Travel questions for St. Louis locals

I feel that only helps me answer some of your questions. I live in Iowa, and I try to make it down to St. Louis at least once a year. As I am a college student, I always try to do the whole trip on a shoe string budget. To do that, I always stay out by the airport (that might be rough, considering the weather STL just experienced, but things should be better by June). You can park your car for free out there, the hotel rates are very reasonable, and most hotels offer a complimentary shuttle to and from the Metro link out at the airport. This allows you to head into town without dealing with traffic or (God help you) find a place to park.

My experiences with the Metro have always been very nice. It can get a little scary at times (if you’re used to living in a society with 99% whites like I as a small town Iowan am) , but for the most part the people are friendly, especially after a Cardinal victory. So I would definitely vote pro Metro link.

As far as food goes, If you like BBQ, then Joe Bucks is a pretty good stop. I haven’t gotten to try nearly enough BBQ down there, but everything I’ve had at JB’s is great. Plus the Redbird memorabilia is pretty cool. You HAVE to try St. Louis style pizza. I prefer Imo’s, mostly because it is pretty cheap and convenient, but I’m sure there is better. If you have the money to spare, I would definitely go to Shannon’s. I still haven’t gotten to go, but I know I will frequent that place once I’m out of college and making more money than I’m spending. Finally, Gio’s is good too. I got to meet TLR there after a baseball game last summer, and if we wouldn’t have lost that game I probably would have gotten his autograph.

For tourist traps, definitely go to the Arch. Pretty cliche, but there is a reason that everyone goes there. Union Station is also really fun, and there are some great restaurants. I always hit up Hard Rock Cafe, but there are plenty of other restaurants that look great. Probably should do the paddle boats too.

The zoo and museums over at Forrest Park are pretty fun too, but I would definitely take a car to get to the zoo. My girlfriend and I got lost on one of those lovely 110 degree days while trying to walk from the Metro to the Zoo, and she still hasn’t let me live that down (she kinda sorta passed out on the Metro…). Down town in general has some great architecture, but there is a little district that I found once while driving that has brick roads and what looks like some really cool bars. I definitely want to go there once I’m 21.

As far as bars go, my first stop will be Al Hrabowsky’s Ballpark Saloon. I’ve heard that is a good time, and it just re-opened, I think. I’ve also heard good things about Paddy O’s. They also just re-modeled.

I’m gonna preface again that I am not a native St. Louisian and I’m probably wrong on a lot of my suggestions, but I at least hope the things I said (right or wrong) will help you out a little bit. St. Louis is a great town and extremely addicting. (My best friend and I drove all the way from Iowa to go to opening day this year. We slept on top of the stadium west parking lot in his car. Probably my favorite vacation ever, despite the blown save by Franklin.) Whatever you do, it should be a great time.

1.1-3 good, local, must-eat meals. Where do I get these?

While I, like the above responder, am a fan of Imo’s Pizza, I will give your fair warning that it tends to invoke a “love it or hate it” response. I’ve never met someone who’s simply indifferent to Imo’s – it’s either really good or really bad.

If you’re planning on remaining dependent on Metrolink, then the Delmar Loop is going to be one of your best bets for food. I’d personally recommend Blueberry Hill, as it’s something of a St. Louis institution.

If your tastes run a little higher-brow than glorified bar food, there’s Fitz’s Root Beer. It’s a little….family friendly?…vanilla? I’m sure other posters can help me find the word I’m looking for. Anyway, it’s got a pretty decent variety of burgers and their pizza isn’t bad either. Also, pickle chips rock.

If you’re into ethnic food, the loop has just about every angle covered. From Ranoush for middle eastern to Cicero’s for italian, there’s something for just about every taste.

2.METRO vs. Car. Is St. Louis the kind of city that I can get away with no car, and using public transportation?

Can you get to all of St. Louis via Metrolink? No.

Can you get to enough of St. Louis via metro to do all the things you’ve said that you want to do? I think so.

The Metrolink service generally doesn’t reach out to the outer ring suburbs, but unless you’re looking for a specific restaurant out there, I don’t think that will affect your plan very much.

3.Any memorable, must-see activities, tourist traps I should consider?

Uh, the Arch, maybe? Having been born and raised here, I think I might be a little lacking on the tourist perspective about our town.

I enjoyed the Art Museum the last few times I’ve been there.

4.Gateway Grizzlies – anyone been there before, let alone eat the nachos?

Never been to the park, but I understand they originated the donut burger that was mentioned all over the internet a few years back.

5.Regardless of your ticket, are you allowed to walk around and explore Busch Stadium during the game?

As I recall, you’re pretty free to wander around the stadium. Back at Busch II, there were ticket checkers preventing you from heading down into the lower bowl seats, but Busch III has a much more open design and it feels (to me, at least) a lot more hospitable to in-game wanderings.

Be advised, though, this if you’re at a Cubs game, there’s likely not going to be a lot of free space to plop into a seat for an inning here and there, and fans won’t take kindly to loitering and blocked views in the aisles. If you’re wandering, fine. If you’re trying to move up to get a better look at the game, then that might not go as well.

1. 1-3 good, local, must-eat meals. Where do I get these?
Everyone talks about The Hill for good reason. It’s the historic Italian neighborhood where Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola grew up, and the restaurants are good to fantastic. My favorites are Cunetto, Favazza’s, and Zia’s. Lunch is cheaper than dinner.

I second the previous poster who mentioned The Loop. There’s lots of good eating and shops there. I personally prefer Cicero’s to Blueberry Hill. I feel that the food is much better quality, and the beer selection can’t be beat. Blueberry Hill has Cicero’s beat for ambiance though.

I’m also a huge fan of the Schlafly Taproom. It’s the local brewery that’s not AB. Great beer, great (albeit a bit strange) food. Best french fries in the city, especially with their spicy ketchup and peppercorn sauce. The Shnitzel is also bangin’.

2. METRO vs. Car. Is St. Louis the kind of city that I can get away with no car, and using public transportation?
Meh… probably, although you’ll do a bit of walking. You’ll have to skip The Hill and Forest Park. Really though, traffic in STL is not NEARLY as bad as a lot of cities. I’d keep the rental around.

3. Any memorable, must-see activities, tourist traps I should consider?
The Arch, the zoo, Forest Park, and the Loop. That’s really about it.

4. Gateway Grizzlies – anyone been there before, let alone eat the nachos?
YES! Grizzlies games are fantastic value for money. They’re a very fun way to enjoy baseball without dropping a ton of cash at Busch. I definitely go to a few Grizzlies games every year. Everything is very reasonably priced, and you can get tickets right behind home dugout for like $10. The ultimate nachos at the Cantina down the right field line are great.

Regardless of your ticket, are you allowed to walk around and explore Busch Stadium during the game?
Can’t answer that one, I don’t know.

but I’ve been there close to 10 times in my life.

- The Arch = worth it. I like the park area down there also. at one point as a kid, my parents visited Muddy Waters Saloon. this was sort of down by the river if I remember correctly, not too far from the arch. that said, I’m not sure if this place is still there or not, but it seemed pretty cool at the time

- Broadway Oyster Bar is a cool bar. went there in 2005, friendly people there, had fun. usually some cool live music there (nothing too weird or too standard, just good music)

- J Bucks…. I thought this was a pretty normal place. didn’t seem that interesting, but the good part is that it is close to the ballpark, and it’s kinda spacious so even with a fairly large VEB outing the last couple of years, it didn’t seem to get too overly crowded

- I enjoyed walking around downtown and getting a flavor for the architecture. I can see why it’s been called the paris by the mississippi, or something like that. I got some interesting photos of the buildings, each city has its own architectural feel

- the botanical garden in st. louis is very cool, worth checking out imo. also the st louis zoo is quite nice I thought

- folks also mention the toasted ravioli as a local favorite, as well as gooey butter cakes. I’ve yet to explore some of the restaurants as much as I’d like to, so there’s plenty to do there!

but here are some suggestions along the lines of what I would do

Sunday day – grab a beer at Broadway Oyster Bar or BB’s before the game. They’re directly south of the stadium

During the game – yes, you can wander around. Only a very few areas require special tickets to gain access

After the game – A lot of people head to Shannon’s near the stadium for drinks, but you might instead try to catch a shuttle to Soulard. There, I recommend grabbing a drink at McGurk’s. The Anheuser-Busch Brewery is not far away and you could see if they’re offering tours that day.

Sunday Night – Italian dinner somewhere on the Hill is a must. Everyone has their personal favorite restaurant, some are mentioned in this thread, or you can just search on google.

After Dinner – make your way over to the central west end, Maryland plaza area. Grab a drink at Brennan’s, ask how to get to the basement bar there. They also have a cigar lounge, if you’re into that – ask them about. If you’re done dirnking, you can just grab dessert or coffee at one of the outdoor cafes around.

Monday – The St. Louis Art Museum and St. Louis History museum are within walking distance of each other in Forest Park. The Park itself is worth just walking around if you enjoy that kind of stuff. Maybe grab a coffee at Kaldi’s coffee shop on Demun then head over to the park.

Lunch/Dinner – I’d head over to the nearby Loop area and grab some pizza at Pi. If you’d prefer a burger, go to Blueberry Hill – it’s a pretty cool place where Chuck Berry still plays shows (last time I checked). If you’re a bbq fanatic, skip those and find a way to get over to Pappy’s in midtown.

Later on – Check out the Schlafly brewery. You can go to the bottle house in maplewood, but you’re probably better off going to the tap house in midtown. From there, if you want to, check out the St. Louis City Museum. Some of it is geared towards kids, but there’s stuff for people of every age there and some of it is just indescribably awesome.

To accomplish all this, you’d be much better off sticking with your rental car. Metro is not that convenient, its expensive for public transport, and it can get a little sketchy at some of the stops.

can you do this at III?

Serendipity Ice Cream for dessert in Webster Grove if you don’t go to Crown Candy

and the Iron Barley. i hear both are really good options

and if you go to Pappy’s or Bogarts go early & be ready to stand in line. they are probably the most popular restaurants in town next to Pi right now. they are getting lots & lots of press both locally & nationally. they also only make enough food for the day, so when they run out, which they often to, you’re SOL. like i said, go early if you go.

if you love pizza fritz has suggested
Pointers
Onesto
Katies
Joanies
Louies
i’ve never been but he’s never wrong when it comes to a good pie

hope you have fun. try to ignore all the blue hair’s & fans of the scrapptastic yet sucktastic players. Busch III is a heaven for the uninformed & uneducated. they are mostly friendly though so you have nothing to fear. i’ve never felt scarred being in down town so i don’t know what fred is talking about, and i come from a town of less than 300 people. just don’t go north of the dome & you’ll be fine.

Seriously. The coolest place on earth. You simply must go. Also, I’d think twice about the metro-only thing. It’s a car town. Bring a GPS and you’ll be fine. If you park, you can leave your car at the Arch parking lot. A nice walk from there to the stadium, plus it’s relatively cheap to park there ($6, I think).