ST. LOUIS VISIT

HENRY NOWICKI 11 MARCH 1999

   I arrived at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (Ref 1) on a beautiful sunny day just two hours before the Pope and the President's arrival. The big news was the Papal visit (Ref 2) and the city was really prepared for it all. I was fortunate in that I stayed with my sister in her 18th floor apartment that looked down at the archbishop's residence, a half-block away, where the Pope stayed during his visit. It permitted seeing his coming and going plus the location is only one block away from the cathedral where the grand finale mass was consecrated the evening before his departure. It was a most memorable time for the city.

   St. Louis has an excellent rapid transit system (Ref 3) from the airport to the center of town. The road network also makes driving about the city an easy task and one can begin to understand why the city has been ranked sixth best in the nation for living and working (Ref 4).

   St. Louis has a long list of attractions (Ref 5) that befits a large city of this size. Of course, one should initially consult the events calendar (Ref 6) for current activities and late announcements. Everyone's favorite attraction is the familiar Arch (Ref 7) which permits ascending via cute little elevators to its zenith for a pilot's view of the environs. The Mississippi River at the base of the arch is also a signature of the "gateway to the west". Tour boats, including paddlewheel steamboats, plying the waterway during the warmer parts of the year are close at hand.

   I found the most pleasant visit to be Forest Park (Ref 8), site of the 1904 World's Fair, with its world-class art museum, zoo and science center. The curved-screen OmniMax showing of Mt. Everest was particularly interesting at the science center. Also at the top of the list were the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica with the world's largest collection of mosaic art, the restored Union Station with its myriad shops and the always interesting Anheuser-Busch brewery tour with its Clydesdale stables. The Missouri Botanical Garden (Ref 9) with its climatron is great and for dining, try to get to the Hill where Italian dishes are the ultimate. And, of course, weather (Ref 10) is always a big factor in any visit.

REFERENCES. Click on any of the references for travel-related information:

Ref 1. STL Airport.

Ref 2. Papal Visit.

Ref 3. MetroLink Map.

Ref 4. St. Louis in Top Ten.

Ref 5. St. Louis Travel Information.

St. Louis Introduction.

St. Louis Visitor's Guide.

STL Direct City Guide.

St. Louis Attractions.

St. Louis Travel Information.

Ref 6. Current Event Highlights.

Ref 7. Gateway Arch.

Ref 8. Forest Park.

St. Louis Art Museum.

St. Louis Zoo.

St. Louis Science Center.

Ref 9. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Ref 10. Current St. Louis Weather.