The Old Folks Home

[vehve]

Quote: Yeah, they're pretty well known here. They have a office in the same building my hairdresser friend has set up her shop, they're usually out for a smoke when I go to get my hair cut. I'm not that much of a fan of their work though.

 

[Cynthia12]

You have a lot of contacts there.

I can't help it...LOL...

 

[Cynthia12]

So Vehve is a guy? Married to Karin?

I was wondering the same thing!! What?

 

[vehve]

Quote: In my avatar you can see me (Felix) to the right, and Karin to the left. She's my significant other, as we haven't gotten married yet. And yes, I'm a guy.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It must have been pretty bad, it even made the radio news around here on the channel I usually listen to, and they usually only go with 4-5 stories.

Interesting to learn about St. Louis, so far the only thing I've known is that the St. Louis arch is designed by a Finnish architect.

You would know that.

Every incorporated city in the US except St. Louis and one other that I can't remember can annex new land from the county where it is located with a majority vote of both its citizens and those of the area to be annexed as its urban sprawl grows. Usually these votes come back positive because people think they'll get more services being inside a city limit. More ordinances usually come with incorporation though.
St. Louis can't do that because the city and county residents/powers that be got mad at each other in the mid 1800s. When Missouri became a state in 1821, St. Louis County was created from the boundaries of the former St. Louis subdistrict of the Missouri Territory; St. Louis city existed within the county. Starting in the 1850s, rural county voters presented grievances on taxation in the St. Louis County court.
In 1867, the county court was given power to assess and collect property tax revenue from St. Louis city property, providing a financial boon to the county government while depriving city government of revenues.
After this power transfer, St. Louisans in the city began to favor one of three options: greater representation on the county court via charter changes, city-county consolidation or urban secession.
At a Missouri state constitutional convention in 1875, delegates from the region agreed on a separation plan. A Board of Freeholders from St. Louis county and city reorganized boundaries and proposed a final plan of separation in mid-1876. The new city charter also tripled the size of the city to include the new rural parks (such as Forest Park) and the useful riverfront from the Missouri–Mississippi confluence to the mouth of the River Des Peres.
After a fraudulent election initially showed a rejection of the plan, a recount in December showed voters had approved the separation.

What you should also know about St. Louis is that it was founded in 1764 by fur traders Pierre Laclede and Auguste Chouteau. For you Europeans, that's a long time ago by USA standards. In the late 19th century it was the 4th largest city in the US. It is still among the 20 largest metro areas.

With 100 parks inside the city including Forest Park - the largest at 1400 acres is twice the size of Central Park in New York. Forest Park is home to:
-the St. Louis Art Museum built as a palace of fine arts for the 1904 World's Fair exhibiting 30,000 works of art from antiquity to the present
-the St Louis Zoo, long considered one of the 3 best zoos in the country along with the San Diego zoo and the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. Our zoo is unique in the fact that it always has been and always will be free to the public. It is also a world leader in animal management, research, conservation, and education.
-the St. Louis Science Center, with over 750 exhibits, it is among the largest of its type in the country, one of the top 5 science centers in the United States. In 1991, it was the most visited science center in the world. Part of the complex is the Planetarium which has amazing celestial shows. The science center, like the zoo is free and one of only two science centers in the country with free general admission to the pubic.
-the Missouri History Museum showcases Missouri history and is also free.
-the Muny Amphitheatre, an open air venue for opera, musicals and theater seats 11,000 including 1500 free seats in the last 9 rows. It's in the midst of its 96th season it is the oldest and largest in the US.

One of my favorite places is the Missouri Botanical Garden, at 155 years it is the nation's oldest botanical garden in continuous operation. Always considered one of the best in the country, it has one of the second largest collection of orchids in the US. The Japanese garden is considered the finest outside of Japan. With its own library - globally recognized as one of the most comprehensive libraries of botanical literature. a printed work conservatory and book bindery to restore old botanical volumes, the Library began as a small collection of horticultural books owned by the Garden’s founder, Henry Shaw. Shaw augmented the collection through his friendships with leading 19th century naturalists, botanists, and other scientists. Today, through purchases and gifts, the collection has grown to more than 200,000 monographs and journals and 6,000 volumes of rare books, including many with full-size plant illustrations important to botanical, horticultural and natural history sciences.
The garden's show stopper is a geodesic dome called the Climatron. Covering half an acre, the conservatory is home to a rainforest-themed collection of 1,400 species of plants, such as banana, cacao, coffee and many wild-collected orchids, as well as a river aquarium with exotic fish. Pools and waterfalls complete the feel of a lush tropical rainforest.
The garden also operates the Butterfly House, Shaw Arboretum and the Earthways Center that provides resources on and educates the public about green practices, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and other sustainability matters. I've taught chicken classes there.
The garden is hiring a book conservator presently http://www.conservators-converse.org/2014/06/library-conservator-missouri-botanical-garden/

St Louis was once home to two major league baseball teams, the American League Browns which became the Baltimore Orioles and the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals have 19 national league pennants and with 11 world series titles are second only to the New York Yankees.

Lots more cool stuff besides cops killing kids and random violence.

 

[Cynthia12]

In my avatar you can see me (Felix) to the right, and Karin to the left. She's my significant other, as we haven't gotten married yet. And yes, I'm a guy.

A cute tall guy, with a cute hat. How tall are you?

 

[vehve]

@ChickenCanoe You are clearly proud of where you live, and you paint a pretty picture of St. Louis as a travel destination.

 

[vehve]

Quote: 1.86m, so that's about 6'2". The hat was a necessity, I bought it in a little city (Montepulciano maybe?) on the trip. All the sun was driving me crazy, and my sunglasses make me look even more like an idiot than the hat does. I'm not too thrilled about spending hundreds of euros on a pair of new ones though, so the hat was a more affordable option.

*Edit* Apparently 1.86m is just a tad over 6'1" actually.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

You guys had me laughing with the back and forth about gender and sin.

Now let me add to it:

Mr Finland with the big hat - is English your first language?

 

[Aronia]

Does anyone live near St. Catharines, ON?