popularity, with Affton home to some of the area's best teams.
St. Louis is blest with an abundance of ice rinks. It's hard to drive more than 15 minutes without coming to another ice skating facility somewhere around the St. Louis area.
If you enjoy watching ice hockey, and don't want to pay the high price of an NHL game, check out one of our many high school or other amateur league games.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Chicago we ain't
This week a couple of us had a meeting in Chicago for one of our projects. I love visiting there and it's been too long since our last trip.
Our meeting this time was right in the heart of downtown, in a high-rise office tower sitting right at the corner of Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River. It took us about 4 hours and 20 minutes to make the drive from St. Louis, leaving us ample time for lunch at the Billy Goat Tavern (Cheezeborger, cheezborger...No pepsi...coke!) Not knowing that the Billy Goat was made famous by SNL, it was pretty cool walking into the place and all of a suddent feeling like we were on the set with John Belushi and Dan Akroyd. The burgers? Not all that great.
Walking around downtown Chicago made me feel good about having such an awesome world class city so close to St. Louis. The architecture is awesome. The place is clean. The lake is beautiful. It's a great place to visit.
Our meeting ended around 3:00 PM. We got right back to the car ($23 parking for 3 hours), and starting heading down Lakeshore Drive toward I-55. We made it onto the highway easy enough, but then once we were headed southbound on I-55, it felt like we were driving through LA. We'd hit long stretches of stop and go traffic, slowed by highway congestion. Visually, the southern suburbs of Chicago are nothing special.
When we finally got through all the congestion, we were making good time travelling south across Illinois. Someday, I want to check out more of these small cities that dot the Illinois landscape. Illinois is a cool state. And the farmland is beautiful.
Passing the time in conversation with my driving companion, we were making rapid progress to St. Louis. The green fields and forested areas of our region become very noticeable. There's a rawer feel to the landscape in southern Illinois. It's especially noticeable in some of the swampier areas. And, there's nowhere near the sprawl feel approaching St. Louis on the Illinois side than you get on the outskirts of Chicago.
Then we were right across the river from downtown, with the city skyline spread out in front of us. Thinking of the massive downtown of Chicago we had just left compared to our much smaller downtown, I had a renewed sense of appreciation for St. Louis. Chicago's downtown sits on the shores of a beautiful lake, with sailboat filled marinas, and parks and museums on the city's front door.
St. Louis sits on the bank of a working industrial river. It's darker, and quieter. The Arch, the Eads Bridge, and Busch Stadium are the most recognizable features of our downtown. The Arch is our symbol to the rest of the world. It's an awesome public project. The Eads Bridge is emblematic of our rich history. And Busch Stadium says to everyone who arrives here that they have entered baseball heaven.
Now it was about 7:30 pm, and we were quickly passing through Lafayette Square, S. Grand, Shaw. We exited at Kingshighway and headed for home. Knowing that there were historic neighborhoods all around us made me appreciate how truly quaint a place St. Louis is. We're older and way more subtle than Chicago.
We'll never be a Chicago. Comparisons are pointless. We have Chicago as a weekend getaway. But we should never try to be like Chicago. Our goal should be to make St. Louis the nicest mid-sized city in the country. Over at the Commonspace, Amanda Doyle nails it when she writes in the latest edition of their online magazine.
St. Louis is someplace special, and it's a place where there's room for everyone to be part of making it even better.
Our meeting this time was right in the heart of downtown, in a high-rise office tower sitting right at the corner of Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River. It took us about 4 hours and 20 minutes to make the drive from St. Louis, leaving us ample time for lunch at the Billy Goat Tavern (Cheezeborger, cheezborger...No pepsi...coke!) Not knowing that the Billy Goat was made famous by SNL, it was pretty cool walking into the place and all of a suddent feeling like we were on the set with John Belushi and Dan Akroyd. The burgers? Not all that great.
Walking around downtown Chicago made me feel good about having such an awesome world class city so close to St. Louis. The architecture is awesome. The place is clean. The lake is beautiful. It's a great place to visit.
Our meeting ended around 3:00 PM. We got right back to the car ($23 parking for 3 hours), and starting heading down Lakeshore Drive toward I-55. We made it onto the highway easy enough, but then once we were headed southbound on I-55, it felt like we were driving through LA. We'd hit long stretches of stop and go traffic, slowed by highway congestion. Visually, the southern suburbs of Chicago are nothing special.
When we finally got through all the congestion, we were making good time travelling south across Illinois. Someday, I want to check out more of these small cities that dot the Illinois landscape. Illinois is a cool state. And the farmland is beautiful.
Passing the time in conversation with my driving companion, we were making rapid progress to St. Louis. The green fields and forested areas of our region become very noticeable. There's a rawer feel to the landscape in southern Illinois. It's especially noticeable in some of the swampier areas. And, there's nowhere near the sprawl feel approaching St. Louis on the Illinois side than you get on the outskirts of Chicago.
Then we were right across the river from downtown, with the city skyline spread out in front of us. Thinking of the massive downtown of Chicago we had just left compared to our much smaller downtown, I had a renewed sense of appreciation for St. Louis. Chicago's downtown sits on the shores of a beautiful lake, with sailboat filled marinas, and parks and museums on the city's front door.
St. Louis sits on the bank of a working industrial river. It's darker, and quieter. The Arch, the Eads Bridge, and Busch Stadium are the most recognizable features of our downtown. The Arch is our symbol to the rest of the world. It's an awesome public project. The Eads Bridge is emblematic of our rich history. And Busch Stadium says to everyone who arrives here that they have entered baseball heaven.
Now it was about 7:30 pm, and we were quickly passing through Lafayette Square, S. Grand, Shaw. We exited at Kingshighway and headed for home. Knowing that there were historic neighborhoods all around us made me appreciate how truly quaint a place St. Louis is. We're older and way more subtle than Chicago.
We'll never be a Chicago. Comparisons are pointless. We have Chicago as a weekend getaway. But we should never try to be like Chicago. Our goal should be to make St. Louis the nicest mid-sized city in the country. Over at the Commonspace, Amanda Doyle nails it when she writes in the latest edition of their online magazine.
St. Louis is someplace special, and it's a place where there's room for everyone to be part of making it even better.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Focus on Alleys
One of the best amenities of living in the City of St. Louis is the layout of our built environment, including having alleys running down the center of almost every city block.
Alleys are a second, semi-hidden world; a more private, intimate neighborhood space.
Over on the mayor's website, there's a feature about alleys, and a survey and discussion about some creative ways of building attractive, affordable, new urban-scale alley housing in the city.
Definitely something to consider when it comes time to replace our current teeny tiny garage....
Alleys are a second, semi-hidden world; a more private, intimate neighborhood space.
Over on the mayor's website, there's a feature about alleys, and a survey and discussion about some creative ways of building attractive, affordable, new urban-scale alley housing in the city.
Definitely something to consider when it comes time to replace our current teeny tiny garage....
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
St. Louis Community Service Network
Well, maybe that's not such a good name. We're open for suggestions. Whatever you want to call it...it's started...
For some time now, I've been giving guitar lessons. It's great helping willing students learn to play. Seeing their improvement is reward enough. So I don't charge for lessons. However, we've come up with a new wrinkle on how to channel the resource.
Rather than having students pay me for lessons, I ask that they make a financial contribution to the school band program of their choice. We set up an acknowledgement form that is submitted to the band program along with the contribution and a description of the donated service, in this case: music lessons.
The vision is that the network of volunteer service providers expands, and that worthwhile community resources benefit, whether school band programs, neighborhood improvement efforts, or other worthwhile community-based organizations, projects or programs.
Presently, we have 6 students taking guitar lessons through the program. With the average cost of private music lessons running around $20 for 1/2 hour, the potential contributions to area music programs is substantial.
If you're interested in learning more about this project, we'd like to hear from you. Long term, our goal is to expand the program through increasing the exchange of services and donations.
For some time now, I've been giving guitar lessons. It's great helping willing students learn to play. Seeing their improvement is reward enough. So I don't charge for lessons. However, we've come up with a new wrinkle on how to channel the resource.
Rather than having students pay me for lessons, I ask that they make a financial contribution to the school band program of their choice. We set up an acknowledgement form that is submitted to the band program along with the contribution and a description of the donated service, in this case: music lessons.
The vision is that the network of volunteer service providers expands, and that worthwhile community resources benefit, whether school band programs, neighborhood improvement efforts, or other worthwhile community-based organizations, projects or programs.
Presently, we have 6 students taking guitar lessons through the program. With the average cost of private music lessons running around $20 for 1/2 hour, the potential contributions to area music programs is substantial.
If you're interested in learning more about this project, we'd like to hear from you. Long term, our goal is to expand the program through increasing the exchange of services and donations.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
TIF Scramble
One of the sore spots around St. Louis has been the competition among municipalities for local tax revenues. This situation has resulted in a number of controversial TIF funded shopping center projects. The latest in this string of development controversies is taking place in Sunset Hills at the SE quadrant of I-44 and Lindbergh.
The site is strategically enough located, however, it's current use is a middle class residential neighborhood. So, a number of years ago, the City of Sunset Hills and commercial real estate interests started working on a redevelopment plan involving TIF to buyout the residents and redevelop the neighborhood.
The project has had a long history of problems, the latest of which are highlighted in the current edition of the St. Louis Business Journal. We are friends with one family living in the buyout area. Their story is particularly troubling.
They have been cooperating with buyout efforts for a number of years. Now, with the latest round of project delays, they are starting to pay a heavy personal cost.
They were supposed to close on the sale of their home with Novus, the project developer, this past month. That didn't happen. However, their sales contract gave them salvage rights on the house, so they have gutted the home of its major systems, all the way down to the aluminum gutters. Since the sale didn't close, they're now living in a substandard home, devoid of modern systems such as hot water and a furnace.
While they were in the process of salvaging parts of their old home, they were looking forward to the purchase of their dream home in a very nice location near Grant's Farm. However, since they were unable to close on the sale of their old home, they could not close on the purchase of their new home, and have lost their earnest money deposit to the seller. That took almost all of their available cash.
And now, word is that Westfield Shopping Centers, owners of the nearby Crestwood Plaza, have purchased some homes in the targeted Sunset Hills redevelopment area, further complicating matters for Novus, and the City of Sunset Hills.
The site is strategically enough located, however, it's current use is a middle class residential neighborhood. So, a number of years ago, the City of Sunset Hills and commercial real estate interests started working on a redevelopment plan involving TIF to buyout the residents and redevelop the neighborhood.
The project has had a long history of problems, the latest of which are highlighted in the current edition of the St. Louis Business Journal. We are friends with one family living in the buyout area. Their story is particularly troubling.
They have been cooperating with buyout efforts for a number of years. Now, with the latest round of project delays, they are starting to pay a heavy personal cost.
They were supposed to close on the sale of their home with Novus, the project developer, this past month. That didn't happen. However, their sales contract gave them salvage rights on the house, so they have gutted the home of its major systems, all the way down to the aluminum gutters. Since the sale didn't close, they're now living in a substandard home, devoid of modern systems such as hot water and a furnace.
While they were in the process of salvaging parts of their old home, they were looking forward to the purchase of their dream home in a very nice location near Grant's Farm. However, since they were unable to close on the sale of their old home, they could not close on the purchase of their new home, and have lost their earnest money deposit to the seller. That took almost all of their available cash.
And now, word is that Westfield Shopping Centers, owners of the nearby Crestwood Plaza, have purchased some homes in the targeted Sunset Hills redevelopment area, further complicating matters for Novus, and the City of Sunset Hills.
Monday, August 29, 2005
Planned Mississippi River Bridge To Brighten Entry to Brooklyn (aka "Lovejoy"), Illinois
The reported oldest African-American community in the state of Illinois lies just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. It's the tiny community of Brooklyn, Illinois, originally known as "Lovejoy".
For years, Brooklyn has mostly been known for its seedy collection of strip clubs, built along Illinois Route 3. However, venture into its residential area, and you will discover a mostly tidy, quiet, almost rural-feeling, small town.
Today, Brooklyn has a major new park on its eastern boundary, and with the planned realignment of Route 3 to coincide with plans for the new I-70 Mississippi River Bridge, the little town of Brooklyn will someday have a much more visible and inviting appearance to people travelling into the St. Louis area.
For years, Brooklyn has mostly been known for its seedy collection of strip clubs, built along Illinois Route 3. However, venture into its residential area, and you will discover a mostly tidy, quiet, almost rural-feeling, small town.
Today, Brooklyn has a major new park on its eastern boundary, and with the planned realignment of Route 3 to coincide with plans for the new I-70 Mississippi River Bridge, the little town of Brooklyn will someday have a much more visible and inviting appearance to people travelling into the St. Louis area.
Friday, August 26, 2005
STL: Even our fog is friendlier....
Today on the morning news, the reporters were all talking about the heavy fog. KMOX hosts were reporting that from their perch on Memorial Drive, they couldn't even see the Arch. Little do they know how fortunate we are.
Out in California, especially their Central Valley, which is a veritable boomtown of new housing developments, they have serious fog. They call it "tule fog".
During their frequent tule fog episodes (nearly daily during many months of the year), the fog is so thick that drivers cannot distinguish their home from their neighbor's while driving down their own block. That is tf they can even make it home...
This is the land of the 100-car highway pileup. These horrible accidents are usually caused by white-out fog conditions. Cars are hurtling down the highway at 50-70 MPH, with sight distances of less than 100 feet.
When the accident starts, you can't see it...all you can do is hear it. And you have no way of knowing which way to turn to avoid being the next in a nightmare chain reaction car accident.
So, dear local reporters, keep on reporting about how heavy the fog is in St. Louis, but know that even when it comes to our fog, St. Louis is a pretty easy to manage place.
Out in California, especially their Central Valley, which is a veritable boomtown of new housing developments, they have serious fog. They call it "tule fog".
During their frequent tule fog episodes (nearly daily during many months of the year), the fog is so thick that drivers cannot distinguish their home from their neighbor's while driving down their own block. That is tf they can even make it home...
This is the land of the 100-car highway pileup. These horrible accidents are usually caused by white-out fog conditions. Cars are hurtling down the highway at 50-70 MPH, with sight distances of less than 100 feet.
When the accident starts, you can't see it...all you can do is hear it. And you have no way of knowing which way to turn to avoid being the next in a nightmare chain reaction car accident.
So, dear local reporters, keep on reporting about how heavy the fog is in St. Louis, but know that even when it comes to our fog, St. Louis is a pretty easy to manage place.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Use of Eminent Domain Debated in Missouri
St. Louis has long relied on the power of eminent domain to help redevelop blighted neighborhoods and properties. Typically when this is done, it only happens when there is community support, passed by an ordinance of the City of St. Louis addressing the specific blight situation.
Nonetheless, there are some members of the community who consider the use of eminent domain as denying private citizens their individual property rights.
However, when a private owner has abandoned his or her property, and the property has become a neighborhood nuisance, or stands in the way of a neighborhood revitalization effort, shouldn't communities have the right to authorize the use of the eminent domain to preserve or improve their neighborhoods?
Nonetheless, there are some members of the community who consider the use of eminent domain as denying private citizens their individual property rights.
However, when a private owner has abandoned his or her property, and the property has become a neighborhood nuisance, or stands in the way of a neighborhood revitalization effort, shouldn't communities have the right to authorize the use of the eminent domain to preserve or improve their neighborhoods?
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Little League World Series a Sham; They Don't Play Real Baseball like St. Louis Kids
On ESPN, days and nites are filled with continuing coverage of the Little League World Series. But what you can't tell by watching the games on television is that these boys are not playing real baseball. They're playing a watered-down version of the game.
Players in the Little League World Series are at the "12 and under" age level. By this age, in St. Louis, all big league rules apply. Players are allowed to steal bases, lead off, and try for first base on a dropped third strike by the catcher. This makes for a faster, tougher, more challenging game of baseball. In fact in St. Louis, the real world rules of baseball take effect by the time kids are in the third or fourth grade.
Not so in the Little League World Series. In this nationally-televised tournament, players are not allowed to steal bases, lead off, nor try for first on a dropped third strike. These rules substantially slow down the game and take tremendous pressure off of the pitchers and catchers -- which are at the heart of the action. Not only that, the outfield fences are positioned a mere 165 feet from home plate, turning mediocre hitters into possible home run threats.
In St. Louis, youth baseball is the real thing. As a result, teams are more competitive, and players develop much sharper skills. The Kirkwood Athletic Association operates one of the areas more competitive programs. In Kirkwood, the off-season draft and recruiting of players is in full wing.
For parents and players seeking a less competitive approach to baseball, the Catholic Youth Coucil, or CYC offers a variety of youth sports. Youth need not be Catholic to play. Around St. Louis there are many other recreational baseball programs.
However, as a young player develops his or her abilities, they are often eager to advance to more competitive programs, and they can find their fill in St. Louis.
One of the reasons we left the San Francisco Bay Area for St. Louis was to be able raise our son in a true baseball environment. Little did we know at the time how true that really was -- at so many different levels.
Players in the Little League World Series are at the "12 and under" age level. By this age, in St. Louis, all big league rules apply. Players are allowed to steal bases, lead off, and try for first base on a dropped third strike by the catcher. This makes for a faster, tougher, more challenging game of baseball. In fact in St. Louis, the real world rules of baseball take effect by the time kids are in the third or fourth grade.
Not so in the Little League World Series. In this nationally-televised tournament, players are not allowed to steal bases, lead off, nor try for first on a dropped third strike. These rules substantially slow down the game and take tremendous pressure off of the pitchers and catchers -- which are at the heart of the action. Not only that, the outfield fences are positioned a mere 165 feet from home plate, turning mediocre hitters into possible home run threats.
In St. Louis, youth baseball is the real thing. As a result, teams are more competitive, and players develop much sharper skills. The Kirkwood Athletic Association operates one of the areas more competitive programs. In Kirkwood, the off-season draft and recruiting of players is in full wing.
For parents and players seeking a less competitive approach to baseball, the Catholic Youth Coucil, or CYC offers a variety of youth sports. Youth need not be Catholic to play. Around St. Louis there are many other recreational baseball programs.
However, as a young player develops his or her abilities, they are often eager to advance to more competitive programs, and they can find their fill in St. Louis.
One of the reasons we left the San Francisco Bay Area for St. Louis was to be able raise our son in a true baseball environment. Little did we know at the time how true that really was -- at so many different levels.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Robert Moog, Synthesizer Pioneer, Dies at Age 71
Moog's synthesizers have influenced the music of countless artists for more than 30 years, including one of my all-time favorites, Todd Rundgren.
Anyone for a swim?
Waterways in the U.S. are supposed to be fishable and swimmable....
...and environmentalists have sued to have the Clean Water Act enforced in Missouri. One solution is to disinfect MSD's sewage effluent that flows into Missouri streams, including the Mississippi River and the River Des Peres.
However, the Executive Director of MSD is concerned that spending capital improvement dollars to disinfect sewer effluent will divert funds already earmarked to correct basement sewer backups, which continue to plague parts of MSD's 150 year-old system.
Anyone for a swim in the River Des Peres?
...and environmentalists have sued to have the Clean Water Act enforced in Missouri. One solution is to disinfect MSD's sewage effluent that flows into Missouri streams, including the Mississippi River and the River Des Peres.
However, the Executive Director of MSD is concerned that spending capital improvement dollars to disinfect sewer effluent will divert funds already earmarked to correct basement sewer backups, which continue to plague parts of MSD's 150 year-old system.
Anyone for a swim in the River Des Peres?
Monday, August 22, 2005
St. Louis: Good for Your Wallet
"The often-panned St. Louis economy is beating the nation in a key measure: raising your income."
We're categorized as a "wealth-building" community.
We're categorized as a "wealth-building" community.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
A class act
"All losses are tough, but this one hurts," said catcher Mike Matheny, the former Cardinal who received a standing ovation when introduced before his third-inning at-bat.
Friday, August 19, 2005
Thursday, August 18, 2005
STL Developer Shares Views on His Success
Action Has No Season: The new book just released by Mike Roberts, describes his views on success in life and business.
St. Louisan Mike Roberts, along with his brother, Steve Roberts, are among the leading developers of downtown St. Louis.
Both Roberts brothers are former city aldermen. The pair has big plans for the city of St. Louis, between Dr. Martin Luther King and Delmar, along Kingshighway.
They note how the area has stronger retail demographics than most prominent commercial locations throughout the entire St. Louis region.
St. Louisan Mike Roberts, along with his brother, Steve Roberts, are among the leading developers of downtown St. Louis.
Both Roberts brothers are former city aldermen. The pair has big plans for the city of St. Louis, between Dr. Martin Luther King and Delmar, along Kingshighway.
They note how the area has stronger retail demographics than most prominent commercial locations throughout the entire St. Louis region.
Missouri Leads Nation in Historic Preservation Investments
$350,000,000 in 2004
"$134 million more than in Pennsylvania, ranked second, and more than twice the $157 million invested by developers in Illinois, which ranked third."
"$134 million more than in Pennsylvania, ranked second, and more than twice the $157 million invested by developers in Illinois, which ranked third."
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Online guitar tutorial
While most of the time this blog will be devoted to positive things about St. Louis, occasionally we will go in some other directions, including music (which is pretty St. Louis anyway...)
Here is an amazing free resource for guitarists...a place where you can study online, with theory and tablature set out right in front of you, all right on your computer screen.
Open tunings are this instructor's specialty.
Here is an amazing free resource for guitarists...a place where you can study online, with theory and tablature set out right in front of you, all right on your computer screen.
Open tunings are this instructor's specialty.
Seeking to expand a business?
Via the Arch City Chronicle...
Missouri's a low cost place to do business ...way below the national average.
Missouri's a low cost place to do business ...way below the national average.
Getting off a looooong plateau
When I was ten, I started guitar lessons. That was thirty-six years ago. Ever since, I've stayed with it. So in all those years I've learned alot. Rock and roll, blues, jazz, classical, bluegrass, even ragtime. The years of playing have been great relaxation and a meditative escape. But last nite, something new happened and it's opened up a whole new world of sound and expression.
20 years ago, I studied ragtime guitar. My teacher could make a guitar sound like a piano. There was a technique he used that made the difference: he let his fingernails grow so he could "pick" five strings at the same time with his nails. A pick sound is completely different than a "thumb" sound. It's much clearer.
When your skin hits a guitar string, the tone is muted. For comparison, think of playing a piano with the mute pedal depressed. The sound is softer. It's the same with a guitar. When you pick with the fleshy ends of your fingers or thumb, you produce a muted tone.
On our recent vacation, I let the fingernails on my right hand grow. Now they're just past the fleshy tips of the fingers, the ends manicured into the shape of a guitar pick.
Last nite I tried out an acoustic with my new set of nails and there it was: the piano sound. Playing with a pick gives you speed and control. Playing with five bionic picks on the ends of your fingers turns you into a picking machine. Up and down picking. Times five. It's incredible.
Scott Joplin, hello again.
20 years ago, I studied ragtime guitar. My teacher could make a guitar sound like a piano. There was a technique he used that made the difference: he let his fingernails grow so he could "pick" five strings at the same time with his nails. A pick sound is completely different than a "thumb" sound. It's much clearer.
When your skin hits a guitar string, the tone is muted. For comparison, think of playing a piano with the mute pedal depressed. The sound is softer. It's the same with a guitar. When you pick with the fleshy ends of your fingers or thumb, you produce a muted tone.
On our recent vacation, I let the fingernails on my right hand grow. Now they're just past the fleshy tips of the fingers, the ends manicured into the shape of a guitar pick.
Last nite I tried out an acoustic with my new set of nails and there it was: the piano sound. Playing with a pick gives you speed and control. Playing with five bionic picks on the ends of your fingers turns you into a picking machine. Up and down picking. Times five. It's incredible.
Scott Joplin, hello again.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Sprawl or not?
Most St. Louis city neighborhoods rate very low on this sprawl survey..
How does your neighborhood rate?
RB
How does your neighborhood rate?
RB
Surge in Metro East Housing Starts
Responding to increased demand, fueled in part by homebuyers seeking closer proximity to downtown, the Metro East increases its housing production activity.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Joe Edwards Predicts Loop Trolley within 5 years
On KWMU today, Joe Edwards, owner of Blueberry Hill and the Pageant Theater, predicted that a new light rail system planned to connect the History Museum in Forest Park with the surging Delmar Loop arts, dining and entertaintainment district will open within five years.
Read here for more info about an upcoming trolley celebration in Forest Park.
Read here for more info about an upcoming trolley celebration in Forest Park.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Free monthly vacation offer
We just visited family out on the West Coast. A decent home in the Bay Area now has topped $600,000. A post comparing lifestyles between the average Californian to a St. Louis resident is a possibility, but for now, we'll just focus on comparing the cost of living.
Most people think of housing costs being outrageous on the coasts - which is true - but what they often fail to realize is how high everything else is too. Food costs more; gasoline and utilities are far more expensive; taxes are much higher.
As ex-Californians, you know what our definition of "California Cuisine" is? You pay a lot and get a little. The higher costs out there are never ending.
Meanwhile, St. Louis has one of the lowest costs of living of any major US city and our salaries are competitive with most places.
Move to St. Louis from a place like Chicago, NY, or San Francisco, and, instead of being a slave to your mortgage payment and other living expenses, with the money you're saving by living in St. Louis, you have the option of jetting to visit those places on a monthly basis, and still come out ahead financially.
Most people think of housing costs being outrageous on the coasts - which is true - but what they often fail to realize is how high everything else is too. Food costs more; gasoline and utilities are far more expensive; taxes are much higher.
As ex-Californians, you know what our definition of "California Cuisine" is? You pay a lot and get a little. The higher costs out there are never ending.
Meanwhile, St. Louis has one of the lowest costs of living of any major US city and our salaries are competitive with most places.
Move to St. Louis from a place like Chicago, NY, or San Francisco, and, instead of being a slave to your mortgage payment and other living expenses, with the money you're saving by living in St. Louis, you have the option of jetting to visit those places on a monthly basis, and still come out ahead financially.
At the heart of it all
One of the best features about living in STL is the close proximity we have to the rest of the country. From STL, in about five hours, you can drive to Chicago, Memphis, Nashville and Kansas City. In about 15 hours, you can visit roughly 2/3 of the population centers of the entire country.
RB
RB
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Counting Heads
In the past three days, since traveling from the Grand Tetons through to Hot Springs, South Dakota (including Yellowstone), we've seen...
1 wolf
1 moose
1 fox/coyote?
1 bear
2 or 3 badgers,
3 pronghorn sheep
6 or 7 chipmunks,
dozens of elk
1,000-2,000 buffalo
and...
...about 50,000 Harley or other motorcycle riders at the annual Sturgis Rally...
RB
1 wolf
1 moose
1 fox/coyote?
1 bear
2 or 3 badgers,
3 pronghorn sheep
6 or 7 chipmunks,
dozens of elk
1,000-2,000 buffalo
and...
...about 50,000 Harley or other motorcycle riders at the annual Sturgis Rally...
RB
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Best Ribs
We've been to Bandana's and Phil's and some other St. Louis places. And over the years we've toured some of the familiar KC barbeque haunts. We've sampled 'Q down in Memphis, New Orleans, and Austin, Texas. They're all good places...but we just stumbled across a barbeque place in an unexpected neck of the woods that beats them all: "Bubba's" in Idaho Falls, ID.
Everything we had was outstanding. The meat on the ribs was the pinkest I've ever seen; a local ice cream, "Reed's" huckleberry, reminded us of Gelato from the Hill; and, when you're in Idaho and you're offered a baked potato as a side dish, you take it!
This little town, nestled in the southeast corner of Idaho in the Snake River Valley, is a mini-Metropolis, started during the Gold Rush of the mid-1800s, and survived to this day through the irrigation of farm fields thanks to the Snake River.
Now it's a burgeoning progressive community. Lots of arts, music, and
...rodeo (this is the west after all...). And it's the gateway to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.
Geologic remains of ancient volcanic activity dot the landscape, and apparently, they get more dramatic as you get closer to Yellowstone. Here's to hoping that giant caldera they've been talking about on the Discovery Channel doesn't awaken from its 600,000-year slumber in the next week or so...
Mystics predict that won't happen till around 2012, and who knows, maybe New Madrid will slip a few hundred feet by then.
RB
Everything we had was outstanding. The meat on the ribs was the pinkest I've ever seen; a local ice cream, "Reed's" huckleberry, reminded us of Gelato from the Hill; and, when you're in Idaho and you're offered a baked potato as a side dish, you take it!
This little town, nestled in the southeast corner of Idaho in the Snake River Valley, is a mini-Metropolis, started during the Gold Rush of the mid-1800s, and survived to this day through the irrigation of farm fields thanks to the Snake River.
Now it's a burgeoning progressive community. Lots of arts, music, and
...rodeo (this is the west after all...). And it's the gateway to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.
Geologic remains of ancient volcanic activity dot the landscape, and apparently, they get more dramatic as you get closer to Yellowstone. Here's to hoping that giant caldera they've been talking about on the Discovery Channel doesn't awaken from its 600,000-year slumber in the next week or so...
Mystics predict that won't happen till around 2012, and who knows, maybe New Madrid will slip a few hundred feet by then.
RB
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
City School's Chief to Meet with Residents Re. Proposed Nottingham CC
Dr. Creg Williams, Superintendent of the St. Louis Public Schools, will meet at 7:00 PM tonite in the cafeteria of St. Gabriel's School, 6303 Nottingham, with interested persons concerning the proposed Nottingham Community Center. The meeting is open to the public.
RB
RB
Closing Streets
For years we lived on a one-way, residential street that suffered from a lack of street trees and speeding traffic. The auto presence dominated the feel of the street. Neighborhood safety was subordinated to the convenience of the car.
Then one year, we tried something that hadn't ever been done before: we proposed a block party. Lots of other blocks had them, but no one ever thought we could-the street carried too much traffic.
So? Why should that stop us? We went on with the planning. And the block party was a huge success. There was even a police helicopter fly over! Never before did anyone know so many young people lived on our block. As soon as the barricades went up at the end of the block, the neighbors poured out into the street. For that one day of the year we really controlled our own space. The street was ours. It was a neighborhood space, not a traffic cut-through.
It is in this same spirit that I suggest the idea of closing 2 or 3 blocks of Memorial Drive between the Arch and Old Court House downtown. Anyone who has ever attended the VP Fair knows how the closing of that section of Memorial Drive instantly converts it from a cut through for traffic (mostly entering or exiting highways) into an active community space.
There is the sand sculpture. There are water fountains. There are thousands of pedestrians (not fearing for their lives from speeding traffic).
Granted, there are visionary ideas for closing I-70 at the depressed lanes, or lidding over them. They have been talked about for decades. How many years before those plans may become reality? Conventional wisdom is saying 10-15 years. Let's hope those decade-plus projections are way off...
But for the meantime, what about an interim solution? Closing those couple of blocks of Memorial Drive, then programming the park in between the Drury and Adams Mark into an outdoor arts and busker music space, would instantly transform the connection between the Riverfront and Downtown.
How does having 30,000 or more cars each day using Memorial Drive to exit downtown via acces to the PSB, Hwy 70, or Hwys 44-55 do anything to make our downtown more of an interesting, urban space? Let them use other onramps, and free the DT pedestrian.
RB
Then one year, we tried something that hadn't ever been done before: we proposed a block party. Lots of other blocks had them, but no one ever thought we could-the street carried too much traffic.
So? Why should that stop us? We went on with the planning. And the block party was a huge success. There was even a police helicopter fly over! Never before did anyone know so many young people lived on our block. As soon as the barricades went up at the end of the block, the neighbors poured out into the street. For that one day of the year we really controlled our own space. The street was ours. It was a neighborhood space, not a traffic cut-through.
It is in this same spirit that I suggest the idea of closing 2 or 3 blocks of Memorial Drive between the Arch and Old Court House downtown. Anyone who has ever attended the VP Fair knows how the closing of that section of Memorial Drive instantly converts it from a cut through for traffic (mostly entering or exiting highways) into an active community space.
There is the sand sculpture. There are water fountains. There are thousands of pedestrians (not fearing for their lives from speeding traffic).
Granted, there are visionary ideas for closing I-70 at the depressed lanes, or lidding over them. They have been talked about for decades. How many years before those plans may become reality? Conventional wisdom is saying 10-15 years. Let's hope those decade-plus projections are way off...
But for the meantime, what about an interim solution? Closing those couple of blocks of Memorial Drive, then programming the park in between the Drury and Adams Mark into an outdoor arts and busker music space, would instantly transform the connection between the Riverfront and Downtown.
How does having 30,000 or more cars each day using Memorial Drive to exit downtown via acces to the PSB, Hwy 70, or Hwys 44-55 do anything to make our downtown more of an interesting, urban space? Let them use other onramps, and free the DT pedestrian.
RB
Monday, August 01, 2005
STL Tops in Twang
If you like checking out custom hardware with lots of chrome, and the sound of angelic music played by some of the giants of the studio music industry, be sure to stop by the International Steel Guitar Convention next month in downtown STL.
34th Annual International Steel Guitar Convention:
Steel Guitar Convention
Steel Guitar Hall of Fame at the Millenium:
Downtown St. Louis Home to the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame
Slide Guitar Open Tunings:
Get your Coke bottle or lipstick case ready...
RB
34th Annual International Steel Guitar Convention:
Steel Guitar Convention
Steel Guitar Hall of Fame at the Millenium:
Downtown St. Louis Home to the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame
Slide Guitar Open Tunings:
Get your Coke bottle or lipstick case ready...
RB
Nascar Draws 60,000 to Gateway International Raceway
Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois (St. Louis Metro East) sets all-time attendance record:
Busch Series draws estimated 60,000 fans to St. Louis Nascar Race
RB
Busch Series draws estimated 60,000 fans to St. Louis Nascar Race
RB
Nottingham Community Center - Virtual Tour
Click on the "Southwest St. Louis Community Center" image at the link below to take a virtual tour of the proposed Nottingham Community Center.
Nottingham Community Center Conceptual Plans
Design concepts are preliminary in nature, with the organizing committee seeking additional public input as the planning process continues.
RB
Nottingham Community Center Conceptual Plans
Design concepts are preliminary in nature, with the organizing committee seeking additional public input as the planning process continues.
RB
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