Missouri Road Trip Begins in Maryland Heights

I had finally made it to St. Louis (twice) after a decades long absence, but I knew there was a lot more of Missouri for me to see. I decided to cross some of it off my list with a week long road trip through the state, and I brought my friend Jaimee along for most of the fun.

Jaimee was flying into St. Louis and wasn’t able to meet me until very late the first night. I thought it would be a great opportunity to check out a suburban hotel, and meet my cousin Linda for dinner.

As soon as I saw the photos of the Sheraton Westport Chalet, I knew it was what I was looking for. It was near the airport and referred to as in St. Louis, but it’s actually in the suburb of Maryland Heights.

The hotel did not let me down. The perfectly landscaped property with the European shutters and balconies were beautiful.

As soon as I arrived, I couldn’t help but explore the adjacent pedestrian plaza. It was a quaint little village with tiled walkways that definitely didn’t make you feel like you were anywhere near a big city, even though it was attached to a building with a jazz club, sports bar, and comedy shop.

The staff at the Westport Sheraton Chalet couldn’t have been more friendly. If I even looked like I had a question they were there with an answer. 

I was also more than happy with my room, which had a large work area, plenty of outlets, and a pull out couch. My room also overlooked a sprawling fountain outside.

Linda met me at the hotel and we walked over to the Westport Plaza next door. She had been coming here for years and enjoyed reminiscing.

The ball player in front of Patrick’s Sports Bar paid homage to the importance of sports to this Cardinal Nation. Family Nuts sells candy, trail mixes, and any kind of nut or chocolate you desire, and the Trainwreck Saloon seemed quite popular judging by the crowd.

We decided to have dinner at Paul Mineo’s Trattoria and we weren’t disappointed. We both ordered the pasta primavera, and it was one of the best I’ve ever had. It was filled with fresh asparagus, artichokes, broccoli, and eggplant.

I was asleep before Jaimee came in and we were both up fairly early. We had access to the executive lounge and it’s an upgrade I definitely recommend.

The executive club lounge at the Westport Sheraton Chalet was one of the best I’ve seen, especially in the U.S. Like the chalet, the breakfast was very European, with platters of cheese and fruit, as well as yogurt, muffins, eggs, and an espresso machine.

They even had a fully stocked refrigerator with soda, juice, and bottled water. We took some water for our road trip.

Before we hit the road, we walked around the property a bit. They have a nice pool area as well as a courtyard, where many guests gathered in the morning and evening. 

We then packed up and got in the car for our next stop, Jefferson City. We were only stopping there to meet the representative from Lake of the Ozarks to pick up some materials.

It looked like a town I would return to, but we were anxious to get going to the Ozarks. 

Behind the Scenes at Ballpark Village & Busch Stadium in St. Louis

While I was in St. Louis with Mom, we drove by the new Ballpark Village across from Busch Stadium. It looked like a place I needed to explore and I made arrangements for a trip back before I had even left.

It was very easy for me to decide when to make my visit to Ballpark Village and Busch Stadium. As a lifelong New York Mets fan,

I picked a date when the Mets would be playing St. Louis. To make it even more interesting, I brought along my friend Amy – a Cardinals fan.

We were running a little late so we quickly checked into the Drury Inn & Suites Convention Center and grabbed a cab to Busch Stadium. It was close to 100 degrees and the temperature was climbing so we were happy for an excuse not to walk.

Our private tour of the Stadium began at the Third Base entrance we learned about the old and the new, the history of the original stadium and Anheuser Busch, as well as the construction of this new venue that opened in 2006.

We loved being able to get into the stadium before the game. We were able to watch some of the players warm up and even climb into the Cardinals dugout.

Amy and I also toured all the suites in Busch Stadium, each of which offers different amenities. It was certainly a day when the air conditioning would be appreciated by anyone who had suite access.

Before we left we even were able to go up to the Broadcast Booth to get a good look at how the announcers see the game.

We headed across the street and had a snack and drinks at the Budweiser Brew House before we met Andrew Hagene, Director of Marketing and Entertainment.

Andrew took us for a tour of Ballpark Village and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum. Since it was just hours before a home game, the place was buzzing with excitement.

Fox Midwest Live is the center of Ballpark Village, where everyone gathers to watch the giant sports screen, while enjoying food and drink. It has a 100 foot retractable glass roof so it is available all year long beyond the baseball season. (The venue has already had a number of live performances.)

We were thankful for the roof on this blistering day.

We went upstairs and saw some of the other options at this entertainment complex: PBR, which has a mechanical bull; Howl at the Moon, a dueling piano bar; Tengo Sed, a Mexican restaurant with live entertainment; and the Skybox.

Next, we took a tour of the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame. Despite the fact that the Cardinals are not my team, I really enjoyed their museum. It’s actually a good history of baseball – and beer.

You can watch the game right across the street at the Cardinals Nation AT&T Rooftop or Budweiser Brew House rooftop. I was amazed at how close the field seemed and look forward to trying the experience someday, but we headed back to the stadium to watch the game.

A pedestrian walkway between the Village and the Stadium is constantly filled with fans during the games, but it didn’t take us long to walk through and find our seats.

Our seats had access to the Redbird Club, which offered lots of food and drinks for sale. We were also thankful for the opportunity to step inside to watch the game in the air conditioning whenever we wanted.

The view from the ballpark in St. Louis is one that can’t be missed. You can see the Gateway Arch and a huge Budweiser sign that certainly means more in this city than anywhere else in the world.

Although I have not had much time to follow the Mets this year, my loyalty is still there and I was close enough to recognize David Wright, whose number my daughter has been wearing for years.

Obviously, the bars are built for beer lovers here. While Amy enjoyed the brews, I tested out the wine and a Mud Slide, both of which I felt weren’t worth the price. I would suggest non-beer drinkers go straight for the mixed drinks and leave the cocktail concoctions for another place.

The food selection at Busch Stadium is enough to please anyone, from game day favorites such as hot dogs and soft pretzels, to barbecue, Polish Sausage, Mexican, and turkey legs.

Before we left, I couldn’t resist what one fan told me was “the best bargain at the ballpark,” a frozen custard cone to cool me off before I faced the heat.  It was also my ode to defeat as the Mets had fallen to the Cardinals, much to the pleasure of the local crowd.

We finished the night at Howl at the Moon in Ballpark Village. The music was not only good, it was a lot of fun as the audience got to choose the songs played. Everyone was singing along

I would definitely return there for the entertainment as well as the cocktails, which were as simple as the 100 calorie Skinny Tea (Firefly Skinny Tea Vodka and Peach Schnapps), and as interesting as Disco Lemonade (Bacardi Wolf Berry Rum, SKYY Vodka Wild Strawberry, Blue Curacao, Sour Mix, and lemon-lime soda).

After breakfast at the Drury Inn, we headed back to Champaign, already planning next year’s St. Louis trip for a Mets vs. Cardinals game – which, of course, the Mets are going to win. 

Spa, Fun and Dining in St. Louis

Day two in St. Louis for Mom and I was my favorite kind of day – starting at the spa.

We were at the Four Seasons St. Louis in a beautiful suite overlooking the Gateway Arch. The first day was filled with exploring and we had a great time.

We enjoyed a light yogurt parfait breakfast before heading down to the spa. The atmosphere was quite relaxing and I took advantage of the relaxation room, steam room and sauna before my treatment.

It was a heavenly hot stone massage for me, while Mom chose to get a lymphatic massage, which she said was wonderful thanks to a well-trained masseuse.

Mary from the Enjoy St. Louis Convention and Visitors Bureau picked us up soon after we were done to continue our tour of the city. She told us about the Downtown Trolley, which circulates that area and the City Museum, and the other trolleys that will take you to various attractions in the city at little cost. She also told us that the city was breaking ground on a new trolley system for next year.

Our itinerary for the day took us to Forest Park, the largest park in St. Louis and twice the size of Central Park in New York. Within this 1,100 acre complex – which was the entrance to the 1904 World’s Fair -- you can find the Missouri History Museum, the St. Louis Zoo, the Art Museum, the Science Center, and the Planetarium. And, most of these are free of admission.

We decided to check out the St. Louis History Museum and started off with lunch in the Bixby Restaurant there. We had a window table with beautiful views of the park. It came with terrific food, including an excellent Hummus Platter, Asparagus Bisque, Crab Cakes, Mont Cristo Sandwich, and Chocolate Tart, which the three of us shared.

While I enjoyed the entire museum, the highlights were two special exhibits. The first was in the Lindbergh Gallery and featured the Spirit of St. Louis and the Lindbergh story.

The other special exhibition at the Art Museum was made to order for me to explore – American Spirits The Rise and Fall of Prohibition.

It was quite extensive and something that I recommend everyone to go see before it closes August 17, 2014.

We had planned on going to the Botanical Gardens next, but the weather was not cooperating. Instead we took a driving tour through the rest of Forest Park, where we saw the golf courses, the Art Museum (the only original building left from the World’s Fair), the Paddle Boats on the lake, and The Muny, the world’s largest outdoor theater.

We then drove by some other St. Louis highlights: Washington University; the Pageant entertainment venue; the original π Pizzeria, a favorite of President Obama’s; Blueberry Hill, where Chuck Barry still performs; and the St. Louis Walk of Fame, in honor of the many celebrities who came from the city, that includes Yogi Berra, Betty Grable, Vincent Price, and Buddy Epstein.

Mary dropped us back at the Four Seasons Hotel for a short while to change for dinner. We were then off to the River City Casino for our reservation at 1904 Steakhouse. The restaurant was impressive at the start with antiques, stained glass, and beautiful accents, yet it was still very comfortable.

Despite the fact that the menu was filled with lots of seafood, I found plenty of choices to eat while my mom and Mary feasted on Lobster Macaroni & Cheese and an out-of-this-world Oscar Filet Trio with shrimp, scallop, or crab on each steak, topped with asparagus and a béarnaise sauce!

I had the Baked Onion Soup, which was a little salty for my taste, but full of flavor. I followed it with the Colorado Lamb Rack, accompanied by goat cheese potatoes au gratin, and an order of crispy Brussels sprouts.

I wish I had saved room for the delicious dessert, which I couldn’t finish. It was a chocolate cake filled with delicate cream and caramel that I could only liken to the world’s greatest Ring Ding!

We thanked Mary for the hospitality of St. Louis tourism and headed up to the room for the night. The trip was continued the next day with finally visiting my St. Louis cousins, whom I hadn’t seen in decades. We reminisced about our visits to Grant Park as kids. I’m looking forward to getting back to St. Louis soon. 

Finally Exploring St. Louis and the Four Seasons

Despite the fact that I only live a few hours away, it had been years since I spent any time in St. Louis. The opportunity came up when Mom was visiting me and I didn’t have to think twice about it.

Mary and Donna at the St.Louis Tourism Board worked hard to set up a girls’ getaway itinerary and it couldn’t have been better.

The trip was a quick and easy two and a half hours to the Four Seasons St. Louis. I had heard a lot about this property, which has shown up on multiple lists as a top accommodation in the country.  I certainly got that impression from the moment we stepped out of the car.

The hotel was beautiful and the staff quite attentive. We had a one bedroom, two bath suite with a phenomenal view of the Gateway Arch.

It also had the touches I appreciated in a top tier hotel, such as thick and comfortable robes and L’Occitane bath amenities, but something I wish more hotels on this level would offer, complimentary internet.

We only had a few minutes to settle in before Mary picked us up. She told us how the hotel also had a seven million dollar modern art collection.

We started with a driving tour through St. Louis and a bit of a history lesson. I learned that this is one of the oldest Midwest cities and had in fact just celebrated its 250^th birthday.

One of the reasons St. Louis was so popular so long ago was that it’s only 10 miles up the Mississippi River from here to the Missouri.

A revolutionary battle was fought in St. Louis and the Old Courthouse (now a museum) is where the Dred Scot Freedom Trials took place.

In addition to the courthouse, we passed by Ballpark Village. Even though I knew I was going there in a month, I wanted to take a quick peek at this new entertainment center next to Busch Stadium.

It’s also interesting how St. Louis has all three of their sports teams – the Cardinals baseball, Rams football, and Blues hockey – all downtown. They are also all linked by the Metro Link, which connects right to the airport and the parks.

Our first stop was at City Museum. While this place sounds unimpressive, it’s a must see for everyone.  It’s pretty much an indoor paradise for kids of all ages to explore, climb, slide, and learn. The eclectic collection of pieces from places around the world is just amazing for the grownups (at least those who don’t also want to climb around) to admire.

We were pretty hungry by the time we arrived so we first headed to Samwiches. City Museum also has its own Donut Bar, as well as a real bar for those of age. I had a Pulled Pork Sandwich worthy of Midwest barbecue and a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie I shared with Mom.

We spent about two hours exploring City Museum, but I suggest spending a day there to really see everything and check out the Circus Harmony shows.

The Circus Harmony at City Museum is the same company that has a Flying Trapeze School in Union Station. That was our next stop. The 12 year old gymnast in my wanted to climb right up there, but the more practical woman with a not so forgiving back declined. I did stick around to watch the performers for a bit (see video below).

On the way back to the hotel, Mary told us about all the free activities for families in St. Louis, including the Zoo, Science Center and Grant’s Farm. I remembered the latter as my parents managed to save an 8mm film of a goat eating the bottom of my dress when I was about three years old!

We got back to the Four Seasons St. Louis in time to change for dinner at Ciello. It was too cool and rainy to sit outside on their large patio, but we were able to still have nice views of the Arch from our table by the window.

They have an extensive wine menu and I enjoyed a glass of Dr. Hermann Riesling while looking over the menu created by the new chef, Gian Nicola Colucci.

There is always a tasting menu available. As someone with food allergies, I was quite impressed with how easily you could make substitutions while still getting to try a number of courses.

Mom let me order and we shared all of it. We started with a moist and tasty Arancini and a fresh and flavorful Bruschetta. Next, was a Veal Truffle Ravioli which was as delicious as the waiter told us it would be.

For the main course, Mom had the Veal Filet and I ordered the Short Ribs. The ribs were done to perfection, but we both found the veal and accompaniments to be too heavy on the salt.

Even though we did not finish everything on our plates, I couldn’t give an honest opinion of the tasting menu without trying the dessert.  The Chocolate Torte was quite good, but it was the White Chocolate Cheesecake that stole my heart.

We went straight up to the room after dinner to rest up for another full day in St. Louis.