So What Did I Miss?
Being in the hospital for all of February, March & April you tend to miss what is going on. Sure at the end of February I got internet access but not all subtle little things make it to the web — especially while I am out of commission. I did notice a few things coming back into town on Wednesday and when I went to dinner with friends on Wednesday evening.
Ameren is constructing a pedestrian bridge over 18th/Truman Prkwy so that employees can walk to their cars without stepping foot on a public sidewalk. I’m sure safety was the argument but if the area had something besides acres of parking and a fairly inactive corporate HQ the area would be safer. Starting prior to my stroke and continuing for some time construction crews had the sidewalk totally blocked. With only the West side of the 18th street viaduct having a sidewalk pedestrians had only one North-South option. ADA requires an accessible route be maintained even during construction. I will have a follow-up post on this project (w/pictures) in the near future.
The Drury Inn is now open at I-44 & Hampton. Ick. More generic roadside crap in our city. At quick glance it appears to not have proper connections to the public sidewalks but I’ll have to check that out.
The KFC on South Grand near Gravois got a face lift.
We seem to have once again been competing with Chicago, this time for homicides in a given period. I think they won.
So now is your chance to fill me in on things big and small that I might have missed these last three months.
Some of us drank moderate amounts of alcoholic beverages at 3 different local establishments with Drinks & Mortar.
‘The Drury Inn is now open at I-44 & Hampton. Ick. More generic roadside crap in our city.”
Research shows there was a need for that area, which basically means…visitors to st.louis.
it’s not all bad. not everyone can afford the nicer hotels downtown and south city is a viable option for families(especially with proximity to forest park and it’s attractions). the other hotels in that area are not so great (minus the newer hampton inn… basically on 40)
You missed the Mardi Gras Presidential Primary …. the usual lot of building demolitions, including the Medical Building at West Pine & Euclid, amazing how fast that happened …. and days and days of rain ….
Dooley’s closed. Also, are you going to write about WashU’s proposed expansion and demolition of Ittner’s Shriner’s Hospital and CID?
The minaret tower at the Islamic Center on Lansdowne is now done. It looks fabulous.
At Hampton Village Plaza, a 24hr Club Fitness is opening up in a matter of days. It sits between the China buffet and Lane Bryant. Location, location, location!
I believe the sculpture park for the gateway mall cut ground last month. Time will only tell what will come of that. I’m not holding my breath.
The new Drury went out of their way to appease the neighborhood, even giving neighbors first chance at some jobs and favors for the neighbors that are UNHEARD of in this day and age. As long as the sidewalks get completed correctly I have no bitch about it, I would rather stay there than an out of state chain like the Red Roof! Drury, as a hotel chain, is probably the most sincere about preserving older and/or historic buildings too.
and you can bring in your pet with you at all Drury’s. Our pup appreciates that.
The blockbusting of St Louis Place has picked up speed. Last week, we lost 1951 St Louis Ave, demo by city-sanctioned brick thieves with the resident still living there. This weekend we return to the eighties with a massive arson spree mysteriously occurring in just *exactly* the area Paul McKee would like to redevelop without all the fuss and expense of eminent domain.
Barbara
Barbara,
You have also had your hands full apparently with an arsonist. Any clue as to the whearabouts and who owned the properties. I have my speculations but i will keep that to myself. Would be interesting to know who owned them and if they were of any historical signifigance.
Jason
From Sunday’s P-D
[slp — I removed the link as it was broken anyway. Also the P-D links only work for a week or so and these posts live on forever.]
Also, there was at least one more fire last night at 2206 Hebert, which is owned by one of McKee’s many shell companies.
Barbara
And why do Reed and Green now need city-funded bodyguards (550 AM this morning)?
Looks like Alderwoman Marlene Davis is giving away the streets and alleys of Midtown to SLU for their new parking lots…
http://stlcin.missouri.org/alderman/bbDetail.cfm?BBId=3849
http://stlcin.missouri.org/alderman/bbDetail.cfm?BBId=3860
Dooley’s is gone?!? Damn that’s too bad. I enjoyed many burgers there when I lived downtown. I always thought the place had potential. Downtown just doesn’t have enough foot traffic to keep it going I guess.
There have been quite a few hate crimes committed against Islamic building in south city since you left. There was a small dust up over Bar Roma’s (on Hampton across the street from the Buder Library) application for a 3AM liquor license. And it looks like there are (really steep) sidewalks finally at your favorite Loughborough development.
You only missed falling prices as the average value of a home sale in the Lou fell to $84,500 from $120,500 in the last year. Forbes list of riskiest real estate markets are Detroit, Orlando, Cleveland, and St Louis. Factors used include foreclosures, lack of job growth, transaction volume and vacancy/inventory rates. The SOS continues unabated.
Heard anything about the possible upcoming bus drivers’ strike? A fellow bus rider mentioned it to me Wednesday and on the Delmar this morning and the driver paused alongside the City Limits bus to ask the other driver if he/she had a copy of the contract… I haven’t heard anything official about this, but I’ve been missing the news lately.