I’m back!
I spent the past week in St. Louis, Missouri…my family’s hometown. I stayed with my Grandma and my parents came to visit as well. If you can’t tell from the hundreds of images of vintage vehicles I’ve already posted on my flikr or facebook pages, I have a nostalgia for eras that I’ve never experienced first hand. Visiting St. Louis reaffirms this nostalgia and helps me understand where this love developed.
My mom and I spent more time than usual visiting the parts of the city that remind her of her childhood. Most of this revolves around food: Pretzels at Gus’s, BBQ at Phil’s, Slyders at White Castle, and of course multiple trips to Frederhofer’s Bakery. It also involved the more traditional tourist stops: the Arch and the Museum of Westward Expansion in the Arch’s foundation, the NEW Busch Stadium, and the warehouse and brewery (Busch and Lemp) district where my grandparents and their parents worked long, back-breaking hours. The city is nothing like the hustle and bustle days that my parents and grandparents grew up in…the stadium has been completely rebuilt (twice), the New Cathedral is rather old, hundreds of thousands of square footage of factory and brewery has been abandoned.
Despite all the negativity that surrounds the city’s disrepair…you can catch promising glimpses of what the Gateway to the West might have in store for the future. Warehouse space has been converted into uppity apartment lofts for young professionals. The introduction of America's Center Convention Complex, Edward Jones Dome, Ferrra Theatre, and the Executive Conference Center are drawing huge professional crowds and encourage Cards, Rams, and Blues, fans nationwide to bring their business downtown. And fundrasiers and live music festivals on the Riverfront are increasing in number and popularity. Just this past Saturday, over 66,000 participants gathered downtown for the Susan G. Komen Race.
In the area where my grandma lives, about 30 minutes outside the city, its an entirely different world. While much has changed, so much has remained the same. Some of the largest grocery stores, pharmacies, auto parts suppliers, and restaurants are still family owned…as they have been for the past 100 years (or more)! Grandma’s house is on one the most prestidgeous streets in the area…or at least it was 60 years ago when it was built. She raised her family there since 1950 and many features of the house remain completely original. The houses being built just 10 minutes down the road have maintained high quality…but the 2500 or so square footage of my grandma’s 60 year old house, could fit in the basement of the multi-million dollar monsters down the road. Also 10 miles from Grandma’s are most of the food selections mentioned above, Laumeier Sculpture Park, and the historic Grant’s Farm. Grant’s Farm was founded by President Ulysses S. Grant in the 1850s. The Busch family purchased the farm from President Grant over 5 decades ago. The 281 acres is the home of more than 100 species of animals from 6 continents and now serves as a stable for the famous Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales and an interactive, safari-style park, which is open to the public to increase wildlife conservation and education.
And there is SO MUCH I am leaving out!
Now you know, just in part, where my love for St. Louis and the historic past comes from….but what does this have to do with automotive? For one, the rise, and fall, and new rise of the city, should bring hope to those in Motor City during these trying times. For another reason...well just check out my next post…and my flikr picture set (which will be added soon)…and I think you’ll be in for a treat! I certainly was!
