Going Downtown

I was in downtown Louisville recently and it got me thinking about which city has the better downtown area. At first glance, I would say Louisville without a doubt. And while this statement may hold up, the more I think about it, the more difficult it becomes.

The first thing I have to say here, is that there are a lot of people out there who will say downtown St. Louis is shitty, and for the most part I might have to agree with them. But downtown St. Louis has its definite high points which make it a bit nicer than one might think.

First and foremost is the Arch and the Archgrounds. This is a great area that they really made it a point to make look nice. The grass is green and there is a short walking trail and plaza around the arch which makes it a great place to go on a nice day, even if you don't plan on going in the Arch. Kiener Plaza and Busch stadium are both a short walk from the Arch. Now, Kiener Plaza is something that is overlooked by tourists but is a very nice area to walk around downtown, and has a fair share of restaurants nearby. Between the Arch, stadium and Kiener Plaza, one could spend a morning sightseeing in downtown St. Louis and follow that up with a quick lunch nearby, and you would only have to park your car once and walk to all of these sites.

A short drive away from these areas is Union Station, which I personally enjoy in downtown St. Louis. This is essentially a shopping center loaded with stores and restaurants, and it seems like there is always something going on inside. One could spend a few hours here just looking at everything and getting a quick meal. Nearby is the Scottrade(Savvis, Kiel) Center which at the very least is worth seeing as it is regularly ranked among the top 10 indoor arenas in the world in tickets sold to events.

Now there are a lot of other things to see in and near downtown, including the Edward Jones Dome, Soulard, and Forest Park. In addition, the area around Busch Stadium is in the process of being built up, but that project is still years in the making. However, there are all of these nice sites everywhere, interspersed with old, rundown buildings which make the city feel dirty and unsafe. Certain parts of downtown look nice but you are never very far from some crap.

Louisville, on the other hand, probably doesnt' have as much going for it. Its downtown is much smaller with fewer attractions, but in recent years efforts have been made to build up downtown and make it a place tourists want to see. One of the most major projects was Waterfront Park. This is an area comparable to the Arch grounds, but it is much larger and nicer. There are walking paths all over, playgrounds for kids and picnic tables for families. There are also open fields for anyone's use, which are used for pickup sports, concerts, and large gatherings. This park is constantly being expanded down River Road, and when the expansion is complete, one could walk a mile or two straight in one direction and still be in the park.

A few years back, Fourth Street Live was built up to attract more Louisville residents to spend their evenings downtown. In the past 6 years, this area has become a hotspot for college students and twenty-somethings to gather on the weekends. While I am on a personal boycott of the place at night (at least on weekends), I can't argue the fact that it has really drawn Louisvillians downtown again.

While there are other sites to see downtown in Louisville, including the Louisville Slugger Museum and a number of theatres, I really want to focus on the fact that a good portion of downtown Louisville just looks cleaner and nicer than St. Louis. There are definitely old buildings and a number of parking lots that look like crap, but overall if you walk through the streets of downtown between Floyd Street and about 9th Street, you're walking down clean streets.

So overall, I would say Louisville has the nicer feeling downtown. While there may not be as much to do, I would say I enjoy walking through the streets of downtown Louisville more than I do in St. Louis. However, don't let this make you think I hate downtown St. Louis. There is so much to see there that it is worth seeing a few dozen times in your life.

Now, on to my final post before our trip. Last night was a bit more low-key than the previous night's lettuce and pizza extravaganza. I basically sat around for 25 minutes eating what I could find. This included a turkey sandwich, 2 eggo waffles, 2 more pieces of wheat bread, 24 oz. of water, 1 large piece of cake, and yes, another half a head of lettuce. Wow, I didn't realize how much it was until I just wrote it down. So once again I feel like I am fully prepared for this trip and success tomorrow afternoon. I will frame that certificate and wear my free shirt with pride. I'll post more after the trip. I can't wait!!