Raising Kids in the City

My parental philosophy is to try and expose my kids to as much as I possibly can. I am not very interested in handing down my personal traditions or religious beliefs (or, disbeliefs), political opinions, etc to my kids. I want them to get a view of a cross section of different living styles, personal beliefs, religions, ethnic traditions and beliefs. I want them to know there are 2 sides to every coin and 2 sides to every intelligent debate. There are rich people and poor people in America. There are the haves and the have nots. I want them to live among and be able to relate to both. I want this diversity to be experienced in their schools and their neighborhood and their city in general. I want them to grow up having lived in and grown up in a place that has place...and purpose and is vibrant and welcomes people of all kinds. I want them to be exposed, not shut off and sheltered from the realities, both good and bad that middle America offers.

I want them to know that living in the city does not mean a compromise of all things rural. We live in a big city and get all the benefits of the big city: arts, diversity, sports, music, food, density, history. We also have a myriad of community gardens for raising fresh, delicious fruits and vegetables, a myriad of trails for walking/biking and we are an hours drive from the spoils of agriculture, small town America (see Millstadt, IL and Washington, MO), and vast forests.

St. Louis is a great place to raise a family.

Metrolink Etiquette

I've been riding the Metrolink daily now for several months. It's a great place to people watch. Getting on at the Shrewsbury stop in the morning is a rather regimented commute. People almost have assigned seats. Since Shrewsbury is the final stop on the blue line, the train is always empty, so you almost always get your own seat. By that I mean, no one sitting next to you.

However, the ride home from Clayton to Shrewsbury is really busy having picked up scads of DT workers. So what is the proper male etiquette on public transportation? When you board the train, do you:

snag the first seat available?

hesitate to see if others will occupy the few remaining seats before you?

stand and hold on to the rails, deferring the few remaining seats to others?

offer the seat to the elderly first?

offer the seat to women first? Is that outdated?

I discovered another public transportation etiquette tidbit when we were researching a trip to NYC. Many of the books we read about the subways said, board the subway quickly and make way to the center of the car when crowded. It also says New Yorkers notoriously don't make eye contact with other riders. WTF? If I was paying the crazy bucks to live in NYC, I'd be people watching like a mofo. That's one of the coolest things about NYC, the mix of people.

STL is a stark contrast. People are talking and having conversations on the train. So many riders during the rush hour are regulars and they've come to know each other in many cases. The trains are at times very loud with people talking. I like that. STL is personable, it's citizens are not faceless and socially removed like many bigger cities. I like the vibe.

What are your experiences on STL public transit compared to other cities?

Revisting the Georgian

I've said it myself and I've heard many others say how creepy abandoned hospitals are. Maybe it's the countless hours I've logged playing Silent Hill.

Maybe it's the thought of the proliferation of transorbital lobotomies in the 1940s. Maybe it's the thought of cholera and tuberculosis patients cramming the beds and halls; the windowless rooms packed with mental patients. Probably a sum of all of the above. Maybe it's the overall mojo and the history. Whatever it is, the site of the former City Hospital, now Georgian condos at 14th and Lafayette, conjured up scary images of the past. And when my wife and I visited the Georgian a couple years ago, we had these images in the backs of our minds. This place had been out of service as a hospital since 1987. It was sitting vacant for nearly 20 years. It had a sordid past...it had to be haunted and ominous.

However, the site has and continues to evolve. And after looking into the history of the site, the current condos in the Georgian revival style building were in fact merely the administrative building:

So the creepy stuff I mentioned before probably didn't take place in the admin. building. The psych ward was in Malcolm Bliss.

Anyhow, the site has changed drastically over the years, and especially since 2002 when the 1947 addition and Malcolm Bliss were demolished.So where does this site stand today? The first phase of redevelopment is nearly completed. A new building was constructed on the site, by the power plant and laundry building. A catering business occupies this space.

The power plant building is being renovated.

I'd find a place for the old ?boiler? and crane mechanism in the redesign of the space...a good reminder of the building's history.The former laundry building is now the Palladium, a beautiful events hall.

This site is becoming useful again and finding new life. I can't wait to see what tenants occupy the former power building. I hope they add more residential to the renovation of the remaining buildings. We need all the residents we can get to support the businesses in this part of town.

How'd you like to have this as the front door to your abode?

Here are my favorite 2 buildings on the site. I believe the first is the stable/ambulance garage and the second is the commissioner's building:

What a nice addition to an increasing beautiful part of town.

Lots of opportunities still abound.

In speaking to a couple residents of the Georgian and Lafayette Square, folks are excited about the Walgreens going in across the street. On a separate note, I really like the new red helicopter looking sculpture on the Interstate ramps at the south end of Lafayette Square. The former pieces never looked big enough to me. They now look FANTASTIC in the new citygarden downtown.

Can you love a strip mall?

My commutes through St. Louis County are a constant reminder of why I choose to live, shop, play and raise a family in the city. I loath strip malls, especially contemporary ones. I can't think of anything uglier than the unending chain of fast food restaurants and half empty strip malls that dot Manchester, Olive, Clarkson and many of the other main streets heading west out of St. Louis.



However, I might be a hypocrite. I frequent the strip mall at Hampton Village at Hampton and Chippewa in southwest St. Louis. There is a sea of parking, and a hideous McDonalds on the property. But, something seems different and more tolerable at this shopping center. It's less offensive than the oodles of strip malls in the burbs. Am I just being a homer? Do I have my city goggles on?



Why do I go here in the first place? The Schnucks in clean and they play classical music over the speakers. I don't even like classical music, but for some reason it calms me. I like the high ceiling in the produce and deli area. I also like the seafood dept here. The Emperor's Wok is a guilty pleasure. When it's time to get my MSG on at the Americanized Chinese buffet, this is my choice (mmm steamed mussels), and my kids like the ice cream machine. JC Penny's. I like this department store. Ever since Value City closed in Crestwood, this is where I get my office/work clothes. It's got a lot of useful stuff packed into the 2 floors, and they have some great change of season sales. It's way less offensive than going to the typical suburban mall. My dentist is here. The shoe shop is useful, I like me a seafood grinder at Bellacino's, my kids love sitting at "the bar" in the Noodle Co.



But why is this place any different than the strip malls in Generica? Maybe it's the history.



Hampton Village was developed in 1939 and according to the above source is probably one of the oldest in Missouri. It may have been one of the first auto-centric strip malls west of the Mississippi. Original developer Harold Brinkop was a wise man, he saw the writing on the wall when it came to the personal automobile. By the 1940's it housed one of the city's 1st supermarkets with 20 stalls leased to farmers and merchants. By the 1950's the place was so successful, they added the medical building and the JC Penny's. They tried to incorporate the Colonial feel of the neighborhood at the time.



This strip mall has stood the test of time, and the occupancy rate still appears to be very high. So is this strip mall any different than it's more contemporary counterparts in the county? Maybe the fact that it actually has a history, and I can conceptualize this in my sentimental mind when I go to the shopping center, I can justify this as place worth appreciating.



So it begs the question. Where do you stand on modern, auto centric structures when it comes to historical preservation? The San Luis debate that has raged on in the CWE has me questioning my opinions on the merit of this age as it relates to the much older buildings/places in the city. Maybe Hampton Village should be considered for the national registration of historic places. If nothing else, to chronical the history of the automobiles impact on the outer limits of the city. Heck, if a freaking reproduction boat built in 1969 in St. Charles can be listed as a landmark, why not Hampton Village. If this site is considered a landmark, or historic in nature, does that somehow cheapen the overall landmark status? Will the county strip malls follow suit in 30 years?

Will there come a time when future generations fight to "save" the autocentric strip malls of the current day?

Save the free mulch

As I've mentioned several times before, the Holly Hills Improvement Association operates a community garden at the corner of Bates and Arendes. Gateway Greening is the community outreach arm of the Missouri Botanical Gardens. They were instrumental in getting us started and established. Here's a note from our neighborhood greening coordinator:

Dear Garden Leaders,

It has come to my attention that the City of St. Louis is considering a change in the Forestry Division. The Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry includes these three Divisions. The Forestry Division includes the Compost Section. The Compost Section takes the yard waste generated by St. Louisians and the Forestry Division and recycles it for use as compost and mulch, which is available free of charge to city residents. According to the website, they deliver 9,800 cubic yards of compost to community pick-up and garden sites each year. We work with community gardens to facilitate these deliveries. They fill the bins located at Bell Garden; Chippewa and Oregon; Lee and Euclid; 9th and Barton; and on Geyer. This change would contract the services currently provided by the Compost Section to a private company. We are told that it would most likely mean the end of provision of compost and mulch.
In order to preserve what we have been fortunate to receive, we need to make a strong statement about the importance of this complimentary service to City residents, it’s community gardens and the beautification of the City throughout its 79 neighborhoods. If you value this service, please contact your Alderperson and let them know how important it is in order to accomplish the elaborate gardens found on formerly vacant, trash-filled lots; the medians popping with blooms on City avenues, the schoolyards bursting with flavor. They can contact the appropriate City officials involved in the decision-making process. The matter is URGENT as they plan to make a decision by July 1st. That is less than 1 week from today!

Attached is a list of Alderpersons and their contact information. They can also be reached at City Hall:

City Hall, Room 2301200 Market StreetSt. Louis, MO 63103(314) 622-4114
Email http://stlcin.missouri.org/index/contactelect.cfm?ID=14

I am in touch with the City in order keep updated on the situation. I aim to find out who the best party to approach is so that we can stage a letter-writing campaign. Please let me know if you have any questions and we appreciate any support you can provide.

***If you do not live or work gardens in the City, please disregard this message.

Now, the question I have is: will the Forestry Dept. no longer deliver compost and mulch to garden sites, or will they completely discontinue the free pickups at places like Carondelet Park? I've placed a call with GG to get clarification. I know many don't like the site and infrequent, yet pungent odor of the compost piles. Personally, I find it was less offensive than the sight and smell of the Burger King immediately to the south of the compost piles.

Seriously though, this has been a great service offered by the city. Please contact your alderperson if you'd like to see this service continued.

Underground or Mainstream

What attracts you to an area or place when it comes to spending your personal time in St. Louis? Are you more drawn to the mainstream activities/places in St. Louis such as professional sporting events, parades, charity runs, zoo, CWE, South Grand, East Loop? Or, do have more of a taste for the off the beaten path, only-the-locals-know type of spots?

I like both; yet in my opinion St. Louis is definitely an underground city. The places that make the tourist map or the regional radar are few and far between. The vast majority of suburbanites I talk to have no idea what's going on, or what is truly unique and defining to St. Louis. I'll use Cherokee street between Jefferson and Gravois as an example. I could also use Gravois between Holly Hills and Meramec as another example. But, I'll stick with Cherokee as my example for this post. These are both really cool places that are non pretentious, non tourist destinations; not a place where you'll even see lots of non-neighborhood people.

When I first moved to St. Louis in the early 90's, I wanted to go to the Record Exchange (and a few other unmentionable places) on Cherokee (that no longer exist). I remember parking near the antique row part of Cherokee by the Lemp Brewery. I recall walking toward Jefferson, then crossing Jefferson thinking I had walked into a whole other city. Jefferson was like a dividing line for the safe touristy confines vs. the true grit of the city. It was the first day/place I had witnessed open gunfire in my life. It made quite an impression on me. I don't remember being particularly scared, just on guard. I made a mental note of this part of the city.

However, things change. In this case for the better; but to what extent?

This particular stretch of Cherokee has indeed changed since the early 90s, and maybe too has my perspective on city life. It's a great street. Maybe one of my favorites in the city. It's a great mix of stores and people, it has a good feel. It's not as gentrified like South Grand/Tower Grove South. Yet, it's also not completely the opposite. It's somewhere in between. It's got a nice mix of bohemian, Latino, black and old school southside cultures. I like it a lot. It seems like a nice urban American melting pot right here in south STL. Cinco De Mayo was a blast this year!

I'm sure there is a balance, a tipping point where a neighborhood or street transitions from raw and gritty to a more established, gentrified, mainstream-friendly urban street. Cherokee seems to be nearing that median point between the underground and the mainstream. Several street improvements have been proposed. I hope they don't drop a Qdoba or Chipotle in the middle of that mofo! Moreover, I hope this street remains as cool as it is today, and that it can keep some urban grit to it.

I'm sure there are other parts of the city that are near the tipping point. Wash. Ave. in the late 80s/early 90s could have fit the bill; although I think most would agree it's almost completely gentrified today. What other parts of the city are undergoing this kind of transition?

Harmony and melody in an urban setting

Harmony in music is the simultaneous use of different pitches to make chords. Harmonics are wavelengths or frequencies related to one another by simple proportions.

A melody (from Greek μελῳδία - melōidía, "singing, chanting"[1]), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity. In its most literal sense a melody is a sequence of pitches and durations, while more figuratively the term has occasionally been extended to include successions of other musical elements such as tone color.

In my opinion, an appreciation of these two simple definitions as it relates to music and life is the key to connecting with people, surroundings, sounds, purpose, place and peace. Personally, emotionally, spiritually, it all adds up to the balance and beauty of harmony and melody. May the grace of God give me the ability to understand and proliferate these vague things and ideas that bring harmony and melody and peace to this life. And the wisdom to pass this down to the next generation.

This city was designed with harmony and structure and care in mind. The street grid, the eventual street car network, the walkable/connected neighborhoods, etc. Man, it was beautiful, harmonious, melodious and in tune with a quality human experience. But somewhere it all started to go down hill.


The "greatest generation" set forth policies and practices that abandoned and choked off St. Louis from the emerging suburban municipalities and lifestyles. The baby boomers continued to run for the hills and pastures (read "yards and cul de sacs") throughout the 1960's through 1980's, taking with them their large incomes, high educations, and high health/living standards.


Left in St. Louis are the new comers, old property heirs, criminals, complacents, urbanists, gentrifiers, toughs and dreamers. Chances are, you are one or more of the above. We are in the on deck circle. We are going to be the next group that defines and changes the face of St. Louis.


How will we fare? As the boomers die off, how will the Generation Jones and Gen X and Gen Y'ers set course and influence the long, varied history of this fine city? I hope we don't cut and run when the going gets tough(er). I hope we stay and fight. I'm hopeful. Yes we can.


If nothing else, I hope we hold the city to a higher standard than our parents and grandparents did.


Some of the mistakes of our parents generation (and prior) should NEVER be repeated. The butchering and shitting upon the once fine/intact street grid is a sin. The dismantling of the street car system was a sin. Suburbanizing the city was shortsighted (St. Louis Centre, Marketplace, etc). Allowing sexually transmitted diseases to spread so rapidly, as a result of ignorance, was a sin. Allowing the public schools to decline so far was a sin. Allowing the high school drop out rate to climb to astronomical levels was a major failure. Allowing thugs and thieves to operate unencumbered by the police and govt. in large swaths of this town was a failure. Letting petty crimes go unreported was a failure.


We've got to do better. We need harmony in our police force, schools, government, businesses, non-profits and most of all: the citizenry. We need melodious connections between our streets and neighborhoods and people. We have to step it up and best the previous generations that made the city lose out to other places and stagnate over the past 50 or so years. We need to change the history from a downward spiral to a place that has unlimited hope and potential. What are you going to do? My humble personal plan will be articulated in a future post.

Bicycle Repair Shop in the City

I have a 1993 Giant Yukon that is in desperate need of some repairs. The gears are not shifting properly, and one of the sprockets is damaged. I would also like to get some new tires, seat and handle bars/grips. Does anyone out there know of a reliable repair shop?

I am within walking distance of South Side Cyclery, so I am inclined to go with them, if I don't hear any horror stories that is.

Thanks!

**Updated 06/23/09**South Side Cyclery charged me $60.00 for a tuneup and $60.00 parts for a new crank set, including front sprockets. I bought a new seat. The bike shifts like new. I'm very please with their work. They called me with the diagnosis and $ estimate prior to completing the work, and they completed the work on time. I would recommend them.

Thinking About The NorthSide Project

Has there been a proposal with more potential to transform the image of this city since, say 1950? I am extremely excited to learn of these plans. I've always been kind of resentful that the north side doesn't seem as devoted to urban renewal as the south and central corridor. The roadblocks toward grand scale redevelopment are enormous and intimidating. The disinvestment mentality is entrenched and pervasive. However, now that could all change.

I am reluctant to form too many opinions and weigh in on this one just yet. First of all, I don't know the north side as well as the rest of the city. There aren't many restaurants, businesses, people or places that draw me to this part of town. Yet, I've been taking evening scooter rides throughout the north side, trying to get a feel for this place.

Secondly, I don't have enough information or understanding of whether or not this McKee NorthSide plan can really come to fruition in my lifetime. My greatest fears are that the naysayers/racists/social crusaders will turn this guy away without offering or contributing to a better plan. My next fear is that the history of the city (street grid, street names, small commercial spaces mixed with residential) is lost and we end up with a Hanley Industrial Court feel to the near northside, with very little residential added. One way streets, cul de sacs, large surface parking lots and light industry and warehouses in the form of generic/soulless shacks scares me. However, I am way, way more optimistic than pessimistic. Just the fact that someone has taken the initiative to draw up a plan to redevelop a large part of our city that has been ignored by residents of those neighborhoods and the general citizenry is a good start.

However....

I am bummed that McKee was called a racist at the church meeting in May (3min 3 sec in, by a white dude nonetheless). I am bummed that when this guy went off (complete with F-bombs), some clapped. I am bummed that these meetings took place in a church. I think that's bush league. Ideally, the city would be making this a professional pitch at city hall to the entire city, not pandering to the same old racial/parochial issues that have plagued this city for far too long. I wish Slay was standing side by side with McKee, with Geisman and the entire board of aldermen sitting proudly behind them as these plans are rolled out. A show of solidarity, strength, confidence and hope to bring the entire city into this discussion. Not the same old aldermanic courtesy, regional politics and pandering to the few remaining residents' narrow vision of what's good for the city.

I wish Michael Allen and Steve Patterson were selected by the city to lead a citizen's committee with the directive to preserve the remaining history and enhance the connectivity/live-ability of the northside as it relates to the McKee plan. The aforementioned are the only guys I trust when it comes to logical approaches to what will/won't work on the north side. I would feel WAY more optimistic about this plan had McKee/city govt. not gone to the residents first, but rather consulted with who I consider to be the strongest, most intelligent voices/minds on the topics mentioned above.

Whatever ends up happening, it will be historic. Will the status quo players make the decisions and provide the "community input", where churches, pastors and a single alderperson have the strongest voice in shaping our city's near northside; or, will this be a city wide effort that enlists the brightest minds on sustainable development to make this opportunity a huge benefit to our city for years to come?

Will this project be the impetus to saving the city? Making the North an equal contributor in tax revenue, people, density, businesses as the south and central city? Or, will this be another failure?




Magic Wand

If you are like me and you loath the appearance of drive through fast food restaurants and you could make one of these joints magically disappear and replace them with your ideal vision of a replacement what would it be? Here are a few of mine/ours:

The Jack in the Box on Grand near Shaw/Compton Heights. With those cool new condos just to the south, wow what an improvement over the Shoney's that used to sit on that property. Look across the street at the beautiful Compton Heights gates. The Pelican Place development...man, this place will be blooming once again. Now if I could make that Jack in the Box disappear and fill it in with some modern, slender, 3 story condos.....

The Church's Fried Chicken at Skinker and Delmar in the Loop. This is such a high profile, high traffic area. Lots of potential here. The East Loop is my favorite stretch of Delmar, as it's in the city and the west side is the gateway to the suburbs. I'd like to see a library built hear. I realize there is a branch just south of hear on Skinker, but it's really small. I think this area deserves a bigger branch. And I like how libraries bring heavy foot traffic (see Schlafly, Carpenter branches). I think it would add diversity to the Loop. Check out a book, walk to an outdoor cafe....nice. There are lots of out of towners, tourists and musicians/artists passing through here. If they could just witness how incredibly top notch our libraries are, they may walk away even more impressed with the area. Heck, they might even want to move here. I like the idea of the east Loop becoming more of a neighborhood styled stretch vs. the more entertainment destination feel of the western Loop. I'd also like to see a drug store and/or grocery in the East Loop.

My wife has fantasized about the Ponderosa, Long John Silver, Burger King, Pizza Hut (Indian Restaurant) on Hampton being razed and replace with an Ikea.

There are so many others. I could think of the shuttered Hardee's (florist?) on Broadway between Soulard and

Choteau's landing. The crappy looking former Burger King just northeast of the Soulard Farmer's Market. The crappy looking former Burger King on South Grand in Dutchtown. The crappy looking Burger King on Jefferson/Gravois across from Trader Bob's Tatoos. The crappy looking former McDonalds at Chippewa/Grand. Man is it just me, or is it clear that these don't work very well in the city. Even reuse for these comes hard. You can't polish a turd. See the aforementioned Pizza Hut at Fyler/Hampton, the Captain D's (now Bosnian pizza joint on Gravois, so. of Bevo Mill), former Pizza Hut, now Bosna Gold restaurant so. of

Bevo. They just don't fit in with their surroundings.

However, they may be one exception. All things considered, I like the remodel of the former Pizza World on

Kinshighway. Granted, this was not your typical chain fast food joint with in store dining and drive through, but it was a chain nonetheless. Here's the kind of ??Mediterranean?? styled redo this building has recently gone through. There is a notice for a liquor license, maybe it will find new life as a Bosna/Croat dining establishment. Man, I could do without the Depot Door, but still, a net gain over the previous place.

Are you aware of any fast food restaurants in the city that fit in well with their surroundings? How about a successful redux of a drive through fast food joint in the city?

Naysayers: act or pack your bags

Here's a quote from "publiceye", a frequent poster on urbanstl.com, in reply to a comment made about not being able to get anything done in this town:

"I would argue that (1) plenty gets done in this town, and (2) nay-sayers are more responsible for inertia than people who actually do things."

I completely agree with this sentiment. Amen to that! In my limited endeavors, I've never experienced roadblocks from the city; so to those out there who like to complain about St. Louis and the insurmountable roadblocks keeping you from getting things done, or advancing your agenda I ask you to cite some specifics. How did you go about your pursuit, and how were you shot down.

You think it's hard to get things done in St. Louis? Try your luck in Chicago or New York or San Francisco and if you do any better. Best of luck.

Another comment from an anonymous poster from a blog entry I did awhile back:

"People that bitch about anything, anybody or anyplace without having tried whole-heartedly to improve or understand whatever they're bitching about are boring and unfortunate."

I agree. Bitching and moaning is exhausting to listen to. I have 3 kids under 8 years old...I am exposed to my fair share of whining. It's not fun to listen to. I want to make it stop; or in some cases, I want to teach them how to make it stop on their own...find a solution, get to the heart of the matter and fix it yourself.


I am not saying that verbal dissent doesn't have a place. I agree with the sentiment that dissent is the highest form of patriotism. It's important to disagree with the rich and powerful. However, if you're gonna complain (see 3:03 minute mark of this video), and want to be taken seriously, you have to also lay out your backup plan, your alternative solution. What are you going to do to turn the tides.


St. Louis is a very fixable place. There's a lot of open ground and cheap buildings to fix up. Get your butt out there and own one of them. Make it your perfect place, make it special, fix it up. Bring it back to life and you may find that bitching and moaning about this town is harder to do once you accomplish something.

La Tropicana

One of our favorite places in the city:

La Tropicana

at 5001 Lindenwood. The alfresco dining is tops. The food is amazing. This place, along with El Burrito Loco are fresh and delicious. The plantain torta, spicy fried plantain chips and spicy chicken quesadillas and cactus salad are my favorites. This is not your average, run of the mill place; it's tops for Latin food in my book. Not only is the food great, the people are nice too.

A St. Louis Public School in the neighborhood, Kennard Classical Junior Academy, has a unit on community and the 1st graders get to walk from their school to La Tropicana to learn about a local business in the neighborhood. The kids learn Spanish too, so they each introduced themselves (in Spanish) to the owner, told them where they live, how old they are, what languages they can speak and what they want to be when they grow up. 25 or so kids are in the class and the owner graciously listened to each and every kid's spiel. He fried up some plantains and made chips for the kids to taste. He gave them guava jarritos, showed them around the market, talked about where the food comes from and how they prepare it. Each class got a bunch of those mini bananas to take back to class.

I never did anything like this in school. Of course, I went to a private Catholic school in a small town where no one offered or spoke anything other than English. My high school didn't even offer Spanish. It was either French, German or Latin. I am so happy my kids are getting exposed to the Kingshighway Hills neighborhood, local-family owned businesses and multiple ethnicity's. Heartwarming stuff really. The owner really went out of his way to educate the kids and show them a good time.

Back to La Tropicana. This food is fresh, delectable and affordable. If you're not into fresh Latin food, you can always sit outside under the tent and enjoy a cocktail or a delicious Mexican beer with lime (mmmm Modello) and watch the neighbors walking around and tending to their homes/yards. This is one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city.

You can't go wrong supporting places like this.

Exciting Projects

Back in September, 2008 I did a post on my most anticipated projects in St. Louis:

The proposed Drury Inn at Kingshighway and I-64.

*This could extend the CWE, Barnes money and activity south to the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood.

The Bohemian Hill development in Lafayette Square.

*The addition of a some needed services in that part of town could be a main boost for that neighborhood.

The CVS drug store in Boulevard Heights.

*they are new to this market. If they can build an urban drug store (to the street with parking in back), I'll never go to Walgreens again.

The Great Rivers Greenway pedestrian trail

*The Morgan Ford to I-55 extension is nearly completed, the next step is from I-55 south to

Loughborough Commons.

BPV

*I'm still optimistic it will add activity to this part of Downtown. I'm hoping it doesn't end up a TGIFridays, and a nail salon & instant check cashing strip mall.

So what's the progress been in 8 months?

Drury Inn seems to be a go, and will be quite an improvement to the area. Most interstate passers by and out of town'ers will be impressed with the new I-64 interchange at Kingshighway. Think of these twin towers rising to the south and the behemoth that is Barnes-Jewish/Childrens to the north. Here's an excellent summary of the project from March.

Bohemian Hill has broken ground. The Walgreen's pharmacy is being constructed right now. I was visiting with a family member last night at the Georgian, right across the street and he's very optimistic about the development. All in all this is a good development. I know there are nay sayers. Maybe I'll have to eat crow when it's all said and done. But, I think this is a decent development. At least they are going to try to fit in with their surroundings. It seems like a softer landing for Walgreens than their typical search and destroy tactics such as Gravois/Hampton (I miss you Red Bird Lanes), Kingshighway/Arsenal (I miss you Carriage Bowl), Kingshighway/Chipppewa (I miss you Famous Barr).

CVS pharmacy in Boulevard Heights. I know this isn't a project with a big impact on the city. But, as a resident of this neighborhood, it's good to see the old Amoco/BP site get redeveloped. It's good to see Walgreens get a little competition. The demolition is nearly complete and construction likely will begin shortly. Will it be built to the street? with parking/drive through in back?

Great Rivers Bike Trail. Another fantastic extension from Morgan Ford to I-55. This pedestrian path has added so much to my neighborhood. There used to be ZERO activity in Christy Park. Now it's teeming with runners, walkers, cyclists, kids, etc. Love this project!

BPV.

UUUURRRGGHHHH!!!!!!! I cannot believe there's no public protest on this one. I fantasize about a group of citizens trying to send a message to the DeWitts. A group with sandwich boards with names painted on them: "Ballpork Pillage", "Pujols' Pond", "Chesterfield Commons-Downtown", etc. This is an embarrassment. Put the heat on these clowns. Embarrass them when there are ~40,000 down there at each game. I think people would respond to a silent group walking the streets protesting. I can't believe they are getting away with this.

That's enough negativity....take a breath. In an economy that has been in recession for awhile, it's great to see projects moving forward (except DeWitt's).

Here are some more of my most anticipated projects on the horizon. I hope to take a look back in ~8 months and see where they're at.

Pelican Place

City Diner in midtown

SLU

law school expansion

I've been feelin' midtown lately. I like it here and it's getting better and better and of course the granddaddy of them all: BLAIRMONT!

Quite possibly the most exciting news to hit north city in 50 years! I can't stop thinking about this one. Now, if I can just get some facts.....

What are some of your favorite projects on the horizon?

Spring Harvest in the City

Broccoli and red leaf lettuce is being harvested daily at Bates and Arendes in Holly Hills:

Thanks to Missouri Forest ReLeaf for the 10 river birch and 10 eastern red buds. These trees are native to Missouri and are well suited for low canopy interest in a vegetable garden.

Another dedicated Holly Hills gardener is a former strawberry farmer:

Romaine lettuce for dinner tonight. This 4 year old is not scared of our newest members of the garden (in the background)

Thanks to yet another dedicated Holly Hills gardener, we now have 2 hives of European honey bees to help pollinate our flowers...and of course make some delicious honey combs.

Novella Bookstore and a Croatian Writer's Take on Cities

There is a charming little bookstore at 5510 Kingshighway owned by a very kind woman who just happens to share my rare last name (we're no relation, though). She is from the former Yugoslavia, and carries books mainly from that part of Europe.

My wife bought me a copy of Debravka Ugresic's "Nobody's Home". She writes of some personal experiences living all over the world, and not really ever settling down in one place for too long.

Here's an entry from one of her short stories that speaks to people's personal relationships with cities:

"There are cities where I feel compelled to intervene. In these cities some devilish voice is constantly nudging me: I'd move this, smooth over that. In cities like that I feel like a self-appointed mayor.

There are cities whose former beauty brings tears to my eyes. St. Petersburg is one such city. There are cities which galvanize me, raise the level of adrenaline in my bloodstream and blur my vision. New York is a city like that.

There are cities held together by a river. Take away the river, and the city turns into an amorphous smudge. Belgrade is one such city. There are cities whose beauty lies in the promise of sea and shore. Take away the promise, and all that is left is a mega-oasis. Los Angeles is a city like that. There are cities which bring together essentially incompatible things such as power and melancholy. Berlin is that sort of city. There are cities which would need nothing more than a facelift to place them among the most beautiful cities in the world. Budapest is one such city.

The beauty of the city is in the eye of the beholder. The more beholders, the more visions of beauty."

I'd put St. Louis somewhere between the Berlin and Budapest category. I, like Ms. Ugresic, feel like a self appointed mayor sometimes. I too feel that the more beholders we have the more visions of beauty we will have. It'll take all the beauty and vision we can muster to move us out of our darkest period in St. Louis (~1955-1995) and on toward something that makes us great again.

Before and After

I am a sucker for before and after photos, especially with regards to building rehabs in the city. We recently went to a Lafayette Square house tour, and many people on the circuit had some amazing before & after photos. It's staggering just how dilapidated some homes were allowed to get over the years. I stand firm to the opinion that tastefully restoring a building to it's original glory is one of the biggest impacts you can make toward improving St. Louis.


I look at some of the dilapidated buildings commonly posted on ecology of absence blog, and get so discouraged. It's easy to feel like half of our city is crumbling and beyond repair. However, that just isn't true. It takes the right kind of people with the right skills, determination and of course $$ to turn these ramshackle dumps into truly functional, stately, proud spaces.

Since we're in the process of listing our home and searching for a new one, we've been looking at a lot of homes lately. I have yet to see a tasteful remodeling job from the 1970's/1980's. Horrid years for kitchens and bathrooms in my opinion. However, my tastes probably run against the norm. We love metal cabinets. When we remodeled the kitchen in our current home, we considered these, but the cost was out of hand and the suppliers limited. We went with a traditional, contemporary look. And since the home is not a stately century home, rather a mid-century ranch, we felt it appropriate.


It just makes me wonder though, how many people get rid of the old or original qualities and finishes in their old St. Louis homes simply to get something new and fresh in there. I for one am way more intrigued by the original finishes. Gut rehabs do not appeal to me. The weird thing is, the more expensive homes (~$265K - $300K) in TGS, TGE and Shaw are total gut rehabs, complete with fancy modern jet tubs, granite counter tops and kitchen islands. I guess that's what the modern urban home buyer wants. Not me, I like the original floor plans, pocket doors, light fixtures, stained glass, wood trim, crown moulding, plaster, wood floors, etc.

I realize many of these beautiful homes were stripped of their original features and charm, and that's how many of the dry-walled homes came about. Still, I'm more drawn to the original charm. However, the odds are against these original fixtures. The elements of time and nature wear aware at their physical components. Styles change, and people feel pressured to keep up with the times. The city has changed. There was a time when the city was teeming with people and housing was limited. Many stately homes became too expensive to maintain after the boom times, and they were subdivided into apartments, etc. This robbed many homes of their original design.

It amazes me that a 100+ year home can still retain it's functioning bathtubs and hardware. I mean, do you expect the Chinese Home Depot rigs to work in 100 years? I don't.

It's also amazing to me that several people on the Lafayette Square house tour stripped layers of lead paint off pocket doors, windows, stair cases, etc. That is truly a labour of love. A labour that makes St. Louis a very, very special place. Cheers to all you tasteful rehabbers out there. I am truly inspired.

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