Table of Contents

List of Recommendations:

Places to eat:

On the Loop:
• Blueberry Hill (American) - A St. Louis institution
• Fitz's (American, with home-made rootbeer)
• Cicero's (American an Italian, with a large beer selection)
• Ranoush (Syrian)
• El Maguey (Mexican)
• The Melting Pot (fondue)
• Pi (pizza) - President Obama brought the owners to the White House for a special order
• Thai Country Cafe, Thai Gai Yang Cafe, and Thai Pizza - all within one block
• Wong's Wok (Chinese) - cheap and tasty

Other Favorites:
• Imo's - St Louis style pizza (super-thin crust and provel cheese)
• Black Thorn Pub (deep-dish pizza)
• Drunken Fish (sushi)
• Schlafly Tap Room (pub food) - Schlafly is a St. Louis microbrewery
• India's Rasoi (Indian)
• The Cupcakery (gormet cupcakes)
• The Scottish Arms (Scottish)
• Bailey's Chocolate Bar (drinks and dessert) - voted Favorite place for a Date Night in St. Louis
• anything in The Hill, the city's old Italian neighborhood

Places to Shop:

• St. Louis Galleria - shopping mall in Richmond Heights, easily accessable from the MetroLink. Incluedes Dillard's, the Gap, Urban Outfitters, Macy's, a food court, and a movie theater.
• Brentwood Promenade - strip mall accessable from Brentwood MetroLink stop. Includes Target, Best Buy, Trader Joe's, Dierbergs (groceries), and Bed Bath & Beyond
• Central West End - An upscale neighborhood Near Forest Park and the Med campus, it contains numerous art galleries, boutiques, book stores, and coffee shops.
• Union Station - Once the busiest passenger rail terminal in the world, now a shopping center and entertainment complex.

Musical Venues:

• St. Louis Symphony
• The Pageant
• Blueberry Hill
• Broadway Oyster Bar (blues, cajun, jazz)

Attractions in Forest Park:

• St. Louis Zoo - StL Zoo is one of the best in the country, and among our favorite free activities. Also, it's just a mile from campus - walk over or park for free on the streets (there is a pay lot, but why bother). For a few dollars more you can visit the Children's Petting Zoo, feed stingrays, and watch the sea lion show!


• St. Louis Art Museum - Another favorite free attraction is the Art Museum. Perfect for a rainy day, the gallery houses everything from Egyptian mummies and pre-Columbian statues to Matisse, Van Gogh, and Picasso. Art Hill, located just in front of the museum, is a favorite sledding spot in the winter.


• The Jewel Box - For those of a botanical mind, the Jewel Box is a recently renovated 7,500 square-foot greenhouse, situated in the middle of a 17-acre garden. Featuring seasonal flower shows, the space is available for weddings and receptions.


• St. Louis Science Museum - For the fourth-grader in us all! Push all the little munchkins out of the way to try to figure out the basic physics of cool kids' toys. The Science Center is very near the zoo, so it's a great activity if it is too hot or rainy to wander the zoo.


• The Muny - This is a huge (12,000 seat!) outdoor theater in Forest Park that shows first rate plays from nationally recognized touring groups. Plays show in the summer and make for a great evening - bring in a picnic and sit outside to watch some classic musical on a warm summer evening. You can get pretty good seats for about $15, or show up a bit early and get free tickets that are a bit far back but still fine. (On weekends you need to be at least an hour early, but on weeknights you can essentially just walk up and get a free ticket.)


• Forest Park Balloon Race - The race (in September) is cool (and nearly causes lots of accidents around the city from people watching), but it is the Balloon Glow the night before that you can't miss! They have hundreds of hot air balloons getting ready in Forest Park. You can wander around and chat with the operators, or just bring a picnic and sit on the hill and watch as they periodically light the fires in the balloons so they fill up and glow beautifully. Be sure to go!


• St. Louis Shakespeare Festival - Every year in early summer, all the world becomes a stage. Or more accurately, a stage arises in the Shakespeare Glen (near the Art Museum). Free shows begin each night at 8 pm (come early to get a good spot), so bring a blanket, lay in the grass, and see the works of the Bard of Avon.

Movie Theaters:

• Moolah Theater - It looks like a temple on the outside, but inside is a massive single screen movie theater. Get there a bit early and you might find a seat on one of the squishy leather couches or chairs! Such luxury won't burn a hole in your pocket either -- it's the same price to see a movie there as it is at any other local theater (with your student ID). And if you want some more recreation after the cinema, they have pool tables and a bowling alley downstairs.


• The Tivoli - Located on the Loop, the Tivoli shows a large number of independent and foreign language films on 3 screens. Watch for their midnight showings of cult classics like Rocky Horror.


• Chase Park Plaza

Sports:

• St. Louis Cardinals - Professional baseball. Recently hosted the 2008 All-Star game.
• St. Louis Rams - Professional football.
• St. Louis Blues - Professional Hockey
• Washington University intermurals - Physics grad students participate in numerous IM sports, competing against other student teams from around campus. We participate in co-ed football, men's basketball, and are looking to start an Ultimate Frisbee team.
• Physics grads also organize pick-up games, including soccer every Wednesday.

Other Fun Places to Go:

• The Arch - A must-see for anyone in St. Louis, the Gateway to the West is the tallest national monument in the United States at 630 feet (192m). Take an elevator up to the top for the most unique view of the city you an get. The Arch is part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.


• Six Flags - It's got roller coasters and a water park! When Halloween rolls around, grab your chance to head to Fright Fest to see how creepy the park becomes.


• City Museum - A self-described 'eclectic mixture of children's playground, funhouse, surrealistic pavilion, and architectural marvel.' Taking up 3 floors and the roof of an old shoe factory, the City Museum is full of reclaimed architectural and industrial objects, scultpted to form a huge playhouse. Feel free to act like a kid, as everything inside can be touched, climbed on, and explored. You'll find something new every time you go!


• Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis - Known for its mosaics, which contain 1.5 million glass pieces in more than 7,000 colors, covering 7,700 square meters.
• Laclede's Landing
• St. Charles, Missouri - The original capital of Missouri, St. Charles is located about a half hour north-west of St. Louis. Good for a relaxing weekend getaway, you can find numerous bed-and-breakfasts in town, and its Main Street is full of little shops to investigate.