Saint Louis Information

The St. Louis region has been an important cultural center in North America for over a millennium -- from the Mississippian mound city that was home to over 20,000 residents as early as 850 A.D., to the Algonquin Indian civilization, to the permanent European settlers who arrived in the 17th century. Today, the St. Louis region is home to over 2.7 million people, and is a center of growing importance in education, culture, entertainment, business, and research.

Topics

Maps
Travel and Hotel information
Dining
Entertainment
Tips for Families
For more information, see the Official Saint Louis travel site

Maps

Several maps are available below. Note: to find Metrolink stations on the Yahoo Maps below, use the SmartView feature and select "Travel & Transportation"->"Public Transportation".

Dining

There are many dining options within a short walk or Metrolink ride from the conference hotel. Here are a few recommendations:

Hotel Restaurants & Lounges. The hotel features three restaurants and lounges.
St. Louis Union Station. Once the world's largest train terminal, this historic station is now a mall featuring 12 restaurants, a large pond, two cafes, over 80 shops, a hotel, and a comedy club. Union station is five minutes away, either on foot or via Metrolink. For directions, see this map.
Larry Forgione's An American Place, 800 Washington Ave.(map), 314-418-5800. Fine dining. Reservations recommended. You can get there via the Metrolink; board an east-bound train and take the Convention Center exit and head North on Washington Ave.
Kitchen K, 1000 Washington Ave. (map), 314-241-9900. Menu. Fine dining. Reservations recommended. It is close to An American Place, above.
Tony's, 410 Market St.(map), 314-231-7007. Fine dining. Reservations required. Get there via hotel shuttle, taxi, or the 8th and Pine Metro station.
Sauce Magazine is the definitive guide to Saint Louis gastronomy.

Entertainment

Attractions within walking distance in the Downtown area. More downtown attractions can be found here.

St. Louis Union Station. Once the world's largest train terminal, this historic station is now a mall featuring 12 restaurants, a large pond, two cafes, over 80 shops, a hotel, and a comedy club. Union station is five minutes away, either on foot or via Metrolink. For directions, see this map.
Gateway Arch-Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. Eero Saarinen's 630-foot monument to westward expansion is an inspiring feat of architecture and engineering. A visit to the Arch grounds and Museum is highly recommended, as is the tram ride to the observation deck at the top.
Saavis Center. Concert venue and home of the St.Louis Blues NHL hockey team.
Busch Stadium. Home of the St. Louis Cardinals Major League Baseball team.
Edward Jones Dome. Home of the St. Louis Rams National Football League team.
City Museum. An institution that defies description. The City Museum is visually and physically awesome, and includes: a 10,000 creature World Acquarium, a collection of 2- and 3-story indoor slides, and MonstroCity -- a 3-story outdoor, found-art climbing structure made of two aircraft fuselages, a fire engine, a castle turret, and a 25 foot cupola, among other things. Hard to visualize? I haven't even mentioned the life size whale whose open mouth greets visitors at the entrance.
Laclede's Landing is the center of downtown nightlife. This riverfront area features many clubs, restaurants and a riverboat casino and is located just north of the Arch fairgrounds. Laclede's Landing has its own Metrolink station stop.

Many major attractions are outside the downtown area, but very much worth a visit.

Forest Park is a large (~1400 acres) urban oasis and contains several of Saint Louis's great institutions. The park borders Washington University's Hilltop Campus to the west, and the School of Medicine to the east. Admission to the park, and the institutions within, is free to all.

St. Louis Zoo. Over 9000 species are on display at the Zoo. The 2004 Zagat's U.S. Family Travel Guide rated the St. Louis Zoo the #1 zoo in the nation, and among the top 5 family destinations.
St. Louis Art Museum. The Saint Louis Art Museum is one of the nation's leading comprehensive art museums containing more than 30,000 objects. It has particularly significant collections of European masters (Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, and Gauguin) and modern art, particularly German expressionists (world's largest collection of Beckmann paintings).
Missouri History Museum.
St. Louis Science Center. The St. Louis Science Center is one of the largest and well-attended science centers in the world. It is one of only two science centers in the country with no admission charge.
Municipal Opera (the Muny). The nation's oldest and largest outdoor theatre.

Missouri Botanical Garden. Widely considered to be one of the top three botanical gardens in the world, world-renown for its research, education and public displays.
Soulard Market. Founded in the mid-18th century, the market is still vibrant. Around 150 proprietors sell fresh produce, meats, fish, and bakery products.
Museums and Galleries -- those not in Forest Park

Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. Exhibits and produces modern art.

Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts. Housed in an extraordinary building designed by Tadao Ando, the Pulitzer Foundation displays major works from the holdings of the Pulitzer family. Currently devoted to works by Ellsworth Kelly and sculptor Richard Serra.

Tips for Families

If you are bringing children along, the following are not be missed (all are described in greater detail above):