Tim In St. Louis

VISIT THE ARCH: Sure it seems overhyped, maybe cliched. But it really is worth it. Great views from the top. Even when you see it up close it's hard to believe people can go up in it.

THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI: Spend some time down by the river. It really is magnificent.

THE ZOO: Cheap (often free) and good quality.

SPORTS: St. Louis is a fun place to watch live sports. Cardinal baseball is a local institution and well worth checking out. NHL hockey is quite good too. The city also has an NFL football and don't overlook college basketball!

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

St. Louis is generally an easy city to drive in. Traffic is rarely bad and parking not overly expensive.

The Metro link is an excellent light rail network and good for getting to the airport, etc. But not extensive enough to get you everywhere you want to go.

I used to love going to the old St. Louis Arena and came to love the place, even if it was falling apart.

These days, the place is no longer falling apart but immaculate. The seating area is the large bowl effect rather than the multiple balconies of the old place. Sight lines are very good.

This place is extremely nice. It has good concessions, a good sports bar in it, and all the modern amenities. Places like the Bell Centre (Montreal) and Air Canada Centre (Toronto) have this place beat simply because they did a better job decorating the place with hockey (or even just sports) memorabilia. But it's still very nice.

The atmosphere at a Blues game is still just as raucous as it's always been. The place will erupt for a fight, and there may well be more fights in the stands than on the ice--they tend to draw attention from the crowd as well.

The fans are very enthusiastic, if not as knowledgable about the game as fans in other cities, which makes this a fun place to watch a game.

You'll notice right away that Anheiser-Busch products flow freely in the place, probably because the whole city seems owned by AB, and which likely expolains why the crowd can get so rowdy. This is a place where, if you're cheering for the opposition, it's best not to be too obnoxious.

All in all a very enjoyable place to see a game.

This is one of those things you have to do once in life. The Arch is really fantastic. From a distance, you'll think it's too narrow for people to go up to the top--you'll still wonder about that even when you're right up close. But you can ride up, in claustrophobic elevators; though not a long ride, you should allow 45 minutes because you'll have to wait in line before getting on. The best way to visit is by buying a ticket for a specific departure time and then showing up for that time.

Once up top, you'll get great views of the city, the midwestern plains beyond, and the river. Once, when I was young, I went up with my school class and about 10 to 15 of us ran from side to side in unision until the whole thing started to sway and we got in trouble. A windy day will have the same effect, which can be a little unnerving. It is, however, completely safe up top, even if doesn't always feel like it.

Below the Arch is the very good Museum of Westward Expansion that highlights the Lewis and Clark expedition. Here you'll learn about life on the frontier, Native Americans, buffalo, etc, for free, which is a good way to pass the time while waiting to go up. For a bit of money, you can watch movies about the Lewis & Clark expedition and the construction of the Arch itself ($6 for one/$10 for both). They're good enough, but not necessarily worth making a point to see.

There's also an IMAX theatre in the building as well.

First and last Arch rides are at 8:30am & 9:20pm during the summer, 9:30am & 5:20pm the rest of the year. Cost is $7.