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Sweet Sixteen Games in St. Louis

By on March 22, 2012 in Events, South County, St. Louis City, The Weekender, West County

This Friday, March 23rd, I will be watching 2 of the Sweet Sixteen games at the Edward Jones Dome right here in St. Louis! Pretty awesome!

My company created a group bracket as part of the ESPN NCAA Challenge and I’m still in it! Surprising considering I don’t follow basketball, had no idea who the teams were and started choosing my teams an hour before the bracket had to be completed. But I still have my Elite 8 and I am currently in the lead for the most possible points. Yes, I know I’m probably getting cursed at right now as you’re reading this…that is if you’re a basketball fan. However, because I’m still in it , I’m excited to get to see a couple of the games first-hand (FYI-I have Kansas beating NC State and UNC beating Ohio).

If you’re excited to see your bracket picks in action, I have good news…there are still tickets left. You can still get tickets to see Kansas play NC State and UNC  play Ohio on Friday, March 23rd at 6:45pm at the Edward Jones Dome.

If you’re more excited about the Elite 8, more good news! You can still get those tickets too!  The Elite 8 game is on Sunday, March 25th at 1:00pm at the Edward Jones Dome.

Or if you’d rather spend your money on beer while watching the games for free, there are plenty of great sports bars that are sure to be a good time this weekend during the NCAA March Madness celebration:

Three Sixty rooftop bar, one of the hot new bars in downtown St. Louis, with, from what I’ve heard, the most spectacular views of downtown and the arch. The bar will be packed with sports fans and they have plenty of t.v.s for you to enjoy.

Stadium Sports Bar and Grill located in Lumiere Place Casino. It has tons of tvs and it’s a really big bar for those “I need my space” types.

HotShots Sports Bar and Grill has several locations from downtown to St. Charles. *FYI-the downtown location does not do Happy Hour specials on game days

McGurk’s Irish Pub and Garden located in Soulard. This bar is huge! They have 3 bars (possibly 4), and 2 of them are in this huge tent, plus tons of tvs everywhere, and an outdoor patio if you want to hang out before the games.

Helen Fitzgerald’s Irish Bar and Grill has t.v.’s all over the bar and offers great Happy Hour specials.

The Post Sports Bar and Grill is located in Maplewood. They have lots of t.v.’s and great happy hour specials…and great reviews from RFT and UrbanSpoon.

The Jive and Wail Piano Bar in downtown St. Louis isn’t a sports bar, but has been raving that they are a great place to hang out for March Madness games. They do have some high def flat screen t.v.’s and will also have their piano performers keeping the party going.

Flannery’s Pub located on Washington Ave in downtown St. Louis. It’s a smaller bar but it’s sports oriented and they have plenty of t.v.’s so if you can get there early and get a good seat at the bar, you win.

Happy March Madness! Go

Brought to you by Mills Properties
Photos courtesy of rockchalktalk,  freeextras, & nextagnews

 

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Don’t Be An Amateur, Have A Plan On Grand Parade Day

By on February 16, 2012 in Central St. Louis County, Events, Featured, How To, North County, South County, St. Louis City, The Weekender

This Saturday brings us the flagship event of the Mardi Gras season in St. Louis, the River City Casino Grand Parade. Attendance varies greatly based on the weather, but I guarantee you there will be a lot of people down in Soulard. Parade starts at 11am over by Busch Stadium and runs south along Broadway to Anheuser-Busch. The best places to actually be close to the parade and see everying will be closer to the start or end of the parade. The thicker crowds will likely be between the Soulard Farmer’s Market and Russell Blvd in Soulard. Keep in mind that while crowds may be lighter on the East side of Broadway along the parade route, you won’t be able to cross over into Soulard while the parade is going on.

Here are a list of things that will keep you from looking like an idiot on Saturday:

Don’t think you are going to drive to Soulard.  Find a bar offering a shuttle or take public transit.  Metro is offering a $5 shuttle from the Civic Center Metrolink station to Soulard.  Do this. That’s the Scottrade Center stop for those of you not familiar.

Bring cash. ATMs have been brought in for the occasion, but get cash before you come down, even if it is just to avoid service fees. Some booths will be accepting plastic using Square, but still it is advised you bring cash.

Have a plan. Sure, you could just wander around and pay full price for beer and food.  Why not  get your ticket to the Bud Light Party Tent- $100. Don’t let the price fool you, this is worth every penny.  The heated tents hold 2,000 people and plenty of portable bathrooms are available only to those with the wristbands.  If you haven’t been down before, you know this alone is worth the money.  Also, it’s all-inclusive so, eat and drink away. You must order by Friday at 5pm, no sales at the door.  Here’s a list of some other packages available. Also, the Soulard Oktoberfest organization is throwing a party right off Russell.

Read the DO’s and DON’Ts. Don’t plan on bringing a backpack full of food and snacks.  Not allowed. Drinks should all be in plastic cups or the like.

Bring a camera. As someone who has read up and prepared for the day, you don’t want to miss capturing memories of those who didn’t. Yes, I know your phone can take pictures, but you don’t want to drain your battery.  That leads me to my next suggestion.

Charge your phone, but don’t rely on it. While AT&T and Verizon both have rolled in temporary towers for the festitivities, you never know how service is going to be.

Remember people live in Soulard. If you get busted doing something you wouldn’t do in your own neighborhood, be prepared to pay the price.

Get in line before you actually have to use the bathroom.  This one will take some planning, but you really don’t want to be at the back of a line 20 deep when you really have to go. If you have ever been in that situation, the $100 packages with private bathrooms look like a steal. Soulard residents have been known to keep buckets of water or hoses handy to deal with those using their alley or siding like a dog uses a tree. While the weather looks like it will be nice on Saturday, I bet being drenched still wouldn’t be pleasant.

If you didn’t read any of the things I wrote above, at least watch this video

Both iLoveSoulard and @STLMardiGras will be updated throughout the day with pertinent information and pictures

The most important thing on Saturday is to have fun responsibly. Believe me, there are far too many repercussions from not being responsible.

Reminder: If you are a Soulard resident and didn’t get your parking permit in the mail, make sure to run by the Mardi Gras Inc office to pick yours up.  Don’t try to swing by there on Saturday morning…it will be too late.

Do you have anything to add? Any questions or comments?

Post brought to you by Mills Properties

Photo courtesy of iLoveSoulard.com

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Run a St. Louis Marathon With Me…Ok a Half Marathon

By on February 10, 2012 in Events, North County, South County, St. Louis City, The Weekender, West County

With Lindsay’s recent post on her bucket list and Keith’s on losing weight I thought this would be a good addition.  My goal is not to lose weight; although that’s bound to happen, this is a bucket list item for me and I think this year it’s time.

Starting early spring and into late fall there seems to be 5k after 5k in St. Louis. I’ve always wanted to run in one but so far it’s never happened.  Even more intriguing to me are the marathons. I’ve always seen people who run marathons and thought about what an amazing accomplishment that must feel like, what dedication that takes to get yourself to the level that you can do that.  I used to run. It felt so good.  Like with most people I’m not really sure why I stopped but it’s been years, well…it had been years until a few months ago when my husband decided to take up running as a part of his fitness routine.  That gave me the push to start again three weeks ago.

That first run burned my lungs and left me gasping for air.  Slowly I’ve been building up…very slowly.  I love a runner’s high. I love adding even 1 minute to my running time or a slight increase to my speed.  I’m building up very slowly. The last thing I need is an injury to put me down.  I want to be able to run a 5k (about 3 miles) as my regular run by the end of February,  run that amount 3x times per week through March and April, then start training for a half marathon.  My husband has agreed to run a half with me, though I’m not entirely convinced that he really wants to.  I want a finisher’s medal.  In looking for half marathons, I came across a bunch in St. Louis this year and even more 5k’s. Here’s a list of the ones I found most interesting.

February:

Run for the Chocolate on February 12th: Man I wish I was ready to run.  Racers will be categorized by age and relationship status.  With “singles” and “off the market” wearing different shirts.  The website says this will help you determine who you can flirt with after the race.  This one is a 5k.

Truffle Shuffle on February 18th: Lots of chocolate for runners this month.  This race is held in St. Charles and who wouldn’t love a race sponsored by Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Factory?  Honestly as a child of The Goonies era it is the name alone that attracted me to this race.  This one is a 4 mile road race.

The Sandmine Challenge on February 25th:  Oh my goodness, this is totally going on the list for 2013.  This looks over the top amazing.  It’s a race in a CAVE!!!  It’s an old sandmine in Crystal City so it’s one of a few that have caught my eye outside the metro area.  Check out the video.  This is a 4 mile run in sand.

March:

St. Patrick’s Day Run 3/17:  This is a big one with over 13,000 participants.  Run goes through downtown St. Louis.  This is a 5 mile run.

Alton Half Marathon 3/24:  I’m thinking about the 5k that goes with this one. Several things attracted me to this race.  One, I live on that side of the river so this is basically in my backyard.  Two, it’s half the price of most of the St. Louis marathons. Three, it isn’t normally too crowded.  You may have noticed from my lack of detail above that I’m not totally impressed with a crowded run with nothing special involved.  This one has amazing river views including a run across the Clark bridge over the Mississippi.  This is a 1/2 marathon and a 5k.

April:

RUN4MS  on April 7:  A run through Kirkwood. This is one of many runs put on by Missouri Running Company.  This is a 4 mile run.

GO! St. Louis on April 14: This one has something for anyone who wants to run.  It’s a whole weekend of fitness. They have a 5k, a half marathon, full marathon and a relay marathon.

So I’ve only made it through April and this post is getting too long. I’ll catch up with you again around time for the Go! St. Louis to make sure I am still motivated and fill you in on the rest of the great runs, including my goal Rock N Roll marathon in October.

Lindsay, if you want this off your bucket list you are welcome to join me, plenty of time to prepare.  In fact I’d love all the runners from Mills to join me, maybe some cool green “Team Mills” jerseys?

Brought to you by Mills Properties
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Widening the gap

By on December 28, 2011 in Central St. Louis County, Edwardsville, North County, South County, St. Louis City

I heard yet another story this morning of the mass amounts of cuts to the education system due to the economy.  Services being cut, athletic departments shrunk, music programs cut, and teachers being laid off.  It seems the story is the same time and time again.  The suggestion that caught my ear, one that I’ve heard before.  Have parents pay for sports, music, transportation etc.  The same issue I’ve heard before, in already flush school districts the parents can pick up this tab, but in already suffering school districts the parents simply can’t afford it.

I feel for this situation.  My husband and I bought a great house on a cute street in a lousy school district.  One year of our sons attending school was enough for us to pull them out and send them to private school.  We pay tuition, there is no transportation, we pay for participation in sports, lunches are more expensive if they don’t bring them from home, and I can’t tell you the endless ways we pay through donations.  Required time donations, donate money every other friday and the kids don’t have to wear uniforms and the list goes on and on.   We’re lucky, we can afford this.  Though I do admit some months it is hard.  Some months we question why so much money has to go out the door toward education when we are already paying property taxes. We marvel at how much could be going toward our financial goals if we didn’t pay this.  You would think that the property taxes on the billion (this amount is not based in fact) dollar refinery located in our district would make ours a school district flush with money.

The Occupy movement brought to the forefront of conversation the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots.  Doesn’t cutting education just widen this gap.  Kids of parents who can afford it continue to get the sports, the music the special education either because they are in a well to do district or because parents can afford to pick up the slack.  Kids in poor districts get it cut to bare bones.  Parents who can’t afford it are responsible to get their kids to school, no buses, what will this do to the rate at which kids miss school.  Music and sports get taken away, there goes the opportunity to continue their education through scholarships.  Class sizes increase and that kid who could be fully engaged with just a little extra push is left behind slowly slipping into the darkness of not understanding.

I don’t claim to be an expert on this subject or really fully understand how all this works, I’m just a parent hoping I’m making the right choices for my children, hoping that their opportunities are not shrunk by the ever-expanding gap.

Brought to you by Mills Properties

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The Land of Misfit Movies

By on December 12, 2011 in Movies, Pop Culture, South County, St. Louis City

There are very few things in life I leave the Island of Soulard for.  Family, hot dogs, and $1 stores are about the extent of it.  Sunday, I decided I wanted to see the new Footloose movie.  Seeing as I am a tad behind the times, I had to turn to the trusty Google to see if the movie was even playing on the silver screen still.  I typed in “movie showtimes 63104″ and let Google do its magic.  I had to go all the way to the second page of results before I found a showtime, but I found one.  I attribute this to my singing “Holding Out for a Hero” while the search was going on.  Some place called Keller Plaza Cine 8 was still playing Footloose, as well as The Smurfs, The Help, and Real Steel.

When seeing the address I was more confused than when I originally heard a Footloose remake was in the works.  I worked out in South County for two years off of Lemay Ferry and never noticed a movie theater. I looked at a map and figured finding it shouldn’t be a problem. They make smartphones for things like this and keeping me entertained during meetings.

I recruited a friend to go with me.  By “recruited”, I mean I bribed her with authentic Mexican food on Cherokee and then once she was already in the car and full it was either she walk home or see the movie with me.  More to come in future posts about my complete and utter lack of dating skills.

Of course I got lost getting to the theater. Luckily, while I was busy turning around we happened to see this sight, where without the streets, you see the theater up on a hill. It’s pretty much right across the street from the bowling alley.

Whenever I venture that close to the Jefferson County line, I’m never really surprised by anything I see. It’s a lot like going home to Lincoln County.

Pricing is pretty straight forward. It’s $3 for showings before 6pm and $4 after.  If you were to see someone in line arguing about the price, they should probably be punched in the face.

(Two side notes:  1) People are ridiculous and it probably happens  2) the world would be a much better place if more people got punched in the face when they did stupid things.)

Concessions are pretty cheap and Pepsi products are on tap.  Those are pretty much the only things I ask of a theater.  I paid $10 for two large drinks and a large popcorn that was bigger than my ego.

The cheap pricing isn’t the only thing that makes you think this theater is stuck in the past and should still be showing the original Footloose in all its Kevin Bacon awesomeness. The theater only takes cash.  Luckily, a credit union in the same plaza has an ATM in front of it.  The theater employees were happy to point us in that direction. The ATM very well may be the first ATM ever made, which is cool because that means the fee is only $2. The old school butter machine for the popcorn had me wondering if it had been there since 1984.

The butter machine for the popcorn

The actual theater was laid out pretty well and clean.  I was surprised there were actually other people at our showing.  I mean, great minds think alike so, I shouldn’t have been surprised.

The movie was actually pretty good.  I admit I was a little hesitant to see it when I first heard about it.  If the original Footloose had never been made, this movie would be a must-see.  The world would be a much darker place though, so I guess it’s for the best.  Kenny Wormald does a sufficient job in the Ren MacCormack role and Miles Teller is hillarious as Willard.  Julianne Hough makes red cowboy boots look like the greatest things to ever be worn by a member of the female population.

Two downsides of the movie are the soundtrack and the casting of Andie MacDowell in the Vi Moore role.  I guess they were trying to give the soundtrack a little touch of “hipster” for the remake, but it didn’t tickle my fancy. Vi Moore isn’t too big of a part in the movie, but I would have rather seen someone else in that role, like Reba McEntire.

Is there a movie you are a little late to the party on?  Check the showtimes at Keller Plaza Cine 8 and maybe you can still catch it on the big screen. Just remember to bring cash and dress warm if it’s cold outside, $4 movies don’t pay the heating bill.

Brought to you by Mills Properties

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My Favorite Christmas Movies

By on November 30, 2011 in Movies, Pop Culture, South County

With Thanksgiving over, I now feel that I can openly talk about getting geared up for Christmas!  I am sure many of you have already decked the halls and put up your tree (or maybe not).  In order for me to begin all the holiday festivities, I have to start with some really cheesy Christmas movies!  Mine tend to have a Dolly Parton bias but they are all must-haves!  (If you don’t like Dolly, skip numbers 2 & 4 :))

#1 – White Christmas!  In my opinion, the best Christmas movie ever, period.  I have watched it every year since I was 6 years old.  Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby, Vera Ellen, and Rosemary Clooney make my heart melt.  I will be singing “Sisters” and “Mandy” for weeks!

#2 – Kenny & Dolly A Christmas to Remember!  I know what you are thinking….REALLY?  It is from 1984 and it was a television special and I only have it on VHS and still have some of the funny commercials.  It is classic and awesomely 80′s!  It is songs from the Christmas album acted out with singing and dancing – amazing!  There really is something about a Dolly and Kenny Christmas song to get the season started.

#3 Christmas Vacation.  Pretty sure I don’t need to explain.  It is a must, so make sure this one is on your list!  This one I actually watch multiple times during the holidays!

#4 A Smoky Mountain Christmas.  Another vote that is likely only my preference, but it is super cute!  Full of mountain magic and the true meaning of the season.  Disclaimer: You may be overwhelmed by cheesiness but fight through it.

#5 The Muppet Christmas Carol.  Who doesn’t need a dose of the muppets to get Christmas started?  Kermit the Frog is a perfect Bob Cratchit.

So a few honorable mentions: Unlikely Angel (warning: Dolly movie), Scrooged, and Home Alone.  Notice I didn’t mention a few of the classics…I am not a huge fan of A Christmas Story – I apologize!

What are your top 5 Christmas movies???

Photos courtesy of dvdbeaver.com & ioffer.com
Brought to you by Mills Properties 
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