Take a guess at which 'Jewish organization' has the largest number of young Jewish members (facebook doesn't count, despite Zuckerberg's MOT status).
It's not YPD, it's not Gesher-City, its JDate. Really. The single largest group of 20 and 30-somethings in St. Louis (and in most cities) is a website that exists purely for Jewish dating, and potentially marriage. It is useless to argue the chicken and the egg about which came about first, the lack of specific programming for this demographic, or the lack of engagement, but it is still interesting that the Gen Yid demographic would rather join a Jewish dating site, instead of align themselves with a community organization or temple.
It makes sense to a certain degree. A friend of mine was recently lamenting the problem of dating as a young Jew, particularly in St. Louis. While its not my place to judge certain patterns of dating behavior (although judge, I do), he raised some interesting points. The first problem is, where are all the Jewish women at? Second, where are the events at which to find these elusive characters in an environment that is casual, conducive to making friends and potential matches, and not awkward?
This is the beauty of JDate. Its all taken care of for you. You don't have to ask all those hard-to-ask questions that qualify a person as a potential match, its all done for you. They say everyone knows someone who met on Jdate. As more and more of my friends get married, I hear about more and more about Jdate's efficacy.
Granted it doesn't work for everyone. I also know several people who have gone on many a Jdate, and while they made a few friends here and there, the results left much to be desired.
Still, what if there was a place, or a stream of events that were casual enough to just drop by, like Mondays at the Muny (free seats, obviously), or Wednesday night jazz at the botanical gardens, meet a few people, share a glass of wine, and let things take their course.
That is the raison d'etre behind the Gcalendar we organized. Its simple, Just click the calendar link to see what is going on around the city. Also, if you shoot us an email, we put you on the calendar, and you can post your own events.
Then all you have to do is show up.
It's not just about singles. The hope is to provide for ourselves, to be the change we wish to see by simply connecting with the other young Jews in the STL metro area, and providing a forum and a sanctuary where we can express our vision for the future.
Read More......
Showing posts with label Muny. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Muny. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
What High School did you go to?
I am a first-time blogger and when Y? asked me to write about life after college from the point of a Jew from St. Louis, born and raised, who has returned to St. Louis I figured it was going to be a breeze. I mean that is my life in a nutshell. I have struggled with writing this for fear that people probably don't care what I have to say regarding St. Louis and have probably already formed their own opinions on being in St. Louis after college.
Most of my high school friends, Jewish or not, and almost every one of my college friends lives somewhere other than St. Louis. I have best friends in New York, Chicago, San Diego, Pensacola, Los Angeles, and the list goes on.
So here is what I can tell you…coming back to St. Louis and finding my niche has been a struggle at times. I am the fourth generation of St. Louisans in my family and it's all I know. We are the kind of people who think that Imo's might just be the world's best pizza, the letter 'R' can be found in words like water and wash, and the kind of people who believe that when you turn your ice cream completely upside down it should not fall out of the cup or else it's free. Imo's and Ted Drewes aside, St. Louis is not the familiar place it once was when I was a youngster.
If that came out sounding negative, it certainly was not meant to sound that way. The majority of my current St. Louis friends, especially the Jewish ones, are not from here. Whether it's west coast or east, or a fellow Midwesterner from out-of-state, these friends are the ones showing me all that St. Louis has to offer. Everything I once thought I knew about St. Louis has been improved upon tremendously since returning home. I have always enjoyed the Muny, however a show at the Muny with my group of Jewish friends in the free seats on opening night is a wonderful occasion and new experience for me. I have always known about Forest Park, but live concerts on Tuesdays outside the History Museum and on Wednesdays at the Botanical Gardens fit in this same category as they are things I was not so familiar with growing up. We have really uncovered and discovered some of the finer things St. Louis has to offer.
One thing I noticed that has remained the same is St. Louis' most frequently asked question: "What high school did you go to?" It is grammatically incorrect, like warter and warsh but we always let it slide. It's just how you say it. What we really mean to ask is, where in St. Louis did you grow up and what do your parents do? Do you have more furniture on your lawn or in your house? Do you have all of your teeth or just some? It's a pretty ridiculous question but we cannot stray from asking it, regardless of how inaccurate it may be. I have even noticed my aforementioned friends who are not from St. Louis have begun to ask this same question when they meet someone from St. Louis. I suppose they think it helps them grasp onto some idea about the person with whom they are speaking. I guess what I mean to say is that I don't think it's a good judge of anything. Using myself as an example, I went to a high school in a very affluent part of St. Louis. When I say where that is I always get the same response. However, I don't think I fit any description of the type of person being imagined when I speak the name of my high school. I don't think I fit that mold one bit. Nonetheless, it is inescapable. It is just as certain as the fact that my concrete will not fall out of my cup when the Ted Drewes employee turns my order completely upside down. And for this reason alone, I'll take it. To my new St. Louis friends: Thank you for showing me a St. Louis I have never seen and providing me with a very accepting, informal Jewish experience that I would not trade for the world. To my many original St. Louis friends who will never consider a return to the river city: You are truly missing out on what we are doing. Read More......
Most of my high school friends, Jewish or not, and almost every one of my college friends lives somewhere other than St. Louis. I have best friends in New York, Chicago, San Diego, Pensacola, Los Angeles, and the list goes on.
So here is what I can tell you…coming back to St. Louis and finding my niche has been a struggle at times. I am the fourth generation of St. Louisans in my family and it's all I know. We are the kind of people who think that Imo's might just be the world's best pizza, the letter 'R' can be found in words like water and wash, and the kind of people who believe that when you turn your ice cream completely upside down it should not fall out of the cup or else it's free. Imo's and Ted Drewes aside, St. Louis is not the familiar place it once was when I was a youngster.
If that came out sounding negative, it certainly was not meant to sound that way. The majority of my current St. Louis friends, especially the Jewish ones, are not from here. Whether it's west coast or east, or a fellow Midwesterner from out-of-state, these friends are the ones showing me all that St. Louis has to offer. Everything I once thought I knew about St. Louis has been improved upon tremendously since returning home. I have always enjoyed the Muny, however a show at the Muny with my group of Jewish friends in the free seats on opening night is a wonderful occasion and new experience for me. I have always known about Forest Park, but live concerts on Tuesdays outside the History Museum and on Wednesdays at the Botanical Gardens fit in this same category as they are things I was not so familiar with growing up. We have really uncovered and discovered some of the finer things St. Louis has to offer.
One thing I noticed that has remained the same is St. Louis' most frequently asked question: "What high school did you go to?" It is grammatically incorrect, like warter and warsh but we always let it slide. It's just how you say it. What we really mean to ask is, where in St. Louis did you grow up and what do your parents do? Do you have more furniture on your lawn or in your house? Do you have all of your teeth or just some? It's a pretty ridiculous question but we cannot stray from asking it, regardless of how inaccurate it may be. I have even noticed my aforementioned friends who are not from St. Louis have begun to ask this same question when they meet someone from St. Louis. I suppose they think it helps them grasp onto some idea about the person with whom they are speaking. I guess what I mean to say is that I don't think it's a good judge of anything. Using myself as an example, I went to a high school in a very affluent part of St. Louis. When I say where that is I always get the same response. However, I don't think I fit any description of the type of person being imagined when I speak the name of my high school. I don't think I fit that mold one bit. Nonetheless, it is inescapable. It is just as certain as the fact that my concrete will not fall out of my cup when the Ted Drewes employee turns my order completely upside down. And for this reason alone, I'll take it. To my new St. Louis friends: Thank you for showing me a St. Louis I have never seen and providing me with a very accepting, informal Jewish experience that I would not trade for the world. To my many original St. Louis friends who will never consider a return to the river city: You are truly missing out on what we are doing. Read More......
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Some Independence Weekend Musings
In honor of the 3-day weekend our forefathers so graciously bestowed upon us, some thoughts on recent goings-on around St. Louis...
Nothing like the good ol' Arch to frame a fireworks display, huh? And the street fight that almost broke out in the parking lot afterwards? Icing on the cake!
Although we may not have the Hamptons, the Cape or the Bay, don't underestimate the power of the pool. Tanning, reading, sleeping, water polo, diving, drinking, eating, flirting, saw it all at the pool this weekend, and thats just to name a few.
Shout out to Pi, a new deep-dish pizza restaurant in the loop, right across from the Pageant. For all you Bay Area folk, it compares favorably to Zachary's famous deep dish. Translation, it's real good and a large will give two grown men at least two full meals. Plus they have good beer on tap and have a green (read: environmental theme) that you can't help but respect.
I love the Muny and certainly recommend everyone go there each and every week (especially in the free seats) but last week's production of High School Musical left something to be desired. Granted, the teeny-boppers who came sporting their shirts and assorted paraphernalia had a great time, but I was HSM virgin and left somewhat down on the whole scene. So it's a Grease wanna-be with lame music and less sex? Am I missing something here? (Disclaimer: I have found said bland music popping into my head without warning all week... Kinda like you think you have the plague beat and back it comes)
Laumiere Sculpture Park, check it out.
Llewyelln's Trivia Night, solid alternative to MoBot in the rain: Wednesday's, 9ish, $1 PBR pitchers.
On a related note, we're on the hunt for St. Louis' best trivia, and everyone has their favorite, so post yours in the comments and we'll hit it up!
Also a shout-out to the Pinstripes and their awesome show last night at Off-Broadway. For those of you who don't know them, they are a ska/funk/reggae/rock/punk/something of everything band out of Cincinnati, and Y?s brother is the lead singer/sax player. Hopefully they will be around St. Louis some more for you to check them out.
And Off Broadway, while not right in the middle of things, was a good/not too crowded place to check out music. Plus, they don't allow smoking in doors, which is always a plus.
Finally, the Moishe House events are up and running, with the July 4th pool party and Saturday night's Mexican-themed dinner (in honor of our friends to the South) kicking things off right. As I understand it, there will be a mix of events (some Jewish, some not), a mix of people (some Jewish, some not) and a mix of entertainments (some fun, some not... kidding!). But more than anything it's all part of the attempt to grow the Jewish community here in St. Louis, so come be a part of it.
There's a lot to do here, you just gotta find it... Luckily, you got us. Catch you soon!
Read More......
Nothing like the good ol' Arch to frame a fireworks display, huh? And the street fight that almost broke out in the parking lot afterwards? Icing on the cake!
Although we may not have the Hamptons, the Cape or the Bay, don't underestimate the power of the pool. Tanning, reading, sleeping, water polo, diving, drinking, eating, flirting, saw it all at the pool this weekend, and thats just to name a few.
Shout out to Pi, a new deep-dish pizza restaurant in the loop, right across from the Pageant. For all you Bay Area folk, it compares favorably to Zachary's famous deep dish. Translation, it's real good and a large will give two grown men at least two full meals. Plus they have good beer on tap and have a green (read: environmental theme) that you can't help but respect.
I love the Muny and certainly recommend everyone go there each and every week (especially in the free seats) but last week's production of High School Musical left something to be desired. Granted, the teeny-boppers who came sporting their shirts and assorted paraphernalia had a great time, but I was HSM virgin and left somewhat down on the whole scene. So it's a Grease wanna-be with lame music and less sex? Am I missing something here? (Disclaimer: I have found said bland music popping into my head without warning all week... Kinda like you think you have the plague beat and back it comes)
Laumiere Sculpture Park, check it out.
Llewyelln's Trivia Night, solid alternative to MoBot in the rain: Wednesday's, 9ish, $1 PBR pitchers.
On a related note, we're on the hunt for St. Louis' best trivia, and everyone has their favorite, so post yours in the comments and we'll hit it up!
Also a shout-out to the Pinstripes and their awesome show last night at Off-Broadway. For those of you who don't know them, they are a ska/funk/reggae/rock/punk/something of everything band out of Cincinnati, and Y?s brother is the lead singer/sax player. Hopefully they will be around St. Louis some more for you to check them out.
And Off Broadway, while not right in the middle of things, was a good/not too crowded place to check out music. Plus, they don't allow smoking in doors, which is always a plus.
Finally, the Moishe House events are up and running, with the July 4th pool party and Saturday night's Mexican-themed dinner (in honor of our friends to the South) kicking things off right. As I understand it, there will be a mix of events (some Jewish, some not), a mix of people (some Jewish, some not) and a mix of entertainments (some fun, some not... kidding!). But more than anything it's all part of the attempt to grow the Jewish community here in St. Louis, so come be a part of it.
There's a lot to do here, you just gotta find it... Luckily, you got us. Catch you soon!
Read More......
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Springtime for Hitler
So the Muny kicked off its season last night with the opening of the Producers, and who am I to pass up free theater in the park on a beautiful night?
First the particulars... the Muny in Forest Park is an amphitheater that has live musicals almost every night between now and August 10. And even better, there are a ton of free seats toward the back, which is where we sat last night. And if you are savvy, then you can even get some wine into the theater, which makes the night just that much better.
Anyway, check out the Muny, enough said.
Now, onto this week's show, the Producers....
You know how being an MOT you automatically feel like you are part of something special, like the cool Jew club? Well check out the Producers, and you get three solid hours of inside jokes that you need to own a yarmulke to get. From widespread use of Yiddish to jokes that are funny because they are O so true, there was many of time last night when we were the only ones in our section laughing. Now yes, the Producers is a very funny show in and of itself, but it is one of those things, like Chinese food and bagels and lox, that is just a little better, a little sweeter because you are Jewish.
So grab your best Jewish friend (but maybe leave your Jewish mother at home, the Producers is defintely not G-rated) and check out the Producers this week at the Muny in Forest Park.
Now excuse me for cutting this short, but I have a championship-clinching game to attend to. Go Celtics!
Read More......
First the particulars... the Muny in Forest Park is an amphitheater that has live musicals almost every night between now and August 10. And even better, there are a ton of free seats toward the back, which is where we sat last night. And if you are savvy, then you can even get some wine into the theater, which makes the night just that much better.
Anyway, check out the Muny, enough said.
Now, onto this week's show, the Producers....
You know how being an MOT you automatically feel like you are part of something special, like the cool Jew club? Well check out the Producers, and you get three solid hours of inside jokes that you need to own a yarmulke to get. From widespread use of Yiddish to jokes that are funny because they are O so true, there was many of time last night when we were the only ones in our section laughing. Now yes, the Producers is a very funny show in and of itself, but it is one of those things, like Chinese food and bagels and lox, that is just a little better, a little sweeter because you are Jewish.
So grab your best Jewish friend (but maybe leave your Jewish mother at home, the Producers is defintely not G-rated) and check out the Producers this week at the Muny in Forest Park.
Now excuse me for cutting this short, but I have a championship-clinching game to attend to. Go Celtics!
Read More......
Friday, June 13, 2008
Big Things Happenning
Your opportunity to help St. Louis and the environment (and save money!).
Plus, UJC reads our blog, you should too.
And, St. Louis makes its case for legitimacy.
So first and foremost, if you remember, in an earlier post, I bemoaned the public transportation here in St. Louis and made a personal commitment to get involved. Turns out that I'm not the only 'concerned citizen', and in fact, there is a large group in St. Louis, called Citizens for Modern Transit, that is working with employers and other citizens to get people to use the Metro system. In conjunction with Thursday June 19th's Dump The Pump day (to encourage people to drive less by riding bikes and taking public transportation), they are offering free metro rides! I couldn't be more excited to ride around all day and night. The trick here is to get people to ride who normally wouldn't, make them comfortable with the safety and ease of the Metro, and then convince them to lather, rinse, repeat.
The second order of business is that our Israel Correspondent's last post, which is certainly worth the read, was discovered by someone at the UJC, and she was offered the chance to participate on another expedition with journalists to the areas affected by constant bombardment from Gaza. Who says blogging can't change lives. (Consequently, if there is anyone out there that wants to give us a grant to write full time, feel free).
Finally, an update to Summer in the City. Yes, St. Louis might have just become a city in my book. What is it, you say, that pushed it over the edge? Was is population growth? An increase in government funding for development?
No, in fact my opinion was changed by two events. The first was meeting the ensemble cast of the upcoming production of The Producers at the Muny at Kim Massie's weekly show at Beale.
The second was my experience at the Botanical Gardens on Wednesday. Every Wednesday, the Botanical Gardens opens up and people flock to see music, have picnics, and just hang out outside. The sheer number and diversity of people there, as well as the general atmosphere, and absolute beauty of the gardens made me feel more at peace with St. Louis perhaps anything has previously. I know, I know, its not that profound, it doesn't seem that special, but do be there and just see the density of sights and sounds, which I generally associate with Chicago or New York, and to have it almost literally in my back yard. . .fantastic!
Check out Kim Massie:
Read More......
Plus, UJC reads our blog, you should too.
And, St. Louis makes its case for legitimacy.
So first and foremost, if you remember, in an earlier post, I bemoaned the public transportation here in St. Louis and made a personal commitment to get involved. Turns out that I'm not the only 'concerned citizen', and in fact, there is a large group in St. Louis, called Citizens for Modern Transit, that is working with employers and other citizens to get people to use the Metro system. In conjunction with Thursday June 19th's Dump The Pump day (to encourage people to drive less by riding bikes and taking public transportation), they are offering free metro rides! I couldn't be more excited to ride around all day and night. The trick here is to get people to ride who normally wouldn't, make them comfortable with the safety and ease of the Metro, and then convince them to lather, rinse, repeat.
The second order of business is that our Israel Correspondent's last post, which is certainly worth the read, was discovered by someone at the UJC, and she was offered the chance to participate on another expedition with journalists to the areas affected by constant bombardment from Gaza. Who says blogging can't change lives. (Consequently, if there is anyone out there that wants to give us a grant to write full time, feel free).
Finally, an update to Summer in the City. Yes, St. Louis might have just become a city in my book. What is it, you say, that pushed it over the edge? Was is population growth? An increase in government funding for development?
No, in fact my opinion was changed by two events. The first was meeting the ensemble cast of the upcoming production of The Producers at the Muny at Kim Massie's weekly show at Beale.
The second was my experience at the Botanical Gardens on Wednesday. Every Wednesday, the Botanical Gardens opens up and people flock to see music, have picnics, and just hang out outside. The sheer number and diversity of people there, as well as the general atmosphere, and absolute beauty of the gardens made me feel more at peace with St. Louis perhaps anything has previously. I know, I know, its not that profound, it doesn't seem that special, but do be there and just see the density of sights and sounds, which I generally associate with Chicago or New York, and to have it almost literally in my back yard. . .fantastic!
Check out Kim Massie:
Read More......
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