Schlafly is a definite must-see when in town

Absolutely! Although their beer was outstanding, what made that brew-pub
so special was their hired help. Everyone went WAY out of their way to be
helpful to us, and it's obvious that they were all very proud of their city
and their restaurant.

The only other place I've seen this attitude to such a degree is here in
Iowa City, to be honest. When people love living in an area, it is
reflected in everything they do -- and the good folks at Schafly's have that
in spades.

and if you ever get a
chance to come back through I'd also recommend checking out our art
museum - despite St. Louis not being really well known for it, the
locals consider the art museum to be much more interesting that the
history museum. They literally have gobs of stuff jammed in there.

We want to see ALL of Forest Park, on a nice, warm day. I don't know if
I'll get the kids through an art museum, but everything else looks
fantastic. And, since it's only 1:30 away from home, I suspect we'll be
doing some day-trips in the summer, when it stays light till 9 PM .

Glad you enjoyed your stay in my fair city - and no, your probably
don't want to fly in to St. Louis Downtown, especially if you just plan
to rent a car and go sightseeing. One wrong turn and you will be in a
very, very wrong part of town! East St. Louis has big metal shields on
each side of the highways that run though it, not to keep road noise
down for those that live there, but to keep stray bullets from hitting
motorists. I've lived here my entire life, and I truly wish I was
making that up.

Sorry to hear it, Bryan -- I know what it's like to watch your hometown be
destroyed from within. Racine, WI, was a wonderful place to grow up, until
the gangs from Chicago and Milwaukee decided to set up shop. Mary and I
were sooo glad to get our kids out of those schools -- and they weren't
nearly as bad as East St. Louis.

I forgot to mention that we visited the old court house, which stands in the
shadow of the Arch. A very interesting place in its own right, and worth
wandering through if you're in the neighborhood. (It's the site where the
Dred Scott case was heard...)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"