Things You Remember About St. Louis (Northwoods: theatre, high school, live)

[Northwoods Voyager]

Union Station...so many now only know it as shopping place. How sad in a way. I do rememborie when Union Station was 'home' for a few hours for the many men and women setting out on adventures far from home.

Hundreds, everyday, standing, sitting, awake and asleep in crisp new uniforms of the many branches of service, soon to be wrinkled and soiled. The hundreds of family members and friends huddled around the excited, frightened, innocent and not-so-innocent young men and women in a protective stance hoping to prolong the inevitable voice that would announce: 'Now boarding on track #...for....the many destinations. The hugs, the trears, the sometimes forced laughter filling the cavernous Union Station.

I was there as a child waiting with an aunt and uncle to be sent to Chicago where my Daddy was completing his training at Great Lakes Naval Station during WWII. I was put on the train by myself with a tag strung around my neck announcing my name and destination. Wonderful adventure for me then. Remember a billboard by the side of the tracks:'Whiz, the best nickel candy bar there is'. Strange things to remember.

[By~Tor]

In the 6+ years I spent in the friendly confines of St. Louis during the latter part of the '90's & the early 2000's, my fondest memories include:

* The Pope's Visit, staying only 2 blocks away from my house on West Pine Street.... blocked the whole area off, and couldn't go to work, as we all just walked around and enjoyed the spectacle...

* McGwire's Record-breaking home runs, and the massive fireworks that went off, seeing it live from the rooftop of our building... and drinking many toasts to the feat....

* The Rams' Superbowl Victory and parade....

* Christmas 2000 at Dave & Buster's.... a "unique" way to spend the day, with good friends...

* MAULL'S BEER-BBQ SAUCE!!!!!!

* The Weekly Drum Circles on Delmar in U-City..... Hackeysack, too!

* Imo's Provel Pizzas..... and Rossino's!!!! (R.I.P.)

* Learning the history of Gaslight Square from my flamboyantly gay neighbor, who also had excellent taste in old Jazz music....

* Watching the bats make figure-8's in the front yard in the hot summer evenings, as we drank our beer out on the porch...

* The car wreck on Thanksgiving Day on West Pine, when a car running from the cops didn't know they'd just built a divider at the corner, specifically to deter people from speeding..... the car slid half the block down, on its roof...

* Soulard Mardi Gras 1998, 1999 and 2000!!!

These are just a few of the many wonderful memories that immediately come to mind......





o h yeah, almost forgot. . . . . "BOO BERRY" at Dierberg's!!!!!!

[Northwoods Voyager]

Thank you, how could I have forgotten to mention Gaslight Square? What fond memories of that once great area and era!!! Some of the best entertainers got their start there. Check this out...stlouis.missouri.org/cwe/landmarks_gaslights.html

[Northwoods Voyager]

How could I have ever forgotten to mention Gaslight Square...Thank you so much. Wow, what a fabulous area and an era!!! Check out this link:

Central West End - Neighborhoods - Gaslights Square

So many entertainers got their start there. Had a wonderful time every visit. Walking around and all the people. So great.

[By~Tor]

I always love getting to know the local history when I move somewhere, and the entertainment "heyday" of St. Louis was truly amazing, indeed!---A shame, that the area had fallen into such ill repute, before someone finally started to get the ball roling to preserve what little is left....

[ShadowCaver]

Originally Posted by By~Tor

I always love getting to know the local history when I move somewhere, and the entertainment "heyday" of St. Louis was truly amazing, indeed!---A shame, that the area had fallen into such ill repute, before someone finally started to get the ball roling to preserve what little is left....

If interested, here are a few of my favourite sites related to this topic:
Built St. Louis: Home
St. Louis Historic Preservation
Landmarks Association of St. Louis
What's New in Old North
Old North Saint Louis

[Caitlayn]

The Old CArdinal Stadium has alot of memories of course we dont know all bc i am young but wow they have alot of memories!!

[breer23]

Originally Posted by Caitlayn

The Old CArdinal Stadium has alot of memories of course we dont know all bc i am young but wow they have alot of memories!!

I was lucky enough to play in Busch Stadium in 1991, before the minor renovations to the old stadium, so it was the old turf, bright blue seats & the bluer padded outfield walls. It was the reward for winning a fundraising contest between parochial schools in IL (where I grew up) & MO.

While I struck out in my only at-bat (aww), the real thrill of the game was sitting in the dugout meeting the pro players who were getting ready for batting practice once our game was finished. As we were the IL team, we sat in the visitors dugout, so we didn't meet any Cardinals' players, but we did meet a few of the Phillies players: Lenny Dykstra, John Kruk, Darren Daulton. Who knew they'd be in the World Series in 2 years.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by Northwoods Voyager

Thank you, how could I have forgotten to mention Gaslight Square? What fond memories of that once great area and era!!! Some of the best entertainers got their start there. Check this out...stlouis.missouri.org/cwe/landmarks_gaslights.html

Originally Posted by By~Tor

I always love getting to know the local history when I move somewhere, and the entertainment "heyday" of St. Louis was truly amazing, indeed!---A shame, that the area had fallen into such ill repute, before someone finally started to get the ball roling to preserve what little is left....

Oh, man, Gaslight Square...... my dad was a regular at the Crystal Palace, and the Golden Eagle Saloon. He was good friends with Tommy Wolf, who was the house pianist at the CP, and co-wrote "Spring can really hang you up the most" with Fran Landesman, the wife of the owner of the Crystal Palace. It was a from a play called "The Nervous Set".
For a time, STL was THE place to play music, and do your act, be it comedy, or whatever. My mom and dad have told me a million stories about Gaslight Square. How sad that all there are of that area are pictures, music, and memories.
Jay Landesman wrote a wonderful book about that time called "Rebel without Applause", its available on Amazon.

[Northwoods Voyager]

Originally Posted by Fasolt

I didn't move to St Louis until the early 1970's - I was a teenager then.


Does anybody remember live Burlesque theaters downtown? I wasn't old enough to go in, but they were still around in the early '70s - I think there was one called the Stardust somewhere near the old downtown Greyhound station on Delmar (now Convention Plaza).

Checked w/Hubby...he said the burlesque theatres were the Garrick and the Grand. Stardust with Evelyn West and her Million $ chest was on DeBaliviere in the CWE. Said as a teenager, him and his buddies would skip school once in awhile and sneak in these shows!