St. Louis

In January 2007 I was stuck in St. Louis when their airport shut down as I landed for my layover on my trip home from Atlanta. On that trip, my stay was limited to about 36 hours and was very cold and wet. The upside of that 2007 trip was that I could mark St. Louis off my places yet to visit list. Unfortunately, I didn't see much due to the white-out blizzard conditions that shut the city down.

On Monday I returned to St. Louis, this time with rather fair weather working in the city's favor. Here is a quick list that sums up my opinion of the people of Saint Louis: FAT, SMOKEY, RUDE. However, the city itself was much more impressive then the people within it's limits.

Like most midwest & southern cities, St. Louis is full of people who are bordering on morbid obesity. Taking a back seat in the H.A.I. (Hippopotamus Ass Index) only to Louisville, Kentucky and the entire state of Louisiana. As if the city wasn't unhealthy enough with the weight issue, smoking is still permitted in restaurants and in public areas. Nothing like going to get a beer after work and ending up with a suit smelling like Saint Louis.

The city itself is clean and it appears to have a good amount of ongoing construction. I was also surprised by the amount of large corporations that call Saint Louis home. The downtown metro area appears newly built and affluent, making it a decent place to visit in the summer time, that is if there was something to do in Saint Louis and the people weren't repulsive.

In summary, now I know why the Rams are so bad and I have a greater appreciation for Bo Jackson (the St. Louis area's #1 export).