This Week in St. Louis Life

This is a pretty damn busy week in St. Louis living. Between all of the musical festivals and everything else going on, you might want to get your work out of the way so that you can fully take advantage of everything happening.

Starting with tomorrow night, Science on Tap starts back up at the Schlafly Tap Room with "The Technology of War Reporting... with Tales from the Bunker"

Robert Wiener, world-renowned reporter and senior executive producer at CNN for 20 years, will discuss technological advances in war reporting, whether technology has actually aided the public's understanding of the news, and how technology has increased the risk of reporting from the field.

Thursday night, if you are a Wash U alum, stop by Schlafly Bottle Works for food, drinks, and networking.

And then it's already Friday again (gotta love the 4-day work-week). Michael Franti and Spearhead will be playing at the Pageant. The show is a bit pricey (as STL goes) but the party will be worth the admission charge. After party at Moonrise?

If you are looking for a free alternative, check out the music at Taste of St. Louis:
6:30pm – Bud Light Tasty Band Finalist – Rhyme or Reason
7:45pm Bud Light Tasty Band Finalist – Illphonics
8:45pm – Aldermanic President Lewis Reed Announces Winner
10:00pm – The Presidents Of The United States Of America

Saturday is pretty much jam-packed.
With the Taste of STL swinging into full gear, the music line up looks great:
11:00am – 2009 Yo-Yo & Diablo Battle
1:00pm – Michael Kelsey
2:30pm – Soka Break Dance Competition
4:30pm – Cryin’ Shame Blues Band
6:45pm – Make A Wish – Taste Grants A Wish
7:30pm – Funky Butt Brass Band
9:45pm – Tonic

Beyond that, the Loop in Motion annual festival, on Delmar will feature music food and dancing.
1:00 p.m. Arts In Motion
1:30 p.m. Pazazz - St. Louis Academy of Dance
2:15 p.m. Hui Hula 'O Punahele Hula Halau
2:45 p.m. Ashleyliane Dance Company
3:45 p.m. Motion Express - Dance Force
4:15 p.m. Midwest Dance Theater
4:30 p.m. Clarkson School of Irish Dance
5:15 p.m. Aalim Belly Dance
5:45 p.m. Midwest Dance Theater
6:00 p.m. Desert Moon Dance
6:30 p.m. Shaolin Lohan Pai Lion Dance Troupe
6:50 p.m. Capoeira St. Louis
7:15 p.m. Murder City Players

Sunday, the Taste of St. Louis is still making noise and filling bellies:
11:30am – Saint Louis Symphony Ensemble
12:45 Pm – Brian Owens & Martha Mae Soul Ensemble
1:45pm – Saint Louis Ballet
2:30pm – 2009 Yo-Yo & Diablo Battle Championship
4:45pm – Alvin Jett And Phat Noiz Blues Band
7:00pm – 40oz To Freedom – Sublime Tribute

So do yourself a favor, and leave the house.
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A Night Downtown

For as much as we love talking about and being in the city, The St. Lou Jew spends fairly little time downtown. So when we heard that Lupe Fiasco would be performing at the final 'Live On The Levee' show, we figured it was about time to get back into the heart of the city.

Being the responsible citizens that we are, we decided to take the Metrolink down to Laclede's landing, where the show was already underway.

The turnout was immense. There were several thousand people under the arch. For those of you who don't know Lupe's music, some of the more well-known songs include Paris Tokyo and Superstar.

Lupe had the crowd surging, and the fireworks over the river were a nice finale to the show.

Not wanting to call it a night that early (plus having to deal with a packed Metrolink), we decided to hoof it to Mosaic, a tapas bar on Washington Avenue.

When we first arrived, it had the typical Washington Avenue vibe going on. That is to say that people were standing around trying to look blasé and cool. So we took matters into our own hand and started a dance party that lasted until the bar closed down.

Unfortunately, once Mosaic started closing down, we realized that there weren't many other options. Rue 13 is known for its 80's night, but also its cover, which took it out of contention. We wanted to hop back on the Metro, but past midnight, there is no service, which makes it awfully hard to use as a designated driver service.

While waiting on the corner of Tucker and Washington Avenue for a ride, we were treated to a St. Louis spectacle. Everyone driving by had their stereos bumping, sub-woofers thumping, trying to look cool. We saw the same motorcycles drive by several times, and a few SUVs with girls sitting on top of the roof, or hanging out the windows.

I've seen a bit of this on the Loop before, but it was magnified on Washington. It would be kind of funny to do some type of live broadcast from down there to put that scene on exhibit.

Another interesting thing about standing at that corner is that if you are standing on the North East corner looking South, you can't tell that you are in St. Louis. What I mean is that all you see are large buildings in all directions, it really feels like a much more metropolitan area. Too bad you can walk just a block North and see nothing on three sides.

The downtown portion of the night ended pretty early, cuz there just wasn't that much of interest on Wash Ave it we couldn't convince everyone to check out the Broadway Oyster Bar (a St. Lou Jew Favorite).

We'll probably head back there soon, though, now that that rooftop of the City Museum is open.

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Finally, Something Cool About STL.

St. Louis: home of toasted ravioli, the Cardinals, the new Highway 40, and.... CULTURE!

Thanks to a thread posted on criticalmass, a yahoo! group created for the St. Louis art community, I was clued into this article called, "The chic side of St. Louis." It cites the booming arts and fashion community in downtown STL, where I am proud to reside.

The article recommends several downtown shopping destinations, such as The Time, UMA, and Charm. Why waste time and money at the Galleria when you can support local businesses in our own Garment District?

I'll keep this post short and sweet: STL, nice job on the continuing revitalization. Hats off to your artists and designers!
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Policy Forum: Obstacles, Solutions and a Vision for the Future of St. Louis Public Transportation

I am a firm believer that a strong public transportation system is essential for strong urban redevelopment. That's why I'll be at the policy forum tonight, schmoozing with a former mayor, amongst others, and getting more information about what can be done to revitalize STL. Details in the full post

Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Time:
6:00pm - 8:30pm
Location:
Cummel's Cafe
Street:
1627 Washington Ave
City/Town:
Saint Louis, MO

Policy Forum: Obstacles, Solutions and a Vision for the Future of St. Louis Public Transportation

With panelists:
- Vincent Schoemehl, former mayor of St. Louis and a member of the Metro Board of Commissioners
- Thomas Shrout, Executive Director of Citizens for Modern Transit
- Max Starkloff, President of The Starkloff Disability Institute
- Nancy Cross, VP of Service Employees International Union Local 1

Networking 6-7

Panel Discussion/Q&A 7-8:30

These highly esteemed panelists will talk with us about what can be done to improve public transportation in St. Louis, what are the obstacles, how might the obstacles be overcome, and what can we do to help. Cummel's offers a selection of coffee, soft drinks, and a delicious menu of meals and snacks.

Co-hosted by St. Louis Urban Corps and Metropolis St. Louis.
Metropolis St. Louis’s mission is to create and promote an environment in the City of St. Louis that attracts and retains young people. St. Louis Urban Corps’ mission is to create a framework through which young persons who want to become civic leaders can conceive, develop and implement initiatives that will improve the quality of life in St. Louis.
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