The Arch isn’t the only thing that the city has to offer. There
are numerous activities to be pursued in the downtown area.

Laclede’s Landing is a favorite late-night spot. Bars are
the major tenants of the 19th-century buildings north of the Arch
grounds. Most of the bars have either live music or local bands
every night of the week. Morgan Street Brewery (721 N.
Second, 231-9970), Banana Joe’s (118 Morgan, 231-3200),
The Trainwreck Saloon (720 N. First, 436-1006),
Boomer’s (707 Clamorgan Alley, 621-8155), Fat
Tuesday’s (700 N. Second, 241-2008) and Elsher’s are
just a few bars located in the Landing. The Old Spaghetti
Factory (727 N. First, 621-0276) has been an old favorite on
the Landing for years, serving some of the best pasta in St. Louis.
Jake’s Steaks entices your palate with delicious steaks.

Mississippi Nights (914 N. First, 421-3853) is St. Louis’
best music club. National acts often stop by the club to get that
small club feel while still playing like they’re at an upscale
venue.

St. Louisans definitely love their sports teams, as the city was
voted by The Sporting News as the best sports city in
America two years ago. And the place where St. Louis fans love to
watch the country’s best baseball team is Busch Stadium
(421-2400), home of the St. Louis Cardinals, the place where
Redbird Nation chooses to worship.

For every home game, thousands of Cards fans dress up in red to
support the Cardinals. A night at the old ballyard is definitely
something that everyone enjoys. But get tickets soon because the
Cards are in the pennant chase and tickets go fast.

The world champion St. Louis Rams battle NFL foes eight times a
year at the Edward Jones Dome (342-5201). Don’t bother
calling Ticketmaster to try and get tickets though; every home game
is sold out. Your best bet would be to check the classifieds or
look on Ebay and try to swing a good deal for yourself. But it’ll
cost you. The hottest ticket in town right now are Rams-Packer
tickets which are selling for upwards of $300.

Savvis Center (622-5435) is home to our very own Billiken
basketball squad, led by head coach Brad Soderberg. They were the
2000 Conference USA Tournament champions and NCAA participant two
years ago.

The NHL St. Louis Blues also play at the Savvis, hosting 42
contests at the arena every year. While most of the tickets are too
much for a college student on a budget, the Blues do offer a couple
thousand $15 seats in the last rows of the upper decks.

But the seats are just as good as the front row because you can
see all of the action. Going to a Blues game is also a great floor
activity, especially on Saturday nights. Just make sure you get
tickets early in the year, because this town “Bleeds Blue,” and
almost every game sells out.

Union Station used to be one of the busiest train
stations in the country in the early 1900s. But after the rise of
air travel, the station was forced to close. In 1985, the city
reopened the facility as a mall full of shops and restaurants.

Today, Union Station still flourishes with over 10 restaurants,
plenty of knick-knack shops and some of your regular mall stores.
Hard Rock Cafe (621-7625) Landry’s (231-4040), The
Route 66 Brewery and Restaurant (231-4677) and
Houlihan’s (436-0844) are a few establishments to dine at.
And don’t forget to visit The Fudgery (231-1901) on your way
out. Those guys know how to entertain.

The Hyatt Regency (231-1234) is an upscale hotel that is
located in the station. If your parents are in from out-of-town and
want to style and profile for a few days, have them look into
staying at this hotel. It’s only about a mile and a half from
campus.

Kiener Plaza holds a few events from time to time. On the
weekends, it’s a good place to take a load off, buy a hot brat from
a street vendor and enjoy the scenery.

The bar scene downtown caters mostly to after-work crowds and
pre-game and post-game crowds. BB’s Jazz, Blues and Soups
(700 South Broadway, 436-5222) and The Broadway Oyster Bar
(736 South Broadway, 621-8811) are about three blocks from Busch
Stadium and are packed night and day after ball games, especially
on the weekends. Pitchers (421-1776) is located directly
across from Stan Musial’s statue on Broadway in the Marriott Hotel.
The corner of Walnut and Broadway is always hopping on a game day.
Caleco’s Bar and Grill (101 N Broadway 421-0708) is a
popular hot spot downtown for both students and young urban
professionals to mingle. Other bars that dot downtown are
Mickey’s, Dooley’s and Maurizio’s.

Maurizio’s (1107 Olive, 621-1997) has something that no
college kid can pass up. First of all, the place is open from 8
a.m. to 4 a.m. Second, it serves good pizza.

Third, on the weekends, Maurizio’s has a $7 all-you-can-eat
pizza buffet from 11 p.m. to the morning, with the bar open to 3
a.m.

And we mustn’t forget about the Arch (425-4465). The
steel structure, completed in 1965, has an underground museum that
contains various artifacts from the period of the United States’
western expansion. And for a small fee, you can travel up the
Arch’s legs in elevators and gaze from the windows more than 600
feet in the air.

The Washington Avenue District has become a popular
gathering place for St. Louisans in recent years. Many artists and
young businessmen and women have moved into the numerous loft
apartments that dot the street.

SPORTS CORNER

One constant in the St. Louis-area is sports. No matter what the
season, St. Louis has a sport to be watched. Downtown St. Louis is
home to three major sports franchises in the Rams, Cardinals and
Blues.

The 2000 NFL Super Bowl Champion St. Louis Rams play at the
Edward Jones Dome (formerly known as the Trans World Dome) at
America’s Center, located at 701 Convention Plaza. Tickets can be
purchased over the phone at (314) 425-8830 or (800) 246-7267.

The St. Louis Cardinals are the summer staple in both the
Missouri and Illinois area. The Cardinals play at Busch Stadium in
downtown St. Louis. Baseball fans swarm the downtown area on any
game day creating a sea of red flowing through the streets of St.
Louis. Tickets for the Cardinals are as cheap as $9.00 and can be
purchased by phone at (314) 421-2400 on Monday through Saturday 9
a.m. to 5 p.m.

The third professional franchise to grace St. Louis’ downtown
area is the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. The Blues play at the Savvis
Center, located on 14th Street in downtown. Tickets for the Blues
can be purchased by calling any Ticketmaster location.

In addition to professional sports, there are also
intercollegiate athletics to be watched in the St. Louis area.

The Saint Louis University basketball team plays its home games
at the Savvis Center. Tickets for the Billikens can be purchased by
calling 314-977-4SLU or students can pick them up at the ticket
office in the Bauman-Eberhart Center.