Post #619006 by telescopes on Wed, Dec 28, 2011 4:18 PM

On 2011-12-28 15:06, The Blue Kahuna wrote:
I'm not terribly inclined to head to St. Louis based on the description above . . . I hope it is more exaggeration than truth . . .

It's funny because it is true.

However, Saint Louis does have a lot to offer for visitors as well as residents. That said, it's a very complex cit: It is still considered somewhat a 'southern city' (many would be home in Mississippi) while at the same time the Gateway to the West (you can carry a gun quite easily and legally). Saint Louisians, especially those in the southern part of the city, tend to be parochial and very blue collar in their outlook. Simple, unadorned, they are slow to change. Many still vacation at Lake of the Ozarks and consider the "lake" to be their version of paradise. The city is known for its pot holes and vast metropolitan region. The state of Missouri has roughly 4.5 million people in it and about 1/2 of the state lives in the St. Louis metropolitan area. The other half live in the Kansas City region. I say this only to illustrate the conundrum that while almost everyone in the state belabors city life, almost everyone lives near one.

Shaw's Garden and Forest Park are two jewels that are somewhat unique to the area. They are glorious gems in what is otherwise a bleak urban landscape of rusting decay. Yet, if you were to ask any native to the area if the area was a great place to live, they would be absolute in their defense of the area. They really hate California and deride the state as a land of fruit and nuts. They tend to really believe that the state might - should- fall into the sea. As George Bush would say, they hate us for our freedoms.

Don't get me wrong - it still is my hometown and like any good native, I'd defend it to the end.

And to Saint Tiki - I hope you succeed. I'll stop by and have a drink next time I am in town.

[ Edited by: telescopes 2011-12-28 16:19 ]