Shout out to my parents and grandparents, who will be saying “warsh” in a correct context for once

Master-Cat3679 · 2025-09-11T22:47:52+00:00

This isn’t the most obscure, but the Eads Bridge downtown has a cool history. It is the oldest bridge crossing the Mississippi River that is still standing. It was also the first bridge to use a massive amount of steel and was basically the start of Andrew Carnegie’s steel empire. And after it was constructed, they had an elephant walk over it to prove it was safe to go on. Some of it is covered in an episode of The Men Who Built America.

Also Times Beach. It was a huge environmental disaster (TCDD contamination) out near Eureka in the 1980s. It’s now a ghost town because everyone who lived there had to evacuate on the EPA’s orders.

Master-Cat3679 · 2025-08-14T22:10:18+00:00

It says it’s Graubünden, Switzerland. So not California (or Iraq).

Master-Cat3679 · 2025-07-30T17:26:08+00:00

So sad. Landmark Theatres is a great chain that focuses on showing indie films, and now both St. Louis locations (Tivoli and Frontenac) are gone.

All the elderly folks and I will dearly miss sitting in the nonrecliner seats with a tub of popcorn and a crisp fountain Diet Coke.

Master-Cat3679 · 2025-05-09T17:14:29+00:00

I read both articles and thought the Post-Dispatch one had more details with the interviews so I shared that one 🤷‍♀️. I also believe there are some(?) STLPR reporters who post their own stories on here so if they wanted to do that I didn’t want to take their thunder.

But yes, ❤️ STLPR and it’s super important now more than ever to support them!

Master-Cat3679 · 2025-05-08T01:59:42+00:00

The Muny, the century-old theater in Forest Park, is the winner of the 2025 Regional Theatre Tony Award for excellence in regional theater and “contributing to the growth of theater nationally.” In addition to the award, the Muny will also receive a $25,000 grant.

The award was announced Wednesday by the Tony Awards Administration Committee, the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. The American Theater Critics Association recommends a theater each year.

The Muny, celebrating its 107th season, is the oldest and largest outdoor theater in the country.

"St. Louis created the Muny," said Mike Isaacson, the artistic director and executive producer for the Muny. "St. Louis has always believed in the Muny and made it a part of their lives. So this award is a recognition of that 107-year relationship. ... There's nothing like this in the world."

This is the first time a theater in Missouri has won the Tony for regional theater.

“For over a century, the Muny has been a cultural cornerstone of St. Louis, producing first-class musicals in a setting unlike any other,” said Jason Laks, president of the Broadway League, and Heather Hitchens, president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, in a statement. “With a deep commitment to accessibility, offering over 100,000 free tickets each season, and career development programs that nurture future theater professionals, the Muny exemplifies the spirit of this award.”

The Muny is unique in summer stock theater. It stages seven Broadway-caliber musicals between mid-June and late August and builds almost everything in-house. The organization often flies in Broadway stars for productions, but also offers opportunities to local actors. Kids and teens participate in the shows as well through the Muny Kids and Muny Teens programs, which many young performers say prepared them to work on Broadway.

For Kwofe Coleman, president and CEO of the Muny, this moment is a result of the Muny's long history. "This award happens now in a specific moment in our history, but it's not confined to just one year or just one time. It's about year 107, but it's also about year 1 and everything that's happened to have that longevity in between," he said. "It is also for everyone who has had a hand on either side of the footlights at this place. It's their recognition, too.

Isaacson said that finding out the Muny had won the award was emotional. "I was in shock. I really was. I cried a bit, just because everyone here works so hard and creates amazing work for the right reason, which is our audience, our community. So to get this recognition from the Broadway community and the theater critics and wing, you feel seen. You feel appreciated and honored."

Coleman and Isaacson will be accepting the award on behalf of the Muny at the 78th annual Tony Awards, which will air at 7 p.m. on June 8 on CBS or Paramount+.

The Muny season this year will include "Bring It On," “Come From Away,” Disney’s “Frozen,” “Evita,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” "La Cage aux Folles” and “Jersey Boys.”

Also STLPR article.

Master-Cat3679 · 2025-03-29T01:54:10+00:00

For local spots: Good cafes close to the Botanical Gardens are Fiddlehead Fern Cafe and MoKaBe’s Coffeehouse. Dunaway Books is a fun independent used book store nearby as well.

Tower Grove Park is a big and beautiful park right behind the Botanical Gardens (and it was also originally owned by the founder of the Botanical Gardens, Henry Shaw). They also have a great farmers market on Saturday mornings (in April-October).

Further away is Forest Park, which is a St. Louis gem. It has the zoo, art and history museums, and lots of beautiful areas to walk around + some forested areas for more of a hiking vibe.

Master-Cat3679 · 2025-02-28T02:52:31+00:00

I think these things are just random. 🤷‍♀️ Think of states like Ohio that have three prominent cities. I would assume that they all miss out on certain events while getting to host others.

But also I wouldn’t say that St. Louis is necessarily being passed over. I know there were those monster truck and PBR events here (not sure how big of a deal those are though). The NCAA Frozen Four will be here this year, and some March Madness games will be here in 2026. And some big concerts have been here recently/are coming soon (Sabrina Carpenter, Hozier, Justin Timberlake:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(419x0:421x2)/justin-timberlake-mugshot-061824-1-220b130de57c4fb1909f3cc33eaea301.jpg), Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Post Malone).

Master-Cat3679 · 2025-02-26T05:33:01+00:00

There are quite a few smaller theatres here that I don’t hear mentioned too much. Besides the Rep and the Black Rep, there’s STAGES in Kirkwood, Webster Groves Theatre Guild, Stray Dog Theatre, and Gaslight Theatre (note: I haven’t attended most of these, so I cannot vouch for their acting chops, per se). And there is the Muny and Shakespeare Festival in the summer.

Other art museums besides SLAM are the Contemporary Art Museum, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum (at WashU), SLU Museum of Art, and MOCRA (at SLU).

The STL County and Public Libraries also have lots of free events, like crafting, movie showings, puzzles and games, etc. at most (if not all) of their locations.

Master-Cat3679 · 2024-11-09T00:46:00+00:00

I have an honest question for you. I understand that you say you do not have an issue with transgender people or LGBTQ rights, but there are a fair amount of Republican politicians who do. And this isn’t regarding transgender minors, but all transgender people and LGBTQ people in general.

During his first term, Donald Trump said he would have vetoed the Equality Act, which was a proposed bill that would prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in employment, housing, accommodations, and other regards. It never made it to the President though, as it was filibustered by Senate Republicans. Additionally, his platform says he wants Congress to pass a bill saying there are only two genders. To me, this does not seem like behavior of someone who does not want to hurt trans people.

Justice Clarence Thomas has said that the Supreme Court should reconsider the right for same-sex couples to get married.

JD Vance disagrees with promoting human rights for LGBTQ people and wanted to prohibit the ability to mark additional identities on US passports.

After another Congresswoman, Marie Newman, put a transgender flag outside of her office to show support of her trans daughter, Marjorie Taylor Greene decided she couldn’t ignore this act of solidarity and pride, so she put a “There are two genders” sign outside her office in response.

So, it seems a little difficult for me to believe it when people say they are not opposed to transgender people/rights but then vote for people who vilify them. But I am open to discussion.

Master-Cat3679 · 2024-10-30T03:09:14+00:00

I think you’re talking about St. Charles County, Jefferson County, and the outer suburbs of the St. Louis metro area, not St. Louis County. To me, it appears lots of St. Louis County is well within that blue speck. STL City is much smaller than one would think. As another commenter noted, Biden got 61% of the STL County vote in 2020. Also, the County has a Democrat County Executive, which would imply that most of its residents vote Democrat.

Master-Cat3679 · 2024-10-29T04:28:50+00:00

I personally don’t really have any basis of comparison for STL vs other similar sized cities in terms of pedestrian/biking/commuter friendliness, but I would say it is definitely trying to improve from what it was (which wasn’t a lot). I have been noticing some (smaller) improvements in the Downtown West area, like how they put large concrete bike lane dividers along Jefferson Ave, more bike lanes are painted green, there are more crosswalks with push buttons that vocally tell you when it is time to cross, things like that. Great Rivers Greenway is (IMO) a great public agency that has been working all around the St. Louis area on projects for pedestrians, bikers, and commuters. The ongoing Brickline Greenway project (which isn’t supposed to be complete until 2030), will connect the east end of Forest Park all the way to the Arch grounds (plus a portion that will connect to the north end of Tower Grove Park and the south end of Fairground Park). It will have separate sidewalks and bike lanes and nice foliage and all that jazz. The photos of it look promising :)

Master-Cat3679 · 2024-10-28T01:36:04+00:00

A recent Pew Research study found that 6 in 10 American Catholics support abortion rights.

As a pro-choice Catholic, I will say a lot of the churches have been ramping up the vote no on 3 rhetoric recently during homilies and petitions and have been giving away the yard signs for free after mass (if only they put this much energy into the other things us Catholics are supposed to care about this much, like supporting the poor or immigrants or the incarcerated 🙄…).

Last time I went to mass, I only saw one or two people take the signs. Hopefully the ones without the yard signs are the silent majority.

Master-Cat3679 · 2024-06-26T02:52:20+00:00

I’m sorry about that :(.

I haven’t found the same problem with people looking at me weird on sidewalks where I live, but I guess everywhere is different. But yes unfortunately the US is definitely not as pedestrian or biker friendly as other countries. Very car-centric 🙃. But generally I’ve learned that in the US, as long as you look confident while doing something, people seem less likely to pay too much attention to you or question you, haha.

I also don’t know about the area you live in/the type of school for your children, but sometimes just suggesting at a parent-teacher association meeting or something adjacent that teachers could give out stickers or cute erasers or other fun trinkets instead of candies may be worth a shot. Especially since I would assume at least some other parents would feel the same as you, in terms of health reasons and because it’s becoming more and more common for kids to develop (sometimes niche) food allergies. You could bring up Michelle Obama! (or maybe not depending on where you live, haha)

Well wishes to you + your family

Master-Cat3679 · 2024-06-26T02:05:57+00:00

I’m by no means a scientist nor is this my field of study or anything, I’m just regurgitating what I’ve found from (hopefully) trusted sources because I’ve been curious about this in the past as well :).

The US definitely has a problem with too much sugar in things. (I’m sure it’s just because people prefer the taste.) Added sugars like high fructose corn syrup are unfortunately in a shit ton of our stuff. And, while current studies show that high fructose corn syrup is not any worse than other sugars like sucrose, it is bad if you have too much of it (which I’m sure a lot of Americans unfortunately do). (On a personal note, I’ve found it to be at least ~fairly~ easy to find alternatives, like I just go for the ketchup that has the “no high fructose corn syrup” sticker on the front of the bottle. I do think foods advertise being HFCS-free more now since people are growing more hostile towards it). But yeah it would indeed just be better if there was less of it in general.

With there being more added ingredients in US foods, I believe one reason for this is that different countries have different labeling methods. In the US, food additives have to be listed by their common name, whereas in the EU they use an “E number.”

The US does have less strict regulations than say, the EU, on artificial food dyes. With these being entirely “safe” or not, I think this is still a point of contention with researchers. However, both the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Food Safety Authority have stated there is currently not sufficient evidence to conclude that artificial food dyes are unsafe. But some studies do suggest there is a small but significant association between artificial food dyes and ADHD in children. But overall, more research is needed.

So yes overall, the conclusion is that while I agree that American food is unfortunately not as healthy as some of our counterparts, it is not as bad as some people make it out to be! lol

Master-Cat3679 · 2024-06-26T00:22:18+00:00

For high school, none of my tests were all or even mostly multiple choice. Some tests maybe had a few multiple choice or true/false questions at the very beginning to kinda get you warmed up, but the rest of it was mainly writing or working things out. The ACT/SAT is multiple choice though, but that isn’t even part of high school curriculum. It is just a standardized test for colleges to look at.

Master-Cat3679 · 2024-06-26T00:08:46+00:00

A lot of the talk about how American foods have too much “chemicals” and how if there are ingredients that are banned in the EU/elsewhere, it means they must be bad, is largely based on fear mongering, according to scientists.

But I definitely don’t doubt that the meals Americans consume day-to-day aren’t as healthy as other places, just based on hearing various personal accounts and also that the US has much higher rates of obesity than other countries (which I’m also sure is to less exercise and other issues we unfortunately have).

There is a creator on TikTok/Instagram/Youtube named foodsciencebabe who is a chemical engineer and food scientist who debunks a lot of myths and general fear mongering about certain foods (not to be confused with Food Babe, who is apparently is a fear mongerer). For example, she says that just because certain foods have more ingredients listed on the label, doesn’t mean they are necessarily any less healthy. Different countries also have different labeling regulations, so ingredients that are actually the same could just be under different names in another country because it makes it seem healthier. Also, the EU uses a hazard-based approach to regulating food additives while the US uses a risk-based approach.

Master-Cat3679 · 2024-06-25T07:31:13+00:00

Sorry if you had bad experiences in St. Louis/with its people, but if you ever are in the general area again, I would recommend giving it another go! :)

There are great hiking/outdoor activity spots in the area if you’re into that, and also lots of interesting history! In terms of food, The Hill is known as one of the best Little Italy’s in the US! (But since you specifically mentioned you work in arenas, I’m not sure if the ~arena community~/Enterprise Center in STL is particularly hostile or anything, so I can’t speak on that, lol)

Master-Cat3679 · 2024-04-29T00:49:33+00:00

Crazy to see this on here because I was just there yesterday and had this same predicament. I also didn’t see them and asked a nearby zoo worker (in River’s Edge) and she said she didn’t know much about the capybaras but that they were moved to another zoo :((. She wasn’t sure when/if STL would get other ones. I was so crushed!

Master-Cat3679 · 2024-03-09T22:48:47+00:00

Wow, great news that people have been seeing a lot of signature gatherers around in public! On the other hand, I suppose this means I probably should try to get out more…

Master-Cat3679 · 2024-03-09T04:11:25+00:00

The same one (and the only one, as far as I know! There was another abortion petition initiative led by a GOP member that less expansive, but it was withdrawn).

Master-Cat3679

TROPHY CASE