Historical March 1984 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
It is hard for me to be objective about St. Louis since I grew up here and it has always held a certain magic for me. Memories include riding the Grand Avenue streetcar, school picnics at Forest Park Highlands, the lion and monkey shows at the zoo, not to mention Phil, Sportsman’s ballpark, and the Royal American Show every spring at Grand and Laclede. About twenty years ago I moved to a tiny town in the northern part of Iowa with its harsh winter blizzards, weather below zero the entire month of January, and the first thaw in late March or early April. Entertainment might consist of walking down to the highway to wave at the trucks or going to Montgomery Ward, the fanciest store in town.
When I returned to St. Louis last year, I nearly knelt down to kiss the ground.
The city was teeming with excitement and entertainment.
The Mississippi along riverfront park with the Arch reaching gracefully upward sparkled like jewels. Laclede’s Landing with its shops, pubs and restaurants as well as Soulard market on a Saturday morning were humming with life. Then there was Maryland Plaza with the gigantic antique lights at the entrance and a policeman atop a horse.
There were so many wonderful improvements such as the Art Museum’s new wing and restaurant overlooking a garden and fountain, and the Japanese Garden at Shaw’s garden with sculpture and waterfalls plus a new restaurant and shops.
In addition it is.so nice to have all the suburban shopping malls.
The little girl in Meet Me in St. Louis said “I don’t want to live anyplace in the world except St. Louis, Missouri.” That’s how I feel too.
Here are some books in the library about St. Louis:
— Baer, Howard F., St. Louis to Me, Hawthorne Pub. Co., St. Louis, Mo. 1978.
— Churchill, Winston, The Crisis, McMillan Co., N.Y., 1901. Civil War novel set in St. Louis.
— Costantin, M.M., Sidestreets of St. Louis, Sidestreets Press, St. Louis, 1981.
— Coyle, Eleanor Martineau, Old St. Louis Homes, The Folkstone Press, St. Louis, 1979.
— Hunter, Julius K., Kingsbury Place, The C.V. Mosby Co., St. Louis, 1982.
— Gateway Gourmets, Gateway Publishing, 1983, St. Louis. Books on St. Louis restaurants, including menus, hours, telephone numbers, specialties, credit cards.
Originally published in The Paper, March 1984.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1984_03.pdf, printed page(s) 5; PDF page(s) 5.
