Notes on Fun

As a kid, I moved around a lot. Each time we hit a new city, my mom would pack us up for the day and make us go out and explore. We went to museums and neighborhoods, restaurants and shops (and always found the best libraries). On Sundays, we would get loaded into the car alongside picnic supplies and off we went on a day trip in some direction to see some thing somewhere. Point it, it never mattered what we saw, it was that we saw things, period.

There's something to be said for being a tourist in your own town. 9 years ago when I first moved to STL, I had Mondays off-- a sad day to explore when all the museums are closed. So... I hit the streets on foot. This weekend, I had an old friend in town and we set off on Fun.

Now, I have a lot of thoughts about the perfect weekend, and being a fan of the 80's children's book series Choose Your Own Adventure, I made a Flow Chart of Fun. Dependent on the weather, time of day, and the user's mood, I laid out the best STL has to offer. And hopefully in coming weeks, I'll share some of those selections. In the meantime, think of this like the Cliff Notes to Adventure.

A LATE SEPTEMBER WEEKEND'S GREATEST HITS

The Light Project
Having just popped back into town after a summer chasing horses and avoiding bears out west, this Pulitzer Foundation Art Installation was off my radar. Catching up on local blogs, I caught pictures of the church on Spring and had to go see it. The piece is called Chorus and it's one of the most stunning things I have ever seen. Lights donated from St. Louisans re-create the roofline of a burned church. On Saturday night when I was there, I listened as the onlookers searched for their lights and talked about it with others. The Pulitzer has a Flickr site and pics of the lamp donors with their lamps are up.

Check out the installation in the 600 block of Spring, just north of Washington.
Chorus
Lamps on Flickr

An 8 Story Slide
I've missed the City Museum. I've been there for events in recent years, but it's been a long time since I played. A few hours this weekend fixed that. The $12 admission was worth it for the slide alone. I know, I know... there are lots of slides. But I am talking about theslide. Spelunk through the dark of the caves (the newer set, not the old ones) and you'll end up in an atrium with a lot of staircases (and old slides for goods coming out of the warehouse). Get your workout by running up ten flights of stairs so you can wait at the top for your turn to twist down the 8 story slide that corkscrews back to the 2nd floor. (And a small tip: lean sideways from the waist, you'll go way faster.)

City Museum Caves

And When Hungry...
As usual, STL food did not disappoint. I ate 8 meals out over four days and it all made me happy. As usual, Crown Candy kept me happy. It was oldies but goodies for me. I hit up the Tap Room to check out their new menu which I'd heard about from some friends who work there. Pretty damn good. The service was good. I loved the lamb sandwich and the bangers. And though I didn't stay because I was tired, The Helium Tapes had their CD release party later that evening... Proving every time I have been to the Tap Room lately there has been a great band.

On my radar for me to try something new: The West End Pub and Grill at Boyle and Lindell. I just heard about this today from a KDHX employee who was asking about Thomas Crone's Gaslight Square book. I checked them out online and the menu looks pretty good. Nice pricing. The pear salad has me wanting at the moment.


Coming soon: The best neighborhoods to explore with guests

and... Why you should make sure county residents vote if you want to keep riding the bus