Stl Trip

[AlbertTheMachine]

It has been 19 years since I have made a trip to Stl to catch a game and I thought it was time to plan another trip. I am unsure how much the media portrayal of the city is accurate. Is downtown generally safe to be in? We plan on staying in a hotel right next to the stadium. We will have a young child with us so we won’t be out late at night. I’ve heard that drivers are very reckless in downtown. Is that just at night or even during the daytime?

We will only be in town for 2 days and have plans to see the Arch and also go to Union Station. Any other recommended activities or places to eat?

Also, is there a way to get a physical copy of my tickets? All tickets are online now, but I still love having the physical ticket as a souvenir. I bought through the Cardinals on MLB.com and was hoping I could get to the ticket booth and request physical tickets.

[1toughdominican]

You should be okay close to the ballpark with a game scheduled and a crowd present. I can’t vouch for the Arch grounds or Union Station. I’ve also been led to believe that traffic laws are frequently ignored, but it’s my impression that that’s the case over many areas of the city at any time of the day or night. My advice would be to stay close to the ballpark and hotel.

[CardsRedSox4Ever]

ATM, I live just across the river in Il and go to 8-10 games a year. I’ve never felt unsafe before or after a game nearby the stadium, but I wouldn’t walk around at night either. Just had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory last night by the river near the stadium and all felt safe. Downtown traffic is very light these days compared to pre-COVID, so driving is ok. Just stay on major streets. Union Station is a fun place to visit for the whole family – attractions, big Ferris wheel, the STL Aquarium, mini golf, etc., and a train ride if you have the time. Real nice ice cream parlor there too. The Arch is a must, and there is a very good museum underneath. The Old Courthouse a block west is also a good place to visit. Lots of restaurants around the stadium but I’d recommend Pappy’s BBQ on Olive Blvd just west of downtown. Used to have #50 on their smoker in honor of Waino but not sure if they still do. If you get adventurous, try The Hill with its many Italian restaurants just a few miles from downtown. Not sure about getting physical tickets but I’d ask at the stadium or shoot their customer service a note before you travel.

[AlbertTheMachine]

Thanks for the feedback 1TD and CardsRedSox. So much has changed since I last visited the city. It is also hard to discern truth from media propaganda about some cities. It sounds like we should be in for a real fun time. Union City does sound great for a family visit. I did not know the Arch has a museum so I will have to check that out. In general, I am a big museum fan and like to check any out when I get a chance.

[LACardFan]

Hi Albert,

Yes, the museum under the arch is probably more fascinating than going up in the arch itself.

Some other ideas, since you have a young one:

– City Museum
– The Zoo
– The Science Museum
– The Magic House
– The National Museum of Transportation
– Grant’s Farm

As for the city itself – it’s probably going to be like all major cities – it depends on where you are at. Stay downtown, you should be fine. Go to the North Side, you are asking for trouble.

Places to eat – haven’t been there in awhile. But I imagine the Old Spaghetti Factory is the same and is a kids favorite. When I worked downtown 25 years ago, we told people to go to Charlie Gitto’s. I think they are down to one location now (on The Hill). I grew up on Amighetti’s Specials (sandwiches – also on The Hill).

[mudville]

If you’re standing in front of your hotel and looking toward the river, then I would suggest that you don’t go farther than 4 or 5 blocks to your left, although further down from there is where the Convention Center and football stadium is. In other words, it’s relatively safe in the general downtown area until it gets really late, like 2-3 AM. But there’s really not much reason to stay around downtown after a game except to go to Ballpark Village which is adjacent to Busch Stadium. Your hotel is, in a sense, a part of Ballpark Village. The walk from your stadium seat to the your hotel is very safe. Since you’re bringing a young child with you, that limits your activities since kids aren’t much into sight seeing and they’re big into playing. Figure on spending a fair amount of time around the hotel swimming pool. The three biggest attractions for the three of you, in my opinion, are the St. Louis Zoo and the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the Gateway Arch. I’m sure you remember that you can take a tram ride up the leg of the arch and peek out the windows at the top. The child will most likely like the tram ride better than the ‘peeking out’ at the top. All three places have seen massive changes and improvements over the last 19 years. All three involve a lot of leisurely walking. The Zoo and the Botanical Garden have PCV’s available for rent if preferred (‘Personal Convenience Vehicle’). The St. Louis Zoo is considered world class and there are plenty of things for you all to see, particularly, the animals, of course. And there is a popular train ride that rides you around the zoo grounds. There’s an interactive childrens’ area in the making, but you’ll miss that because it’s not scheduled to open for at least a couple of years. I mention that so you don’t feel disappointed that you missed something. There is plenty to do without it. They have a visitor center with a restaurant, etc. The St. Louis Zoo is well worth a visit and is about as safe a place to visit as you’ll find anywhere. It is my understanding that the Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the top botanical gardens in the world. It can be enchanting for adults, and there is also a rather good sized play area for kids. There is a tree house and other activities for kids there. There is a lake that is loaded with the brightly colored Japanese carp. It’s in the Japanese garden area of the overall botanical garden. The Missouri Botanical Garden is another ‘can’t miss’ place in St. Louis and you will feel safe the moment you drive onto the parking lot and you will continue to feel safe throughout the time of your visit.

I hope this helps you plan your visit.

[858booyah]

Ah the big bad city. I never have any issues downtown. As people point out I guess it just depends.

Remember you have BPV for dining options as well. You’ve got Broadway oyster bar which has live music and you can bring your kid on the patio.

The Arch is different than it was 19 years ago. They’ve redone the inside and it’s actually pretty cool. IIRC they’ve got some interactive stuff to do now. It’s definitely worth the money and I think your kid will love that and for sure City Museum and the Zoo. You’ve only got a couple days. So most likely you will miss something. Also they’ve got the aquarium in union station with the big ferris wheel and they’ve got the koy pond and stuff for kids to to there like putt putt and a couple restaurants. You can see the fairly new soccer stadium and that developed area as well from the the near top of the ferris wheel.

Idk if you’ll venture from downtown but Blues City Deli is damn good and is pretty well known outside of St. Louis. I suggest going towards the end of the day ( before 3) as they have a line usually out the door sometimes. I don’t think they have kids menu but I’m sure you can get him some plain Sando and share some Zappos and pop and be just fine.

Get the Slinger Dog at the game and tell us what you think. Might be the best deal in the park. I’ve heard you can almost feed two with that thing and it’s reasonably priced. $13 IIRC someone told me.

[bicyclemike]

I have made quite few trips to St. Louis for games, and never had any issues. The last one was in 2019 and I stayed at a hotel that was so-so – maybe 3 miles or so south from the stadium and that area. It wasn’t too far from Lafayette Square and on a Sunday morning I got out and walked around the square a couple of times. I then drove downtown in the morning and kicked around all day at the arch and other haunts. Took in the Cardinals’ museum.

I wished I had brought my bike as I would have ridden the bike everywhere, and will do that next time.

As I said it has been 2019 since I was there, so pre-pandemic, but I don’t think you will have any issues as far as personal safety.

Oh, on my way out of town I drove up to where the old ballpark, Sportsman’s Park, was located. Looked like a bit of a run down area around there, but still a cool trip down memory lane. I thought they would have a a big memorial and perhaps even a museum up there, but all that I saw that paid tribute to the old stadium was a wall with information. And that was good, with names of many of the greats that had played in that park at one, but otherwise it was just open space.

[gscottar]

If you are attending a day game you should have no problems. If it is a night game I wouldn’t stray too far away from the stadium. I have made that mistake and things got dicey in a hurry.

The good news is that tickets for good seats should be plentiful and cheap.

[jj-cf-stl]

My son and I spent 4 months working on the arch remodel. I took the wifey to see it once it was re-opened. It’s not must see, but if you are already downtown, it’s worth the visit.

[AlbertTheMachine]

Thanks for the great information everyone. I really appreciate the info about the city and will avoid the north side as we don’t really see anything that way to do either. I’ll have to try out those slinger dogs as well while we are at the game. And yeah we were able to get nice seats which is the downside of not being expected to be a contender this year.

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