Let's Go Blues

...to visit on my upcoming trip to St. Louis.
me and a friend i flying in from Malmoe, Sweden to watch 3 Bluesgames in early february. We flying in to Chicago and then will get a rental car and drive to Stl.
So i need some help on what to see in St. Louis and on my way there?
If i understand everything correctly we will be passing Springfield, Bloomington and Joliet when we drive from Chi to Stl.
Are there any interesting sightings on this journey? Historic places, ghost towns, indian reservations?

What shall i not miss while in and around St. Louis? Best places to eat and drink?
Are there any places (pubs/restaurants, like Hooters or any Sportbar) to go so that we can watch Super Bowl Sunday or do we need to book in advance?

Hows the weather usually in early feb? Any chance or risk for snow?

I´m thankful for any tip or advise i can get here.

See you in St. Louis.

This is the Midwest. There's nothing interesting here.

The drive from Chi to Stl is very, very boring.

In STL...

Skip Hooters...eat somewhere on the Hill (Zias, Favazzas are good choices, skip Cunettos, not worth the wait), O'Connell's. Flannery's on Washington is a good choice for sports watching near downtown. Hit some bars in Soulard...Laclede's Landing blows, likewise all the casinos, you can see that anywhere. Hodak's on Gravois for great friend chicken. Culpeppers in the CWE for wings.
1111 Mississippi is a good choice to eat in Lafayette Square area.

Have a great time...

If you are in town for the Super Bowl, that means you'll be here for Mardi Gras. Granted, it doesn't compare to New Orleans...but it's a damn good time!

...and the weather's all but impossible to predict, especially between Feb. and April. A couple of years ago, I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts in the St. Pat's parade and got sunburned within an inch of my life. Last year, it snowed. But to be safe, I'd probably plan for a range of around 20° F to maybe 55° F and you should be fine.

Thanks guys!

First of all, i live in Sweden. Everything in USA is interesting to us.
Yeah we figured that the drive would be a bit boring but hope to cut it to under 5 hours. Thats also why i´m looking for a few tips to see along the way.
Is Hooters that bad? I went to Hooters on Manhattan and that was terrible. Thanks for the tips.

Mardi Gras, what exactly is that anyway? I´ve heard about it but never really understand the occation.

Bluesfan72 wrote:Thanks guys!

First of all, i live in Sweden. Everything in USA is interesting to us.
Yeah we figured that the drive would be a bit boring but hope to cut it to under 5 hours. Thats also why i´m looking for a few tips to see along the way.
Is Hooters that bad? I went to Hooters on Manhattan and that was terrible. Thanks for the tips.

Mardi Gras, what exactly is that anyway? I´ve heard about it but never really understand the occation.

It's the final celebration before the observance of Lent. Basically the idea is to go absolutely crazy and get all your sins out before you have to be good for 40 days. Because of its party atmosphere, more than just Catholics embrace this day of extreme excesses.

Oooh - you're coming from Sweden - cool. I was in Stockholm 2 years ago. I can understand what you mean about "anything" being interesting in a foreign country. I tend to spend too much of my trips going to libraries, shops, and groceries just to see what's different. The 5-hour trip (less if you're coming from the airport) probably won't be too bad if you've never been. There's just not a lot that's especially spectacular.

In Springfield, there's Abe Lincoln's presidential library & his home. I haven't ever stopped there, but it might be interesting.

When you're at O'Hare and exchanging money, make sure that you get a few dollars in change - you'll have to pass a few toll booths in Chicago. You won't get a great exchange rate at the airport, but every non-3rd world country's money is worth more than the dollar at this point, so you'll still be well off.

In St Louis, for a bit of Americana, I would suggest that you go to Ted Drewe's (frozen custard), see the Arch, and go to "Crown Candy" (it's especially interesting to see the area around it).

A few other places I like to take out-of-towners - the Chocolate Bar (hard liquor and desserts), The Scottish Arms (Scottish restaurant), and The Blue Owl (in Kimmswick - a bit of a drive from downtown, but it'll give you an idea of small-town Americana). For a supposedly haunted building, you might try visiting the Lemp Mansion. They're a Bed & Breakfast, but they also have a restaurant. And, if you want to act like a kid again, I really like the City Museum. If you go on Friday or Saturday nights, you will avoid most of the kids. Oh, and last time I checked, there's liquor available, too.

Another place I've heard good things about would be the factory tour of Anheuser-Busch. That's just off the top of my head.

You really won't have trouble finding a bar to visit for the Superbowl. You won't need reservations, but you'll probably want to find a bar and get there early so that you have a good spot. If you don't want to smell like cigarette smoke, you can go to a bar in Illinois.

I have a good friend who's an ex-pat Swede who I'll talk to...see if I can give you her phone # so you have a reference while in town.

tsblue wrote: Flannery's on Washington is a good choice for sports watching near downtown...

Orly?

This is great! Thank you again.

We´ll definately check out the Arch (goes without saying) and the Budweiser brewery.

Thanks Nyghtewynd and Blues22!

Also intrested in seing the Blues morning skate. Are these open for everyone? Any chance of meeting the players for a few words and autographs?

White Castles, Steak 'n' Shake for food.

The Arch is always fun.

I'll let Goon recommend good spots for hookers and blow.

Bluesfan72 wrote:
Also intrested in seing the Blues morning skate. Are these open for everyone? Any chance of meeting the players for a few words and autographs?

Honestly, I would email the team and let them know of your coming. Their PR is really strong right now and you might be able to get some freebies or meet Backman after practice maybe.

Haha, well i´m married but my friend´s been bugging me about finding some stripjoints while in Stl. He´s not as big Blues fan or hockeyfan for that matter so he´ll need something else to pass his time...

Also, Joliet's main attraction is a state prison. Not sure if that is very exciting. Just get to STL as fast as possible.

I have tried mailing but only seem to find the webmasters email and that person never answer. I´m thinking "Hey, i´m travelling half across the globe to watch my fav team so maybe they´ll give me a break"?

Met a lot of very nice and kind people from St. Louis while i was over last March and caught the games in New York against Islanders and Rangers.
Met Lee Stempniaks grandma. A real classy old lady. That was fun.

I´m thinking we´ll just stop in Springfield to get something to eat and then get to Stl as fast as possible.

There is an email address for customer service for the Blues, though I don't know how well-manned (if at all, really) it is.

customerservice@stlblues.com

Great idea about emailing them...it really wouldn't surprise me at all if they did something special for a fan coming from so far away. Good luck!

Oh, and they usually post practice schedules on the Blues' website, or at least they used to. They're generally open to the public (free) and can be pretty entertaining to watch. I think Murray said that with the shutdown of Hwy. 40, they'll probably have most all of their practices out at the Mills from here on out.

Which games? I'm making my first trek to St. Louis for the Feb 19th game against the Hawks.

deadphish wrote:White Castles, Steak 'n' Shake for food.

The Arch is always fun.

I'll let Goon recommend good spots for hookers and blow.

Yeah, if you like having to eat 1000 hamburgers to close in on getting full. I've never seen such small, thin, non-filling burgers in my entire life.