Help Please - What To See & Do in St. Louis?

[dangerousdave]

Can someone that is based in the St. Louis area please begin to compile info on St. Louis that will help those that are planning on coming to the Championship event? Perhaps that is already here but I overlooked it?

This type of information is something I enjoyed providing during the 7 year run in Atlanta. There are others that have previously provided great information but if you need some help see my "sticky" in this forum.

Thanks very much,
Dave

[Colin P]

I know I'm excited to get a photo with the arch. I'm sure FIRST and St. Louis FIRST are going to go crazy over team photos at the arch.

[tim-tim]

Take a look at this paper:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/papers/2473

We just received it via e-mail from team 1208 after qualifying for Championships. It is packed with info.

Places to eat, things to do, hardware store location, walmart/target locations, and general overview of St. Louis. Even makes some comparisions to Atlanta. A really great document put together by 1208

[nighterfighter]

Anyone up for making a last epic minibot race?

Everyone put their magnetic minibots on the arch...

First one to the other side wins!

[Ether]

St Louis Zoo. Worth checking out if you enjoy such things.

[robogeek212]

Are there any activities that FRC teams can participate in? In Atlanta, the aquarium was open late one night for teams.

Most museums close by 5PM, with the Art Museum seeming to be the only one open until 9PM on Friday.

[DeAnnaC]

The City Museum (not really a museum, think industrial/recycled playground) is open until 1am on Friday and Saturdays.

It's fun for all ages and downtown.

http://www.citymuseum.org/home.asp

[chemtchr]

You have to go up the Arch, the Science Museum and planetarium are great, I'd reccommend a Cardinals game but they are out of town, and the Zoo is very good.

The must see, however, is City Museum. It's one of my favorite places anywhere. It's hard to describe but it's part museum, part found art collection, part aquarium, part playground, and all fun. I'd also agree it's fun for any age. I'm hoping First sponsors an event at the museum like the Midwest Regional did at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Hope to see you there!

[Isaac501]

Stay close to downtown, don't stray far, and make sure your kids are buddied up and have responsible chaperones with them.

Never for one minute did I feel unsafe in Atlanta, anywhere.

In St Louis that was simply not the case.



That said, obviously the Arch and the museum under it.

Our high school team went to the Royal Dumpe dinner theatre (http://www.royaldumpe.com/) - they toned down the show for us, but it was still fantastic.

Riverboat tours are pretty cool, too.

Union station is also pretty neat if you need to fill a few hours.

[Speeder]

Originally Posted by nighterfighter

Anyone up for making a last epic minibot race?

Everyone put their magnetic minibots on the arch...

First one to the other side wins!

The arch is stainless steel.

[clayman]

It is mentioned in the paper, but I'll mention it again: Fitz's . If fact, teams would probably enjoy just about any place on the Loop (the stretch of Delmar on which Fitz's is located). For transportation out there, you can take the MetroLink blue line from Convention Center to Skinker.

[nighterfighter]

Originally Posted by Speeder

The arch is stainless steel.

Haha, was wondering when someone would point that out.

[DeAnnaC]

Originally Posted by clayman

It is mentioned in the paper, but I'll mention it again: Fitz's . If fact, teams would probably enjoy just about any place on the Loop (the stretch of Delmar on which Fitz's is located). For transportation out there, you can take the MetroLink blue line from Convention Center to Skinker.

We went to Fitz's on Thursday night after the St. Louis Regional. They do have a large room upstairs appropriate for groups and they do have a 'group' menu. Unlimited fresh rootbeer. Yum.

DeAnna

[rmhooks573]

does anyone know how they are going to do the championship party. just like the one last year was at centenial park, im just curious on how they plan to do something with that many people staying safe while in st. louis.

[CrystalWolf]

As a FIRST alumna and now a (freshman) college student in St. Louis, I'd just thought I'd create this account to chime in.

I probably don't know as must as the St. Louis-area teams, though, so you might want to ask them for opinions. Most of my suggestions are just rehashing what others have said.

I highly recommend the St. Louis Art Museum in Forest Park. It is amazing and completely free! The size of the collections is mind-boggling; they have everything from van Goghs and Picassos to Egyptian mummies and medieval armor, as well as exhibits of cultural art from around the world. (The first time I visited, I didn't have a map and got lost wandering through for several hours before finding my way back to the lobby and realizing I only saw about half of it.)

Just across the street from the art museum is the zoo, which is also free and lots of fun! Both of these together would easily take a whole day, though.

I've heard people say that the City Museum is a must-see. It's not free, but I'm sure it's worth the price of admission. It's been described as a "playground for adults."

If you want to ride to the top of the Arch, it's best to call in advance and book tickets several days beforehand. If they're sold out, you can always visit the museum built underneath it; it's small, but it's pretty cool.

I second Fitz's and the (Delmar) Loop in general. It's a street with lots of interesting restaurants and shops. Although Fitz's is great (root beer floats and brownie sundaes... yum), it's nice to visit the smaller restaurants and try food you've never eaten before. Although the area is slightly sketchy, and there have been several muggings, they were in dark alleys with victims walking along or in pairs. The street itself is well-lit and crowded at night. Overall, my impressions are that St. Louis is about as safe/dangerous as Atlanta; just use common sense, and it's not too bad.