Arriving in St. Louis, MO, I checked into Hotel Ignacio (see the blog)and then took a tour of the area known as The Hill (see the blog) and continued the art and culture with what dominates the St. Louis skyline; the magnificent Gateway Arch, the iconic symbol of the city. Sculptured of stainless steel and concrete, it stretches 630 feet high and wide along a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. Last time that I was here I took in the Journey To The Top in an enclosed tram.
St. Louis' Citygarden, a 2-year-old attraction is a blend of lush plantings and sculptures with water, stone, architecture and landscape design, located in the Downtown area. Open to the public all year there are no fences, gates or admission fee. This is one of those places to hang out on a nice day as well as just simply walking through and taking in the art.
Just a few blocks away is art that's so totally different from Citygarden, City Museum, a museum made entirely from recycled pieces. The museum building started as a shoe manufacturing factory and warehouse. The owner took items that would have become landfill and filled the floors of quirky and innovative artistic fun.
You can certainly spot the museum by a bus that appears to be looking as if it is just about to fall off the roof as well as a real ferris wheel nearby. This place is just perfect for kids to explore and get in and out of areas, go down slides and check out the in-house circus troupe.
It's time for dinner at Triumph Grill, a restaurant that abuts the hotel and adjacent to the Moto Museum where vintage European motocycles from 1900 to the present are displayed. I sampled Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms: Creamy spinach and artichoke dip stuffed mushroom caps, lightly breaded and topped with reduced balsamic and parmesan; Chipotle Molasses Chicken Wings: Maple marinated jumbo wings fried crispy and tossed in chipotle molasses sauce; and Monza Shrimp And Crab Risotto: Blue crabmeat and jumbo shrimp simmered in a rich seafood stock with basil and vine-ripened tomatoes.
Off to the Fabulous Fox Fox Theatre to see The Addams Family. This 1929 movie palace located in the Grand Center Arts and Entertainment District is one of the first theatres built for "talkies" my movie mogul William Fox. It's quite a showy place with a style described as Siamese-Byzantine and a 90-foot lobby and Buddhist monastery halls. It's worth a separate tour, which I did later in the week. I got to hear some songs being played on the organ as well as having brunch to discuss an upcoming event involving The Titanic.
On Saturday, April 14, 2012 the Fox Theatre is having A Taste of History, Last Dinner On The Atlantic, to celebrate the Titanic Centennial Weekend. The historic first class menu recreates the famously sumptuous elven course meal with accompanying wines that were actually served to first class passengers on the fateful night. When guests arrive at the theatre they will be give a boarding pass and an envelope containing the name and historical biography of an actual First Class Passenger. You can check it out on their website...just google.
As for the production, it went off quite well...touring company...no stars but good talent and funny show.
Night cap and sleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment