St. Louis . . . what I know.

St. Louis is easy to maneuver. Downtown IS the Mississippi River and hard to miss (the east side is Illinois). It may be easiest to explain like property located on, off, and near the beach, which is to say, in "tiers."

Here goes:
1st Tier -- Riverboats: casinos, restaurants, and local cruises.
2nd Tier -- The Landing: bars, restaurants, and warehouse lofts (of note: Mississippi Nights, a good bet for live music, the Old Spaghetti Factory, and Planet Hollywood)
3rd Tier -- Archgrounds/park, old Cathedral, old Courthouse, Edward Jones Dome (Rams Football), Busch Stadium (Cardinals Baseball), Anheuser-Busch (Brewery), Soulard (Farmers Market)
4th Tier -- Union Station (specialty shops), Fox Theatre (big-name entertainment), Kiel Center (Blues Hockey), City Museum (unique!)
5th Tier -- Central West End ("eclectic"), Barnes/Jewish/Children''s Hospital Compound, St. Louis University Campus, The "Hill" (wonderful Italian food everywhere), and Botanical Gardens.

Quick Tips:

6th Tier -- Forest Park, Science Center
7th Tier -- Washington University, Galleria (upscale shopping), Clayton (upscale living), Delmar Loop (Craft Alliance, Blueberry Hill for food, music, and "walk of fame")
8th Tier -- Webster Groves, Kirkwood (Amtrak), Magic House, Grants Farm (eco tribute by/to the Busch Family -- Anheuser-B -- includes Ulysses Grant Homestead and the Clydesdales)
9th Tier -- far West County, South County, St. Charles (prime craft/antiquing area), Chesterfield (Butterfly House and Spirit of St. Louis Airport)
10th Tier -- Wildwood/Eureka (Six Flags and Hidden Valley Ski), St. Peters/O''Fallon, Kimmswick (historical, crafts/antiques, Mastodon State Park, Blue Owl Restaurant)
. . . just a few (couple hundred) more miles and you''ll be in Kansas City!

Best Way To Get Around:

Lambert Airport is ok, but massive.

Hotels have shuttles/vans and there are taxis in abundance. We DO have Metro-link (light rail), but only on limited runs and with limited access (we''re working on this, though).

I would NOT recommend the bus service.

A rental car is your best option. Major thoroughfares run semi-circles around downtown, including an "inner-belt" (170) and an "outer-belt"(270) that covers most of the metro area.

Eating in St. Louis:

First tip: DO NOT EAT BBQ, ANYWHERE, HERE! Do not go to K.C. Masterpiece (chain) or Bandana's (chain) and expect good, Kansas City-quality BBQ . . . it's not. I've tried it, and real BBQ just does not exist here! The most authentic we have found is hole-in-the-wall Phil's, in Eureka and south city, and (second) Super Smoker's, in Eureka, St. Peters, south city, and Illinois (not "second" for long, I imagine, since I've seen kiosks at supermarkets and even, yikes, Busch Stadium! Commercialization being the downfall of many a good thing, ya know).

St. Louis DOES have some EXCELLENT FOOD, however! Is it known for a particular type of cuisine? Probably not.

The "Hill" is known for its wonderful Italian restaurants (Rigazzi's--home of the "fishbowl" beer, for instance, is terrific and reminiscent of NYC Italian). Any place south of I-44, off Kingshighway, is a good bet.

Imo's (St. Louis Style = super-thin crust) pizza is everywhere and huge (excellent deluxe salad with cheese, olives, and pepperoncinis).

Krispy Kreme (melt-in-your-mouth) doughnuts are everywhere and huge (friend of mine in Columbia--2 hours west--just drove in the other day for a couple dozen "originals"; speaks volumes, eh?)!

Ted Drewes (frozen custard)--original location on Chippewa/south city--is huge! Prides itself on the "upside-down concrete" (holds its spoon, holds it, holds IT, HOLDS IT . . .) AND has named many a concoction for the famous and the local not-so-famous!

St. Louis Bread Company (Pantera's chain) is everywhere and . . . ! Soups, lattes (favorite = house latte, with nutmeg!), sandwiches, specialty breads (but of course). This could be the PERFECT cafe. If they add a wine list, we may never go home!

Top of the line: 1. Tony's (coat and tie)--4th and Market/Downtown. 2. Seventh Inn ("old world" service)--Ballwin/West County. 3. Mike Shannon's--7th Street/Downtown. 4. Dierdorf and Hart's (best steak I ever had!)--Westport.

In general, for "utility eating," St. Louis favors the chain: Chevy's, Outback Steakhouse, Macaroni Grill, O'Charlie's, Pasta House, Uno, Olive Garden, and the like.

An institution for years, try White Castle for the fast-food fix. Remember the Susan Sarandon movie White Palace? It was set in STL and based on the local White Castle hamburger joint. Ideal for the vegetarian since I can't imagine that these "belly bombers" are made of anything even resembling meat!

Here is MY Top Ten list of St. Louis-area attractions, not in any particular order:

1. Arch and the Westward Expansion Museum (beneath) -- get a ticket and a time, see the Expansion Exhibit, and then ride the tram to the top for an absolutely marvelous view of Busch Stadium, the old Cathedral, the old Courthouse, the ''mighty'' Mississippi, and Illinois.

2. History Museum (Forest Park) -- free general admission to Riverboat and Spirit of St. Louis displays, among others.

3. Art Museum (FP) -- free general admission (free special exhibit admission on Tuesday). It has a great Impressionist collection, select George Caleb Bingham pieces, huge religious works, and surprisingly fresh modern art. A personal favorite!

4. Zoo (FP) -- free general admission. Check out the Rivers'' Edge and Penguin/Puffin additions, Children''s Zoo, Insectarium, Zoo Railroad, Big Cat Country, Animal Shows, etc. It''s fantastic!

5. Muny (FP) -- tickets range from free lawn seating to expensive chair seating at this seasonal outdoor theatre. Excellent bigname entertainers perform here as does local talent. I''ve seen Godspell, West Side Story, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, etc., all of which were extremely well done. You can also go "behind the scenes" with a group!

6. Science Center (on Oakland, across the highway from FP) -- free general admission. There are many on-going hands-on exhibits and varying special exhibits. A highway-expansion bridge carries you over the traffic, then underground, and into the original Planetarium. The center houses an Omnimax, too. Terrific!

7. City Museum (15th Street) -- nominal fee. This is a super, unique, and artistic "family playground" with art and architecture displays, interactive exhibits, and carnival-themed activities on several floors. The "Everyday Circus" performs and you''ll see cottage-industry demonstrations like glass blowing, pot throwing, and weaving. It must be experienced to be appreciated!

8. Magic House (Kirkwood Road) -- nominal fee. This science museum is for the curious, and hands-on even for toddlers, but has enough advanced scientific theories to interest adults, too. Music, light, and artistic expression are used to prove scientific principles. Worth seeing!

9. Six Flags -- (Eureka) -- not cheap, at around $35 per person, per day. Though I''m not a fan of amusement parks in general, this one has many good rides and shows, PLUS a waterpark. The place is very user-friendly and family-oriented. "Name Brands" like Britney Spears have played in the Ampitheatre (. . . and the point of mentioning that was . . . ?).

10. Hidden Valley (Wildwood) -- also not cheap . . . This is a Peak Resort-owned resort (trans: "we have a big hill, we know how to use it, and we hope it snows because we''re charging an exorbitant amount of money to people pretending they''re skiing the Rockies!"). ACTUALLY, when you live in the Midwest, this is as good as it gets for a regular ski season. It''s convenient and (always) expanding . . . and it''ll do.