Going to St Louis

[paul253]

My brother-in-law and I are taking a trip down to St. Louis at the beginning of May for the Brewers-Cardinals series. I'm not sure what time we are getting there Friday, but we are not going to the Friday game, just the Saturday and Sunday games. We are staying at a hotel downtown about 6 blocks from the Stadium but off the top of my head I can't remember what hotel it is. I have 2 questions. 1) Everyone I tell I am going to St Louis tells me about how rotten of a city it is. Is downtown St. Louis ok to be wandering around, presumably drunk, as long as I don't do something stupid? And 2) Are there any cool sports bars or anything like that within walking distance of the stadium where we can watch the Friday night game? I am looking specifically for something where I don't need to worry about drunk Cardinals fans giving us a hard time or trying to start a fight with us. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Raw Biz]

I had a great time when I went 2 years ago. This is a pretty good resource. We went to one of the bars right outside the stadium after the game, either Al Hrabosky's or Paddy O's, I'm not sure which. But it was a good time. We didn't really have problems with people taunting us either. Downtown also had a few fun bars. We cabbed it everywhere though so I can't really comment on the walking around part. I would also recommend checking out the Sky Box Sports Bar, specifically their BLT with avocado and sweet potato fries.

[sargennm]

I live in St. Louis and agree with everything rawbecht says (except for the Skybox Sports Bar part, that close about a year ago). There a bunch of bars just south of the stadium that have great crowds before and after games. If you like Blues, there are two great Blues Clubs around the area too.

 

Downtown St. Louis is as safe as downtown Milwaukee. If that scares you, I would recommend switching to a hotel in the suburbs and taking the metro to the games. If you are interested in the young to mid-20s bar crowd, check out The Landing at night. If you're a little bit older or have more sophisticated tastes, check out Washington Avenue. Depending on where your hotel is, you may be able to walk to either area. If you're interested in taking a short cab ride, I'd say check out the Central West End or the Loop which are both west of downtown but still in the city. They have more of an eclectic/hipster vibe, if that's your thing.

[rwa12]

I'm in STL as well, will second previous suggestions. Expect to pay a cover most places on The Landing, the Loop is very cool, but not really a sports bar place, more of a lip piercing place. Cardinals fans aren't too bad, there isn't tailgating down here, so the excessively drunk spent quite a bit to get that way. The casinos are pretty fun after the game, usually a lot of people there. I will be at the Sunday game as well, enjoy!

[Funketown]

I feel it is my duty to warn you about St. Louis style pizza. It's topped with a processed cheese called Provel rather than mozzarella, and it's reminiscent of a tangy velveeta. Be afraid...be very afraid.

[brewers19]

I feel it is my duty to warn you about St. Louis style pizza. It's topped with a processed cheese called Provel rather than mozzarella, and it's reminiscent of a tangy velveeta. Be afraid...be very afraid.

As long as you avoid Imo's or Cecil Whitaker's, you should be fine.

[Funketown]

^ I think Imo's is what I had, now that you mention it. The delivery guy was pretty classy though.

[sargennm]

I feel it is my duty to warn you about St. Louis style pizza. It's topped with a processed cheese called Provel rather than mozzarella, and it's reminiscent of a tangy velveeta. Be afraid...be very afraid.

As long as you avoid Imo's or Cecil Whitaker's, you should be fine.

Agreed. Provel is horrible and a lot of STL restaurants will also put it on steak sandwiches and such. If the menu doesn't clearly say what kind of cheese is on something, make sure you ask. Also be wary when it says something like "special cheese blend."

[1992casey]

Why I Hate Provel (and You Should, too)

 

http://s3.amazonaws.com/atimg/1243995/031510-provel2_rect540.jpg

[Raw Biz]

Cardinals fans aren't too bad, there isn't tailgating down here, so the excessively drunk spent quite a bit to get that way.

When we went 2 years ago, we were able to tailgate. We were in the parking lot right across the street from left-center field. I don't know if it was technically "allowed" but there were others doing it. Most of the fans were nice too; I expected a little more hostility.

[paul253]

Casey.....that is Provel? That looks disgusting! I'll have to remember to ask about that stuff if I ever order anything with "cheese" on it.

[rwa12]

Provel isn't awful in salads, but is terrible melted. I second that you should avoid Imo's and the like. Melted it has a velveeta like quality. I think you have to be from here (and not know any better), to truly enjoy it. Tailgating may be allowed, but it's not common practice. There is decent pizza here, but you won't find it downtown.

[1992casey]

Yeah, Paul, that's Provel.

 

When I went to St. Louis a couple years ago, the first thing I was taught was to say was "no Provel" when I ordered something that used cheese. However, communicating that isn't always that easy. "Provel" and "cheese" can apparently be used synonymously. One time, when we said "No Provel," a server asked, "Do you mean, 'no cheese'"? We had to clarify by saying "No Provel" again, with more emphasis on "Provel."

 

Apparently, Pi Pizzeria is so anti-Provel that its employees wear t-shirts saying so. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[brewers19]

Casey.....that is Provel? That looks disgusting!

Think it looks bad, try eating it some time; it tastes tangy and sticks to the roof of your mouth like peanut butter. It's deceptively similar in appearance to mozzarella when melted, but the consistency is like a thick, slimy paste.

[sargennm]

Yeah, Paul, that's Provel.

 

When I went to St. Louis a couple years ago, the first thing I was taught was to say was "no Provel" when I ordered something that used cheese. However, communicating that isn't always that easy. "Provel" and "cheese" can apparently be used synonymously. One time, when we said "No Provel," a server asked, "Do you mean, 'no cheese'"? We had to clarify by saying "No Provel" again, with more emphasis on "Provel."

 

Apparently, Pi Pizzeria is so anti-Provel that its employees wear t-shirts saying so. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

Yeah, that's true about Pi. Great pizza too. If anybody makes it to St. Louis, it's worth venturing to the west side of the city to try it.

[NievesNoNO]

We went to St. Louis last year and had a blast. Stayed downtown. Where?, I don't remember and we did go out after the game and didn't have a problem and at no time felt threatened. We wore all our Brewer gear and were in the middle of the bleachers. We cheered (not obnoxiously and didn't taunt anybody around us), but we never were harassed at all or even told to sit down. People around us were great. They even didn't mind snapping some pictures of me and my buddies. Brewers won 1-0, and it was the same story after the game. We were only told to go home once (it actually felt really weird to have nobody talk any crap to us). People were friendly, game was great, city was fun, and the food was tasty. I'd definitely go back.

 

There really is no parking lot though. So, likely if you're partying before the game it will be at a local pub. The fact that the stadium is smack in the middle of the city really took me by surprise for some reason. You turn the corner and there it is with no parking lot to walk through just the stadium entrance.

 

Have fun!! Go Crew!

[1992casey]

We parked really easily within a block or so of the ballpark. I believe we paid $20 plus a $5 tip.

[Raw Biz]

Thought I'd bump this with the series starting today. Me and some buddies decided to make the trip so we're leaving tonight and will go to the game tomorrow and possibly Sunday. We have a friend who lives like a block from the stadium but we're still planning on bringing out the car to tailgate tomorrow. There's a lot right across the street from I believe the left-center field entrance. I think it's on the corner of Clark and Broadway. That's where we tailgated last time and plan to do the same tomorrow so if anyone is looking for somewhere to tailgate, that's a nice spot.

[Invader3K]

Wife and I are doing a KC/STL road trip in a couple weeks. Nothing really to ask, as we have hotels booked already and such, but will look forward to sharing thoughts on here. Going to a KC/DET game and two games of the Cards/Brewers series.