I love most restaurants but like everyone else, a few stand out in my mind as favorites. Additionally, getting a good deal is always a bonus.

The places I mention below prove that food doesn’t need to be fancy to be good. It can be as simple as putting love in your pies, adding whimsy to hot dogs or cooking a burger just right — all of which will have people coming back for years to come.  ... Read More

Farmers markets are great places to pick up quality produce and specialty foods straight from the source, I also like the fact that you’re giving back to the farmers, growers, bakers, butchers, cheese makers and others who labor to supply us with tasty and (usually) healthy things to eat.

So when I ended up in St. Louis on a travel assignment, I made it a point to visit the Soulard Farmers Market, which has been in business in one form or another since—believe it or not—1779. 

The market is in Soulard, a riverside neighborhood just south of downtown. The area, with its old redbrick buildings, is a bit on the gritty side, but the location is convenient for a big-league market that serves as a vital link for regional farmers to get their products to the people. ... Read More

NEWS! I-29 is now mostly open. The FINAL update from the Iowa DOT website on Nov. 14 states that:

"I-29 was reopened to traffic on Sat, Oct. 8. Contractors are currently working on the bridge approach paving and pile stabilization under the northbound bridge at milepost 1.4. Temporary median crossovers are in place routing the north- and southbound traffic into the southbound lanes between mileposts 0.8 and 3.2, while the bridge construction work is performed. Work is expected to be completed this week."

With flooding along the Iowa/Missouri border, travelers using I-29  have been affected by detours and alternate routes.  Currently a 32-mile stretch of I-29 is closed between exit 24 (near Bartlett, Iowa) and MM 110 (Rockport, Mo. / jct 136). The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is recommending that travelers detour to Des Moines, Iowa, via I-80 and I-35. This detour, the first of three listed below, is also the recommended truck route to help reduce traffic along alternate routes. The pros and cons associated with the three detours between Omaha, Neb./Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Kansas City, Mo., are noted below. ... Read More

While most of my regular days involve visiting hotels for their yearly inspections then dining at a local restaurant, affording me somewhat of a routine, there is the odd day here or there that I get the opportunity to do and see something truly amazing and out of the ordinary.  I was lucky enough to have one of these experiences recently.

As another duty in my position as a AAA Inspector, I get the opportunity to visit and evaluate attractions. In the past, these attractions have ranged from civil war museums, nature centers and Segway experiences to wineries, auto museums and an inside look at Kauffman Stadium.  This week I was in the Springfield, Missouri, area and was tasked with evaluating Dickerson Park Zoo. ... Read More

Perhaps no single other point in the United States can claim to be more the crossroads of America than the confluence of two of its greatest rivers, the actual spot where the 2,541-mile Missouri River flows into the 2,320-mile Mississippi River (see note below*). Although not in the exact center of the country, the confluence is the moment when the two longest rivers in the country meet, and it is where Meriwether Lewis and William Clark moved away from what might in 1804 be accurately described as the very extent of the “known” world on their 8,000-mile-plus trek to reach the Pacific Ocean.

Standing at the edge of the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Missouri, watching the two waters combine and imaging this history and geographical uniqueness, is one of the nation’s finest things to do. St. Louis is fewer than 10 miles to the south. ... Read More

    
 One thing that struck me on a recent trip to St. Louis was how many different communities make up the metro area. Brentwood, Maplewood, Kirkwood, Des Peres, Creve Coeur … the list goes on. Then there are the city neighborhoods, like Soulard and the Central West End. It’s a real patchwork quilt, and it took me a while to get my bearings. But there was one place I knew I was going to check out—the Hill.  Anyone who knows me knows I’m into food. I’m not necessarily a foodie; I’m just into eating. And The Hill, St. Louis’ Italian neighborhood, is prized for its groceries, meat markets, bakeries and—big surprise—Italian restaurants.... Read More

I like to try as many different restaurants as I can when I’m traveling and try to stay away from nationwide chains, as I’d rather get a sampling of the local flavor.  In Kansas City, Missouri, I found three:  re:Verse, Winstead’s Diner and Fiorella’s Jack Stack.

re:Verse
Based on good reviews, I tried re:Verse (yes, that’s how the name is punctuated), ... Read More

The City Museum in St. Louis defies description…but I’m going to try. Imagine a museum built from the city itself, with a twist of the fantastic, a whopping dose of creativity and plenty of oddities thrown in for good measure. Comic strip artist Jennie Breeden described it as looking “like someone gave Peter Pan a blowtorch”. I’d have to agree. ... Read More

From the outside, the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis looks like a pretty, but unremarkable Byzantine style church. Weathered gray stone and a lack of ornate stained glass don’t set it apart from other St. Louis area churches. Inside, however, is a visual experience. Every inch is covered in tiny glass tiles arranged into mosaics depicting everything from the life of Saint Louis to the history of the Archdiocese. ... Read More

My list of must-see museums in Kansas City during my visit in July included the American Jazz Museum. It’s located in the 18th and Vine historic district, an area of Kansas City noted for its contributions to jazz. The museum is small but its colorful exhibits hold many treasures from the days when jazz was king in KC.

I’m a fan of many genres of music, ... Read More