I recently spent a few days in St. Louis visiting some tried and true tourism attractions and some new spots.
Believe it or not, January is not a bad time to go to the zoo. While it was chilly, the animals were out and about and enjoying themselves. We played peek-a-boo with Sophia, a not quite grown leopard who would run up to the ledge in her enclosure, pop up to the top and then drop back down. We watched the tiger cubs romp in their enclosure with their mother, who wore the world-weary expression of any mom with five kids.
We also visited the Science Center, the Art Museum and the Botanical Garden, all St. Louis icons. We went bowling at a newer attraction, Flamingo Bowl in the loft district on Washington Avenue. Giant screens hung above the lanes tuned to MTV2 and Turner Movie Classics (what a combo, huh?). I can’t bowl to save my life, but it was great fun anyway.
And of course – we ate and drank. We went to Sweetie Pies, a soul food restaurant where you’d think your grandmama was in the kitchen. Generous portions of entrees and sides guarantee you won’t leave hungry. Familiar favorites include fried or baked chicken, greens, mac-n-cheese, cabbage and black-eyed peas. The Riverfront Times ranked it the best place for soul food for 2008.
We stopped for drinks at SubZero on the Central West End. This vodka bar offers more than 250 vodkas and an impressive menu of drinks as well as the some of the city’s best sushi and New American hamburgers.
But the eating didn’t stop there. We lunched at the Historic (and haunted) Lemp Mansion. The Lemps were a prominent St. Louis family in the 1800s who encountered all sorts of tragedy. The mansion is reported to be inhabited by a ghost or two. Who knows, it might be true.
One night I insisted on a Italian and had the best risotto at Bartolinos. We stopped at Modesto on The Hill for drinks first, where I enjoyed sangria for the first time. Yummy.
A good time was had by all. You should try it some time.
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