Growing up in a small town in southern Illinois, my ex-boyfriend used to refer to St.Louis as the "big city". He would fondly tell me of his overnight trips to the bars (and bathhouse) in St.Louis. Since there was not much going on in his small town, trips to STL were very exciting.
What I found was a city in transition. At one point, the city was filled with industry. Since a lot of that industry has left the city, there are a lot of cool loft-style building that are abandoned and boarded up. In the downtown area, a number of these old brick buildings have been converted into some really cool structures. One of my trips to STL I stayed at the Westin Hotel downtown. The Westin is in one of those old converted warehouses...and what they were able to accomplish was simple amazing. It was reuse at its best! Unfortunately, there are still a lot of abandoned buildings throughout the city that have not yet received the same attention.
Although I have stayed downtown in the past, I prefer to stay in the Galleria area of St.Louis. In addition to a very nice mall, there are also a ton of great hotel and restaurant options in this part town. Also....unlike downtown....parking is easy!
In the Galleria area, there are 2 notable gyms. The first is the Bally Total Fitness in Clayton. If you want a basic gym, this is not terrible (but it is not great either). I stopped going there a few years ago because the gym was in major need of a renovation. It is entirely possible that the Bally's has been renovated....but highly unlikely (considering the financial condition of the entire chain).
My gym of preference in STL is the 24-Hour Fitness in Kirkwood. It is about a 5-10 min drive from the Galleria. Although it is not one of the larger 24-Hour Fitness gyms, it has everything you need. Also, the gym is very clean. The guys at this gym are totally straight....but HOT!!! If you like a gym with hot straight jocks, then this is your gym!!!!
St.Louis is also the hometown of a bunch of porn stars. Scottie Brooks and Raging Stallion Exclusives Ryan Raz and Austin Wilde are some of the porn stars that are originally from St.Louis.
No visit to St.Louis is complete without a visit to the Gateway Arch (see the picture above). The Arch towers over the downtown skyline and is visible for miles around. Underground (below the arch) is a visitors museum where you can watch a movie showing the construction of the arch. Having a degree in Civil Engineering, building projects like this fascinate and excite me. Although most people might find it a tad boring, I was glued to my seat during the video presentation of the building of the arch. You can also take a elevator (it looks more like an amusement park ride) to the top of the arch. There you can look out over the city. It is definitely one amazing monument!
