A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to meet with a couple of other vloggers at some famous attractions along Route 66 in St. Louis. This was my first collaboration. Check it out!
Category: St. Louis
The Good Burger Car and Hi-Pointe Drive-In
St. Louis Trolley
Word is that the St. Louis Trolley will stop service at the end of December 2019. There is a possibility the nonprofit organization will be taken over by MetroLink, but it’s no guarantee. If you want to ride the trolley for sure, you only have a couple more weeks left.
I rode the trolley and made a video about the ride. Check it out.
The Soda Fountain at Union Station
On Monday, September 30th, 2019 part of the renovation of St. Louis Union Station will be complete as the St. Louis Wheel officially opens. The 200 ft Ferris Wheel is a beauty to behold from dusk through the night as the brilliant colors offer a kaleidoscope of optic art and illumination. In addition to The Wheel, a carousel, and miniature golf course will be opening.
A new eating establishment will be opening as well, The Soda Fountain. Located in the former Hard Rock Cafe Building, The Soda Fountain is basically an upscale burger and malt shop with a 1950s retro-vibe.
I had an opportunity to preview the restaurant before the grand opening and I was really impressed. I realize that at events like this everyone is one their best behavior because everyone wants to make the best impression. But, even with that in mind, I was still impressed by everything.
Food
Although The Soda Fountain is somewhat arranged for nostalgic appeal to the Baby Boomers – Gen-Xers, what people will really be coming to the place for is the food. Water is always available and there are some basic beverages (including the adult variety), but The Soda Fountain also offers it’s on concoctions. I drank the Union Station Sarsaparilla. It came in a large glass with a paper straw and had a cookie on top. There aren’t many places in this area where you can find a good sarsaparilla, so I haven’t drunk too many in may life, but the one I drank at The Soda Fountain has to rank as one of the best ones I’ve ever quenched my thirst with.
For my main course I at the Grilled Double Cheeseburger with Onion Rings. The cheeseburger was pretty good, but the onion rings were so scrumptious. They were perfect onion rings: not too crispy and not too soggy in the center. Most places that serve onion rings are unable to achieve the balance between the two, but The Soda Fountain did.
For dessert I tried something completely different. The Soda Fountain offers a selection of typical sundaes, shakes, etc. However, they also have a menu called “Freak Shakes.” These are ice cream shakes decorated like a Southern antebellum ballroom for Christmas. I tried the “A Very Happy Un-Birthday.” This thing had cake frosting with sprinkles on the rim, a cup cake, a rainbow candy cane stick, and a giant cookie. Oh, there was also ice cream covered in whip cream and two cherries. So, happy un-birthday to me!
Ambiance
The servers and staff at The Soda Fountain were dressed in white shirts, black aprons, and either black ball caps or red bandanas. In terms of pants, the staff seemed to have some flexibility in that department. I liked the uniforms. They were simple, but not still gave off a 1950s retro-feel.
The music playing varied but some of the songs I heard included “Mr. Sandman”, “Rockin’ Robin”, “Stand By Me”, “Tutti Frutti”, “Riding Along in My Automobile,” and an Elvis tune (I forgot which one).
Other Stuff
The Soda Fountain has a little gift shop where they sell T-shirts and stuffed animals of sharks (like the ones in the Aquarium). However, they also sell candy and lots of it. There’s one wall that is filled with giant test tube-like jars of jelly beans. There’s also barrels full of different kinds of candy. Kids will drive their parents wild in this place.
Bathrooms
I often will use the bathroom of a public place as a barometer to truly figure out if it’s good or not. I’ve been to some really nice restaurants that had horrible bathrooms. And I’ve been to some small greasy spoon places that had pristine restrooms.
The bathrooms at The Soda Fountain are of good quality and clean. The stalls in the men’s room were a bit more spacious than average. However, taking a play from the port-a-potty industry, they also have really fancy door handles that have an “not vacant” sign that shows up when the door is locked.
Overall, I was really impressed by The Soda Fountain. The place is a bit pricey, but is typical for a place to eat at on a special occasion. The staff was so friendly and courteous. The food was delicious and a person will definitely get their fill.
Help Name St. Louis Aquarium Otters
*Much of this article was taken from a post by by Darian Stevenson at St. Louis Magazine.
When the St. Louis Aquarium opens in Union Station this December, its inventory will include many different aquatic animals. Three 9-month-old North American River Otters from Flamingo Gardens in Florida are the aquarium’s first residents to arrive in St. Louis (well, besides Lord Stanley the blue lobster) and are patiently waiting to move into their new habitat and exhibit.
But first things first, the trio need names. That’s where St. Louisans come in: The St. Louis Aquarium has announced a naming contest for the new otter family. Aaron Sprowl, the aquarium’s curator, says the naming contest is a way to involve the St. Louis community in the aquarium’s journey.
“This is something [St. Louis] has been wanting for a long time and something they are finally getting an opportunity to have in their backyard,” Sprowl says. “It’s only right that they get the opportunity to name some of our iconic animals.”
On the aquarium’s Facebook page, users can cast their vote on their favorite set of names using different Facebook reactions: “Love” the post to vote for Splish, Splash, and Dash (the natural activities of an otter);”Haha” the post to vote for Hopper, Zephyr, and Harvey (after old train cars); and “Wow” the post to vote for Thatcher, Sawyer, and Finn (after the famous Mark Twain storybook characters).
While waiting to be moved to their new habitat, the critters have been housed at the World Bird Sanctuary, where the aquariums animal care manager Kat Echevarria has been training the otters for the past two months. She describes the otters as energetic and always on the move.
Other featured animals at the St. Louis Aquarium will include animals native to Mississippi River, including paddlefish, alligator gar, and surgeonfish, as well as underwater creatures from the Amazon and “riverways of South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.” The aquatic animals can be found in three galleries: Shard Canyon, featuring over 80 varieties of sharks and rays; The Deep, where jellyfish, eels, and sea dragons will live; and Changing Rivers, which the to-be-named otters and other freshwater aquatic animals will call home.
Want to have a say in what the aquarium’s first residents will be called? Vote for your favorite set of names on the aquarium’s Facebook page before Monday, September 23th, 2019!
St. Louis MetroLink Elevators Out of Service
If you ride the MetroLink trains in St. Louis, Missouri be aware that there are three elevators that are currently (as of August 2019) out of commission: the Eastbound Elevator at 8th & Pine, the Westbound Elevator at the Convention Center, and the Eastbound Elevator at the East Riverfront next to the Casino Queen. You’ll have to use the stairs at these locations or cross over to the other side and use the elevators there.
The rehabilitation of these elevators is expected to take 5 months which means these elevators will be out of commission until around Christmas 2019. After that, expect the other elevators at these locations to undergo rehabilitation, too.