St. Louis MO - trippin'

[Foiled Again]

Next weekend I'm heading to St Louis MO for the annual ATSI convention (Association of Telemessaging Services International). It will be my second LONG trip out this year and I'm hoping some of you can recommend a campground that is decent (quiet) and convenient to the Hyatt Regency at Union Station.

Mapquest says get on I-64 the whole way but bo-r-r-r-ing! Any suggestions on good stuff to see along the way or on the way back?

Paula Ford, Virginia Beach

[maccamper]

Quiet it isn't ... yet Casino Queen RV Park is convenient to downtown St. Louis. Casino Queen - Home of the Loosest Slots The RV Park is very much an urban setting with planes, trains, and automobiles, a view of the St. Louis Arch, and just across the bridge from LaClede's Landing.

Here's a link to some reviews of the RV Park RV Park Reviews :: East St Louis, Illinois ( IL ) - RV Parks and Campground Reviews We stayed there twice in April and would stay there again. We do travel with good ear plugs. The park was not busy during our stay since it was still early spring. We stayed on the side of the park with the larger lots and a site close to the mini-mart. Security was very good. The MetroLink stops at the Casino though we haven't used it yet. I notice that one of the recent reviews said that the shuttle takes you to the MetroLink but doesn't pick you up on your return trip to the Casino. That would be worth asking about. The folks in the RV Park mini mart can answer that question.

St. Louis is a city we enjoy visiting. Hopefully you won't be impacted too much by road construction in the St. Louis area MoDOT St.Louis Area District News Release

Safe travels,
Nancy Mac (mrs. maccamper)

[Caryl]

We have stayed there three times driving between Chicago and NM and AZ. I do recommend it for an overnight. We found it quite tricky to get in the correct lane to exit to the RV park from I55/I70. I64 comes in there as well and there are many exits close together. Even the GPS gets confused. We typically have overshot the exit, crossed the river and turned around. The RV Park and Casino are actually in East St. Louis on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River.

That being said, it is a well maintained place with lots of security. The trains are frequent and noisy, but I slept just fine. We took the shuttle to and from the Casino for dinner and we took the train into St. Louis. The train drops you off right at the Casino and the Casino shuttle will take you back to the RV park.

Have a nice trip,

Caryl

[maccamper]

Originally Posted by Caryl

We have stayed there three times driving between Chicago and NM and AZ. I do recommend it for an overnight. We found it quite tricky to get in the correct lane to exit to the RV park from I55/I70. I64 comes in there as well and there are many exits close together. Even the GPS gets confused. We typically have overshot the exit, crossed the river and turned around. The RV Park and Casino are actually in East St. Louis on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River.

That being said, it is a well maintained place with lots of security. The trains are frequent and noisy, but I slept just fine. We took the shuttle to and from the Casino for dinner and we took the train into St. Louis. The train drops you off right at the Casino and the Casino shuttle will take you back to the RV park.

Have a nice trip,

Caryl

I absolutely agree about the trickiness of being in the correct lane and getting the correct exit. The first time we missed taking "Exit 2A towards Eads Bridge" and had to do some backtracking. I'm glad to hear that the shuttle took you back to the RV Park from the train/MetroLink. That was our understanding so I was surprised to see the comment in the review about the shuttle not taking people back to the RV Park. We definitely plan on taking the train into downtown on our next trip over.

Nancy Mac

[cosmotini]

Depending on your interests, Cahokia Mounds is worth seeing. They have a very good interpretive center. It's about 8 miles from downtown St. Louis.

Of course, if you haven't been in the Arch, you should do that. The museum below is very good.

Baseball fan? Busch Stadium is right downtown.

Beer fan? Tour Anheuser-Busch brewery.

The St. Louis Zoo is excellent. The science center is too.

Food wise:
If you like Italian food, some of the best in the country is on "The Hill" and downtown.

Some of the best barbeque (IMO) can be had at a Bandana's restaurant. There are several in the area.

There are several other attactions/events in the area.

How much time do you have to spend?

[Brad Hunt]

Be carefull if your going to stay on the east side. It's a nice park and the casino is very very safe but don't go into East St. Louis proper at night under any circumstances. This is the toughest little town in America. One of the only ways out is sports and there is a reason that in any given year 10-20 guys from little East St. Louis are in the NFL. That said its very colorful and can boast many famous musicians like Miles Davis and Albert King and Henry Townsend. If you like good-great blues go to soulard area in south St. Louis.

True story, the last time I was there I went to the Grizzly Bear in Soulard to hear Billy Peek (Lead Guitarist for Rod Stewart in the 70s and early 80s). I was sitting next to an older african-american gentleman just visiting and having a few beers. Pretty soon Peek motioned for the old guy to come up and jam with him; I had been having drinks with none other than Chuck Berry, the father of Rock n Roll. For the best Irish Music west of Boston check out John J. McGirks also in Soulard.

For the best frozen custard of all time go to Ted Drewes on Grand or on Chippewa. You'll never want a blizzard or any soft serve anywhere ever again. you can buy it only in St. Louis.

[Brad Hunt]

Cosmotini is absolutely right when he mentions "the hill". You have to be Italian to even buy a home there. The association sees that it stays that way. It has been that way forever and nobody has mounted a challenge to it. That said the food is just out of this world. So are the neighborhood delis. On a summer's evening you can find a game of bocce ball at a corner tavern.

[loudruff]

Hey Paula,
Any plan to stop up here in OH or go to JC on the way across? Maybe a visit to Karen and family??
Lou and Larry

[Foiled Again]

I'm actually allowing myself two days to wander. I called Karen.. and we'll talk tomorrow after she's talked to hubby. They just got back from a trip to Colorado to visit my nephew Justin - so she may not be in the mood to travel, but I could swing north into Ohio if I have time.

Always good to get together with kid sister Karen. She and John have been getting the itch to get an RV, but she wants to go tiny so her husband's truck can do the deal. I did point her to the Oliver website and she really likes that one - especially the one piece plastic wet bath. Could happen.

It looks like the casino's RV park will be my best place to stay. Other than that, I have a week to firm up my plans.

Good to hear from you again!

Paula

[loudruff]

We would love to see you if you get close. We are just sw of Cleveland in LaGrange. You can google it. If you do get toward the area, let us know. We have a nice big driveway!