Missouri - The Show Me State

Every time we cross a state line, Richie and I wonder about the phrases given to each state. Each is cute and catchy for tourists... but where did they originate and what do they mean anyway?

In our search for answers, we found this funny page for New Sate License Plate Slogans, click here. And this is the one that seems most researched, click here.

By the time we hit St. Louis, we were back in the swing of things. This is an underrated city!

We arrived earlier than expected and decided to tour the Anheuser-Busch brewing facilities and headquarters.


It was a great tour - free admission and every guest (21 or older) gets to sample two beers each. We, admittedly, did not sample the beer. We are partial to stouts rather than ales or lagers. There was no Bare Knuckle Stout on tap, so sorry this Bud is not for you. heehee


Our guides (three rotating guides throughout the tour) told us everything from the fermenting process to the Clydesdales to what it takes to become a Brewmaster (at least a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry - preferably a Master's degree, a few years in Europe studying the brewing processes, and a taste for the difference between good and bad beer).


There are three buildings at the Anheuser-Busch facility listed as National Historic Landmarks:

Old School House
Known as the Lyon School
Built in 1868 for $42,000
All of Adophus Busch's children attended the school
Our guide said the school district didn't think a school in the middle of a brewery was a good idea, so they sold it to Anheuser-Busch in 1907.



Brew House
The heart of the Anheuser-Busch St. Louis Brewery
Completed in 1892
Went from brewing 1.8 million barrels a year (early 1900s) to producing 15.8 million barrels a year (2007).

Interior of Brew House

Clyldesdale Stable
Built in 1885 for $35,000
To commemorate the repeal of Prohibition, August A Busch, Sr. received a six-horse Clydesdale hitch from his sons.
Today there are about 250 Clydesdales touring the country, each with a Dalmatian mascot.


We made reservations at the Millenium Hotel in downtown St. Louis. Now, remember that we are used to pitching a tent in the middle of trees... so the check-in process and having guys in little white coats and top hats cater to us was very uncomfortable, but we survived the ordeal.

Richie surprised me and purchased tickets to the St. Louis Cardinals game. It's refreshing to watch good teams play. The Cardinals defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-1.


The 2009 MLB All-Star game was at Busch Stadium (the newest stadium completed in 2006) just 3 days earlier. And it seems the spirit oozed into this game. There were red shirts everywhere - most sporting Pujols #5 on their backs.
Remember, we aren't huge sports fans - and we were clueless as to who the players were and their skill levels.
Turns out Albert Pujols is the Cardinals first baseman and home run hitter. He hit 2 homeruns that night and the stadium went wild - fireworks galore - It was exciting!


Anyway, Pujols is not only famous for his homeruns or being MVP a few times, he and his wife started the Pujols Family Foundation - focusing on special needs children, particularly those with Down Syndrome. They also focus on humanitarian efforts in Pujol's home country, the Dominican Republic. So not only is this guy a relatively talented baseball player - he's a nice guy.

If we aren't careful, we could really get into this baseball thing.


The next day, we spent touring downtown. Our first stop was the Eugene Field House & Toy museum (picture above). Our guide was sweet and knowledgeable. I do feel guilty for focusing more on the beautiful hand-painted oil cloth (reproduction, pattern not original to the house) than on the rest of the house, BUT IT WAS COOL!


So what is so significant about the Field House?
It was the boyhood home of Eugene Field.
Who was Eugene Field?
A poet.



Eugene's father was Roswell Martin Field. Who was Roswell Martin Field?
The attorney for Dred and Harriet Scott (former slaves). Read about the Dred Scott case here.



For lunch, we grabbed an "Original St. Louis Style Pizza" from Imo's pizza (today it is a local franchise). Knowing the inevitable puddles of grease to come, we settled on a 10-inch pepperoni pizza. Glad we were walking the town today!


Soulard's Farmer's Market is known as the "Oldest Farmer's Market west of the Mississippi." The place was packed with people itching to get the best deal on produce and other trinkets and vendors eager to sell. We heard "10 cucumbers for $1." And a dread-locked guy from Kaldi's Coffee Roasting Company yell: "Why pay $3 at Starbucks? Buy 1lb. of coffee for $5. That's $1 a cup!" And a true local farmer - with coarse, working hands and coveralls - convinced us to try a piece of his sweet corn. He cut it directly from the cob, raw. It was incredible!


We browsed and observed and stopped at a table with a book perched on a stand titled Better Off. The accompanying 8x10 photo was of a man driving a 4-wheeled bike (known as a rickshaw) with a red and white striped canopy. The lady behind the table saw us reading the synopsis of the book and asked if we had ever heard of this simpler life movement. Her name was Mary, and she explained that she and her husdand (Eric, the author) lived for 18 months on Minninite land... with no modern technology. We were intrigued and picked up a copy. Mary said this is a unique opportunity to pay the author directly - no middle man! We didn't realize it was a signed copy until Mary asked if we would like her to sign the book. Anna (their daughter) also signed the book on the spot.

It has been a great read. We have always thought of living simpler - with fewer "machines" and to work with more "tools."



And a visit to St. Louis would not be complete without a walk to The Gateway Arch.

A brief history:
There was a national architectural competition for the Jefferson Memorial Expansion Memorial Historic site (which included the courthouse and the St. Louis riverfront). Eero Saarinen won the competition in 1948 with his Gateway Arch design. Unfortunately, pre-WWII structures were cleared for the construction of the arch (this news always makes me sad), and the arch was built in 1965 as a monument to President Thomas Jefferson's dream of a "continental United States."

Eero Saarinen's winning design

It stands 630 feet high and 630 feet wide from base to base. It is a sight to see - with the best view at sunset. The sun reflects brightly on the arch - glowing.



To read more about the architecture of the Gateway Arch, including materials and photographs of each stage, click here.

To read basic facts on the Gateway Arch, click here.

An interesting fact:
The viewing windows at the top of the arch are only 7x27 inches. If they were any larger, they would break from the 500+ tons of pressure from each leg of the arch.

We didn't take the tram to the top (very expensive!). We decided we had already had a great view of the city from Busch stadium.

After our riverfront walk, we had a quiet dinner at Laclede's Landing - a historic industrial area now famous for its restaurants and shopping.



Our last day in St. Louis began with a trip to The Old Courthouse, a structure in the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (National Park Service).



The courthouse was actually built in stages from 1839-1862. It was the site of the first two trials of the pivotal Dred Scott case in 1847 and 1850. It was also where Virginia Minor's case for a woman's right to vote came to trial in the 1870s.


We weren't quite sure what to expect when we arrived at the St. Louis Union Station, a National Historic Landmark. While we knew the station was known for its shopping, we had hoped to see a few historic items - maybe even a museum.


What we discovered was the architect of the St. Louis Union Station was also a lead designer (partnered with Wilbur Trueblood) for LSU's 1920s campus (which we are still using today). Unfortunately, Link died in Baton Rouge while working on LSU (November 1923).

I've just discovered the LSU archives holds over 200 architectural plans by Link. I'm sorting through them online right now. Based on the online views, here is a list of buildings he worked on at LSU:

Thomas Boyd Hall
Memorial Tower
Peabody Hall
Hill Memorial Library
Foster Hall
Coates Hall
David Boyd Hall
Atkinson Hall
Cattle Barn (what we always called "The Cow Barn.")
Coates Hall

All which still exist today!


He also designed extensive sewage and other utility systems for the campus.
(I apologize for my brief obsession with this. I live for this stuff and could do research like this for hours!)

If you are interested in seeing Theodore C. Link's architectural drawings of LSU, click here.


The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis was on the "St. Louis must-see" list. The cathedral brochure says the Archbishop John Glennon began the building in 1907 to provide "an uplifting environment for Catholic worship and an inspiring place for private prayer."


The mosaic construction began in 1912 and completed in 1988 by the Ravenna Mosaic Company. It is one of the largest collections of mosaics in the world - covering 83,000 square feet with 41.5 million pieces of glass and over 7,000 colors. I'd hate to be the one to inspect them everyday - and do the repairs! I can hear the priest now at confession: "Say 3 Hail Mary's and replace the 2 auburn-colored tiles missing from the East Transept."

Speaking of the East Transept...


The brochure says it "portrays Christ's resurrection and His appearance to the woman, Mary, and his disciples at Emmaus. The mosaic on the soffit of the raising of Lazarus from the dead is symbolic of Jesus' resurrection. The baptismal font and ambry for the Holy Oils are lcoated in the east transept."


And the West Transept (pictured above) "contains images of Jesus' baptism and Ascension to heaven. The transept mosaic, rendered in flaming colors of red, violet and blue pictures the occasion of the Holy Spirit's descent on the apostles inspiring them to go forth and preach the Word of God."


I'm not as religious as I used to be - or should be - but I always feel humbled when I walk into a church or cathedral. I must admit that it is confusing to see gold plated chalices or carved marble statues, though. Is this really supposed to get you closer to some supreme being - spending money on this? But I guess the point is to represent something grander than yourself.


Anyone want to join me in the handbasket?

We didn't plan on driving Route 66 just yet, but the call to frozen custard pulled us in to the famous stop - Ted Drewes.

Richie ordered a small concrete Dutchman Delight (chocolate custard, butterscotch, and pecans) and I ordered a small Sin Sunday (plain custard, tart cherries, and hot fudge). YUM!


What's a concrete, you ask? Most chains call them flurries or blizzards... but Ted calls them concretes! Read about the history of Ted Drewes here.


We have unexpectantly fallen in love with St. Louis. The diverse community focuses on the arts and family-oriented events and attractions, many which are free! It is a community conscious of the environment and the architecture, bike trails, and rich history are also appealing traits.
We were told we arrived at an unusually cool time. The temperature was about 78 degrees, which seems unheard of in years past.

We highly recommend a visit - Peace!