On the road again, St. Louis, Part I

 Here we go crossing the mighty Mississippi.  Once in the city, we took a 90 minute trolley ride through the city.

So much to see and do in St. Louis.   I need to come back for a week! 

The city was founded in 1764 by French fur traders.   It is named after King Louis IX.  This statue is in the Forest Park section.    Much of the 1904 Worlds Fair ground were turned into parkland in the city.  The bird exhibit from the Worlds Fair was so popular that it still stands in Forest Park.

  

Lewis and Clack left St. Louis on their trek to explore the northwest territory in 1804.

Located in an old shoe factory, the St. Louis City Museum looked like a fun, quirky pace to visit.   It is housed in an old International Shoe factory in downtown St. Louis. It is  an ever-evolving artist-built playground full of weird spaces to explore. It is full of salvaged and reclaimed items and was a passion project of the designer to create to an indoor, outdoor, underground playground to welcome and entertain visitors from all over.  From a school bus hanging off the edge of the roof, to chutes and ladders type slides, it looks like a super place to spend the day for old and young alike.  Created by artist Bob Cassilly in 1997.

Another shoe company founded in St. Louis was the Brown Shoe Company.   Who doesn’t remember Buster Brown Shoes?   St. Louis was the largest manufacturer of shoes for many years. 

Their fashion district was said to be second only to New York City at one time.   To mark the area of the fashion district, the city put cobblestones down the center of the street in what looks like a zipper pattern.    Not the best shot from the trolley car window.

St. Louis claims to have more free attractions than Washington DC.  From the art museum, the history museum, the zoo, and the science center to name a few.

Anheuser Busch has called St. Louis home since 1852.  The signature Clydesdales are a local tourist attraction housed at Grants Farms.

After the fire of 1849. Brick homes became a necessity. St. Louis was the leading brick making in American mainly because of the rich clay soil of the area. 

Old Union Station

The Union Station Hotel

The Saint Louis Ferris Wheel.

The St. Louis University.   It has an enrollment of 25,000 and goes for blocks and blocks.

This church on campus has a two year waiting list for weddings.   The joke on campus is you need to get engaged your freshman or sophomore year if you expect to get married here.

We stopped at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.   With a capacity for 1,700, this Basilica has over 41.5 million glass mosaic tiles decorating the ceilings.  It took 80 years to complete the tile installation.   It is the largest mosaic installation in the western hemisphere. 

More of St. Louis up next.