In Defense of My Hometown

"It is self-evident that St. Louis affected me more deeply than any other environment has ever done. I feel that there is something in having passed one's childhood beside the big river, which is incommunicable to those people who have not. I consider myself fortunate to have been born here, rather than in Boston, or New York, or London." - T.S. Eliot

It's been a little more than two weeks since the NFL announced that the Rams were leaving St. Louis and moving back to Los Angeles and a little more than three weeks since Rams owner Sam Kroenke excoriated St. Louis.  The fact that Kroenke, a Missouri native who has one of his companies that has made him millions headquartered in the St. Louis area, felt it necessary to publicly lambast a city that already has perpetual self-esteem issues for his own personal gain infuriated me.  Kroenke's comments about St. Louis made it seem on par with Mos Eisley from the planet of Tatooine in "Star Wars."  His comments undoubtedly provided fodder for folks in New York, LA and other places to make fun of the Gateway City.

Does St. Louis have it's issues?  Absolutely.  What large city and metro area doesn't?  Many of its issues are similar to those experienced for decades by other Rust Belt cities.  We've seen some of our most treasured and iconic hometown companies, TWA and Anheuser-Busch, sold to larger companies that have gutted the local workforce.  We've seen several automobile manufacturing plants close (at one point in time, more cars were assembled in St. Louis than in any city outside of Detroit).  We've seen those racial issues that seem to permeate every corner of our country personified by what happened in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson.

In spite of all of its warts, though, I still love St. Louis.  My college friends will testify of my hometown pride that was frequently displayed in Texas, whether by the big framed picture of the St. Louis skyline in my apartment or my frequent Cardinals or Blues attire.  There are many reasons to love St. Louis, but here are some of my favorites.  (For the record, when I say "St. Louis", I speak of the Greater St. Louis Area, which covers 2.8 million people across two states, 15 counties and more than 100 municipalities.)

•  The Zoo-Museum District: For a city that has a hard time working together, this is a shining example of what we can accomplish when we think outside the box and work together.  For the uninitiated, this is something that was set up in the early 1970s.  Some property tax dollars from St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis help fund this district that, in turn, runs such beloved St. Louis institutions as the St. Louis Zoo, St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis Science Center, Missouri History Museum and Missouri Botanical Garden.  We have one of the best zoos in the country and a top notch art museum and, because of the Zoo-Museum District, it is free for all to attend these institutions.  We can argue about whether or not those in adjacent counties and the Metro East ought join the District or start paying admission, but this is an example of a region pooling resources for the betterment of the overall community.
• Joe Edwards: A visionary who has almost singlehandedly helped create the U City Loop, which was named one of the "10 Great Streets in America" by the American Planning Association in 2007.  He's responsible for Blueberry Hill, the Tivoli theater, The Pageant concert nightclub, the Pin-Up Bowl, Flamingo Bowl, Moonrise Hotel and the Peacock Diner.  He thinks outside the box, doesn't take no for an answer and consistently comes up with cool and unique ideas.  If we had a few more people like him, who knows what St. Louis could accomplish.
• Fox Theater and Peabody Opera House: Two stunningly beautiful buildings where St. Louisans to go to watch concerts and Broadway shows surrounded by opulence.
• The Muny: The largest outdoor theater in America that shows only Broadway-style musicals.  It's been around for 80+ years and generations of St. Louisans have sat in oppressive humidity to watch productions of "The Wizard of Oz," "West Side Story," "Meet Me in St. Louis" and many others.
• Ted Drewes: What could be better on one of those aforementioned humid nights than a concrete?  If you've never had a Ted Drewes' concrete, you haven't lived!
• The way that St. Louisans routinely butcher French street names like Gravois and Chouteau
• Forest Park: It's one of the largest urban parks in America - larger than Central Park in New York or Lincoln Park in Chicago.  In addition to many of St. Louis's cultural amenities (like the zoo, art museum, science center, and history museum), it is home to golf courses, nature trails, bike trails and an outdoor ice skating rink.  It was home to the 1904 World's Fair and Olympics and, more than 110 years later, it looks better than ever.
• City Museum: It's unlike anything you'll ever see.  It's a museum whose exhibits and activities are created out of random junk and detritus.  Three story slides, a roof top ferris wheel and hidden tunnels galore.  Keeping track of your kids here may give you a heart attack, but they'll love every minute of it.
• Express Scripts, Enterprise, Edward Jones, Panera Bread, Ameren, Emerson, Peabody and Graybar: Fortune 500 companies (and, in the case of Enterprise, a really big private company) that still call St. Louis their home.
• The Cardinals: If there's one thing that brings St. Louisans of all walks of life together, it's Cardinals baseball.  The second-most successful franchise in MLB, every generation for the past 90 years has been able to witness a world championship.  Few cities have a closer relationship with a sports team and few sports teams are a bigger source of pride for a city.  The Cardinals routinely draw more than 3 million fans and rank in the top 2 or 3 in MLB in attendance, despite playing in one of the 10 smallest markets in the league.
• The Blues: While the Cardinals have the success, the Blues may be the best representation of St. Louis.  A blue collar team that tries hard, dreams big and eternally breeds hope, only to ultimately disappoint.  Blues fans are a hearty, devoted bunch who love their team in spite of their annual spring disappointment.  I can only hope that, someday, those loyal fans will see their devotion rewarded with a Stanley Cup championship.
• Toasted ravioli, provel cheese, Imo's Pizza, and gooey butter cake
• Where did you go to high school?  Is it silly and insular?  Sure, but it can also prove to be amazingly revealing as well.  (For the record, I went to Lafayette.)
• Local breweries: While A-B is obviously the most famous St. Louis brewery, the St. Louis area is also home to numerous local breweries that brew a wide assortment of beers.  Schlafly, Urban Chestnut, 4 Hands Brewing Co., Trailhead, O'Fallon, the list goes on and on.  (Schlafly Summer Lager and Urban Chestnut Zwickel are my personal favorites.)
• The Hill, The Grove, Dogtown, The Loop, the Central West End. 
• The Budweiser song and Go Crazy Folks!
• When the Saints Go Marching In, LGB and counting goals along with Towel Man 

In many ways, St. Louis is the perfect place for me to call my hometown.  St. Louis struggles with its self-esteem; so do I.  St. Louis is a friendly place that just wants you to like it for being what it is; so do I.  Even when St. Louis accomplishes something worth crowing about, we're generally too polite to boast; I'm the same way.  It's a bi-polar city that alternately loves and loathes itself; I often feel the same way about myself.

So, let Stan Kroenke and the rest of the country make fun of St. Louis and kick us when we're down.  I still can't imagine being from anywhere else!

Thanks for reading!