Mine is not a high horse

I gave up the Parliament Lights on November 13, 2007. Cold turkey. If I didn't have kids I'd still be a blazin'.

So, Illinois went smoke free in restaurants and bars. Will Missouri ever go this route? I doubt it. Missourians love their tobacco. We have the 2nd cheapest state taxes on cigarettes in the U.S. Here's my source.

New York $2.75/pack
New Jersey $2.58/pack
Massachusetts $2.51/pack
------------------------------------
Mississippi $0.18/pack
Missouri $0.17/pack
South Carolina $0.07/pack

Damn, North Carolina and Kentucky even have higher taxes than the old Show Me state.

Anyhow, as time goes by I am tempted less and less by the smokes. Recently, I was actually turned off a couple times; yet, I am not one to judge how someone else should or should not spend their evening. I think smoking is a personal right that everyone has, just like drinking.

If you want to smoke or drink or whatever, knock yourself out. Smoking has become a club. So why not keep the club alive, and make it an exclusive one at that. Why not market smoking-friendly environments to smokers and smoke-free environments to nonsmokers?

Let's face it, a smoky bar has it's allure. Smoking is fun. Smoking is dirty, bad and rebellious. Smoking and drinking go hand in hand for many. So why not have Missouri bypass the whole ban on smoking in restaurants and bars, and opt for a smokers only or non-smoking only law?

If a bar choses to be hip and/or badass it could be a smoking establishment with a sticker/sign on the front door announcing this fact. If you are the hard core or casual smoker, enter and have fun. Let freedom burn. I likes me the smell of stale cigarettes at Courtesy. It makes the stale pie and coffee taste better. It makes the jukebox better.

If you are the healthy or high horse type, you can make your moral judgement call and eat/drink only in smoke free environments.

No place shall have a non-smoking section. The rules will be clear. Let's maintain our state's long history and love for tobacco. Let's embrace smokers.

I don't think St. Louis is in a position to be turning potential patrons/residents away. If the suburbs ban smoking, let's be the ones to (selectively) keep it alive.

I'm sure this is not a novel concept, but merely one that been on my mind.

Jury Duty

I spent 1.5 days downtown recently for jury duty. I didn't get selected but I got to the courtroom and was part of the voir dire.

I've never been called for jury duty before so this was a novel, if not interesting experience for me. Anyhow, here are some observations from my 2 days away from work:

1. I really enjoy riding the Metrolink. Scooter from home to Shrewsbury stop, train to Civic Center stop. It takes a lot of time to get there, but the ride is enjoyable. Working in the exurbs for ~14 years has made me a robot. Commuting in the city is way more interesting, flexible, fun and relaxing. My stress level is nill when the iPod is going and I'm reading a book or watching the city pass by. Driving from So. City to Chesterfield is hell. I am getting to the point where I'm considering serious salary cuts just to work closer to my home.

2. Downtown at lunch was hopping. Never, never thought I'd say this. I mean, as much street level activity as any other big city in the U.S. There was a particular area, 9th street I believe, between Olive and Pine that was really alive. What a pleasant surprise. I guess, in many ways, Downtown really has arrived. I hope the momentum continues.

3. It's amazing how many of us, as STL citizens have been touched by crime in our lives. On the official jurors form, you have to check a box if you have been a victim of a crime. I didn't check mine.

However, during the voir dire, nearly all the prospective jurors had to explain why they checked the box. It got kind of personal in many cases. This is a violent country we live in and the city is an honest representation of this fact. Anyhow, after hearing what other people described as crimes, I had to change my mind and bring up the fact that I guess I've had crimes committed against me, even though I didn't check the box.

I would guess that ~20% have had their cars stolen. ~15% had been mugged and assaulted. ~40% had experienced abuse of some kind. Many, many have a distrust for the police. I've always known STL was a violent place, but this kind of hammered it home.

I don't really consider car break ins or garage break ins as crime. In many cases, it's partially the owners fault for being stupid. My car had gotten broken into so many times at one of my prior residences, that I quit locking the doors, so the assholes could rummage through without breaking my locks or windows. I got smart and secured my home entry doors. I got smart and never (ever) keep valuables in my car. I figured that was an urban lesson to be learned.

On a side note, gangstas don't bother with pennies (nickels, dimes and quarters yes). Cassette tapes, forget about it. I did have a friend who's car was stolen and they even took his newly purchased diapers out of the trunk. That's cold. I was reminded of Raising Arizona. This might be one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

Boulevard Heights Progress

I have posted before about the intriguing Boulevard Heights housing project in the 12th ward. The site is located between Blow St. and Robert Ave. on the far southside of the City.

Here's a bird's eye view of the site plan:

I like the trees, alleys, closeness of the homes to each other and the street. I really like the townhomes, I believe the site refers to them as "the Nottingham":

I hope this site gets fully developed. It will add a lot of life to this part of Boulevard Heights.

Here are some progress photos:

More thoughts on the underdog

I really love my neighborhood and city. It's got a lot of problems and I think about how better it would be if we didn't have these problems. But then again, if I love her now, why fret over it?

I'm not laying down my arms or retiring my will to fight to make this place better. It's just that I've come to expect and eventually become used to failures and disappointments. Maybe that's healthy. Maybe that's naive, maybe it's defeatist. I can't really tell.

All I know for sure is that I continue to meet great and down to earth people here. I think St. Louis citizens have a common appreciation and respect for their sense of place. I think we are more united in our needs, expectation and desires.

I don't get a feel for this commonality in Creve Couer, Des Peres, Chesterfield, Ellisville, Ballwin and some of the other towns I spend lots of time in due to my job. Maybe it's there and I just don't get it. I just don't relate to the St. Louis County experience. I just don't see what's so great about the burbs. Obviously, it's the popular choice for most in the region. But I find it way to generic at best, unpalatable at worst. Most of these little suburban cities have no identity.

That's not to say some cities in the County are all bad. Maplewood, Clayton and University City are exceptions.

The Perfect Automotive Shit Storm

I am of the auto generation. I was raised on cheap gas. If you didn't have a car in high school, you were nobody. However, now I find myself irate with my addiction to the car.

Cars are a financial disaster. They are very expensive to own, maintain and now operate. Insurance, safety inspections, emissions inspections, tires, brakes, you name it. They are money pits. Every car I've ever owned, I ended up hating. Here's the list of offenders that have jaded me over the years, including the reason for it's demise:

1980 Ford Mustang (orange with maroon interior...a hot look for hot times)
-Hole in the floorboard (convenient and fun way to get rid of cigarette butts), overheating
1985 Dodge Omni GLH Turbo
-Engine was running funny, pulled over, popped the hood, engine block was glowing orange
1991 Chevy Lumina (a hooptie if you will)
-Fuel injection went out
1995 Saturn SL
-The first new car I've owned, eventually (~130,000 miles) overheated with head gasket issues
1992 Dodge Dakota
-Total piece of shit, gas hog, overheating
2001 Toyota Carola
-used qt. of oil every couple weeks
2001 Chevy Venture
-intake manifold gasket, transmission
2000 Saturn LW1
-so far so good @ 120,000 miles. It is starting to run hot though.




The point I'm trying to make is that I feel trapped in the auto web. The Chevy Venture outage made us go with a new Toyota minivan. The Saturn is getting old too. It's only a matter of time. I like Honda Fit, Nissan Versa and Toyota Yaris, but we can't handle 2 car payments at once.



My options are go to one car, work closer to home, or constantly drive a hooptie.


I live 22 miles from work. Something has got to give. We need more biology/biotech jobs in the city.




Anyone out there work at Solae or Sigma? If so, what do you think of it?

Top 3 activities to improve the city

I often think about the most noble efforts that could provide the greatest improvement to the city.

Outside of educating people on good development (something I'm learning from reading urbanreviewstl and ecology of absence blogs), here are my thoughts:

1. Rehabbing a property that is currently out of use to one that will be in use.
2. Opening a business/creating jobs in the city.
3. Sending your kids to the public schools.

I think #1 and 2 go hand in hand. If we had more attractive housing, there would be more people. If we had more jobs, there would be more people/activity/tax base. Rehabbing our fabulous housing stock is in my mind the most important thing you can do for the city. Since the city's population has precipitously declined since her hey day, it is also noble to take 4 families down to 2, or 2 families down to single family homes. Creating a livable, respectful space out of ramshackle dump amazing. We need more of this on every scale.

#3 is also at the front of my mind. So many urban minded people leave this town when their kids get to school age. Many of them don't even try the schools before they leave. They choose to be part of the problem, not the solution. In my mind it is apparent that responsible, active parents are less likely to put up with incompetence and b.s. when it come to the teachers and students currently in the schools. The school system is less in need of more money or newer schools, what they simply need are more kids with parents that give a shit. Parents that will fight to make the places better. Parents that aren't scared to speak up. Parents that teach their kids self respect at home will go to school armed with self confidence and pride. Those kind of families need to fill up the halls and classrooms with their kids....not run to the private schools, parochial schools and the suburbs.

What makes a good street?

My wife and I have lived in St. Louis since 1994. We've rented/owned in Soulard, Dutchtown, Holly Hills, Kingshighway Hills and Boulevard Heights.

We are beginning the search for a new home. Actually, we are looking for the perfect home, street and neighborhood to move into in ~2-3 years.

My 49cc scooter allows me to zip around the city at all times of day/night to investigate the various neighborhoods and streets.

I really like Tower Grove South and East. I like Shaw, Lafayette Square and Compton Heights. Carondelet, Gravois Park, Benton Park, Fox Park are cool too, but we're looking for a little more street life and services/businesses.

I like the Hill, St. Louis Hills, Southtown, North Hampton, Holly Hills; but we're ready for a change.

Here's a list of items that are must haves for us to relocate to:

1. tree lined streets
2. coffee shop within walking distance
3. decent bar within walking distance (not a sports bar or hoosier joint)
4. at least 3 independent, tasty dining options within walking distance
5. community garden within walking distance
6. majority housing stock pre-1940
7. continuity with it's surroundings (not sided homes on one street, brick on the other)
8. park within walking distance
9. off-street parking with alley-garage

What makes the perfect neighborhood or street for you?

Gen X Yuppies?

The first I heard the term yuppie was back in the 1980's. I thought it meant people like Michael Keaton on Family Ties, or on the other side of the spectrum, those people in L.A. Law. I think of the term yuppie tied specifically to baby boomers.

I thought they were aged hippies. I thought they were self absorbed ladder climbers hell bent on making as much money in as little time as possible. I thought they ate pink tofu. I thought they wore trendy designer clothes. I thought they had cheezy hair cuts. I thought I rebelled against them in my SST, Sub Pop days.

Maybe I was wrong. Or, maybe I'm a yuppie. By definition on wikipedia: The term yuppie (short for "young urban professional" or "young upwardly-mobile professional")[1] refers to a market segment whose consumers are characterized as self-reliant, financially secure individualists.[2] Since the late 1980s, the phrase "affluent professionals" has been used as a synonym, stripped of negative associations with the once-homogenous market.[3]

Hold on....young urban professional? That's a good thing right? That's what the City needs more of (in spades). But do people my age and younger still have a negative, baby-boomer, connection with the term?


I was recently having a conversation with a fellow city dweller regarding bowling alleys in the region. We were both lamenting over the loss of Redbird Lanes, Carriage Bowl and other alleys in the City. I asked him if he's been to the Flamingo Bowl downtown. We had a kids birthday party there and I was really impressed. His reaction was not the same. He called it a yuppie bowling alley. He dismissed it as expensive and soul-lessly swanky.

Everyone is due their opinion (that's what these blogs are for, right?). However, I was kind of surprised to have a place I considered cool described as a yuppie spot. Maybe he was right though. I did spot a couple people that I would consider urban professionals; even young upwardly mobile professional would apply as well.

Should I retire or rethink my negative connotation around the term yuppie? Can Gen-Xers be yuppies? Do I have yuppie tastes? Is the city trying to lure yuppies? Is downtown too yuppie?

Recycling In the City

I used to take advantage of curb side pickup. It was very convenient, but I decided to save some money and take my recyclables to one of the City's 26 drop off sites. I wouldn't be able to re-join the city curbside program even if I wanted to. They are maxed out on their participation. The city offers several zip codes discounted prices on curbside pickup, it is a cost shared with the refuse division. The website indicates that the maximum fund was reached.

Anyhow, I am very impressed with the amount and variety of items you can recycle.

In the last 6 months or so, they plastic recycling options have improved. Previously only 1's and 2's were accepted. Now 1's through 5's and 7's are acceptable. This make sorting much easier. Even though the majority of household items are 1's and 2's, 5's are becoming more and more prevalent.

Anyhow, I'm glad that I can recycle almost all of my plastics now. I wonder why the change was made. Is it a result of oil prices increasing, making recycling more economical? Is it a technology improvement? Is it supply/demand?

South Sider Experiences Another Positive Year in SLPS

Newsflash! Good things occur in the SLPS. My 6 year old rides the bus to school. He is the only one on the bus for >95% of the days. As a result, he formed a fairly close relationship with his bus driver Tonesha. They like each other. They talk.

Anyhow, we started talking to him about the school year winding down and things that will change over the next couple weeks. He wondered what would happen to his bus driver. He said he'd miss her. We would too. He drew her a picture (that's like cash money to a Kindergartener) and insisted that we give it to her. Turns out, she missed his last day of school and was replaced by a substitute driver. He came home in tears with his picture in hand. He was crushed that he couldn't give his bus driver his picture and well wishes for the summer.

My wife made a special trip up to school to make sure that Tonesha would get his picture. Apparently the message got to her, because she took the time to stop by our house (bus parked out in front) to say thanks and to return a gift to Ben. She gave him a card saying she loved his picture. She also gave him a gift of 2 little airplanes. He loves them. He is so proud. She is so sweet. We are so happy.

These are the success stories that rarely get to the mainstream populous. These are the good vibes that I feel in STL that don't get on the news or in the paper. These are worth their weight in gold when you're a parent. Fear not the SLPS. Give the system a chance before fear and ignorance send you to the burbs and the private schools.

Cu

Some asshole decided to break into the house on the street next to mine and steal all the copper pipes. He tore up the place in his lame ass quest.

What makes a person wake up in the morning, and start planning their copper heist? How hopeless must that be? What an asshole. What gives you the rite to think that's an acceptable way to spend your day? What does copper trade for these days? I've found that $10/lb sounds about right.

Anyhow, get a job and quick sneaking around people's homes.

STL Popular Recommendation

Here's a list of things I don't like that most people do when it comes to the Lou:

Ted Drewes I like that it's vibrant. I like that they keep the original one on Grand open (the one I go to). I like the mini-baseball hats at the STL Hills one. Heck, I like that so many people like this stuff. Sorry, I just don't get the product. Give me some ice cream or gelato.

Chris' pancakes Huh? Uncle Bills is weirder. Courtesy is weirder. Eat Rite is weirder. Buttery is weirder. So. City Diner is better.

Busch III Don't get me wrong, I love the Cards. Okay, we won a World Series here, that's great. But, until a stadium has sticky floors and smells like piss, I don't qualify it. Building concession stands, souvenir stands, etc out of those cheezy cinder block things is unacceptable in the Brick City.

Parades I just don't get it. Yeah, the kids like these things. But I don't. BFD

Hodaks I've yet to find a place in STL that has good, no great, fried fish. The chicken is good, but the fish is so-so.

I'm sure I'll add more later.

The New I-64

I recently noticed that MoDot is putting up those sound blocking walls in the inner ring suburbs near the I-170/I-64 interchange. I really hope they don't put these walls up along the interstate corridor in St. Louis. I think we need to show off the view of the city from the highways, not block it.

Hummers

Is it possible to be a thoughtful, considerate, intelligent person and drive a Hummer?

Chess vs. Sports

I have a six year old at Kennard Classical Junior Academy. I recently discovered that the school has a chess club. I thought about it for a moment. Would chess team be a good thing for him? Does he have the patience? Is it better than spending time/effort on Catholic sports little leagues (baseball and soccer)?

My son recently learned how to play chess from his older cousin. He is pretty into it at this point. I'm not really into chess, but maybe I need to start. The other day I was kind of day dreaming while we were playing and he beat me. In one fell swoop he came in with a bishop and took my king in a check mate situation. It was a wake up call on 2 fronts. One, I guess I need to take him more seriously. Two, I need to brush up my chess skills and nurture his progression if he's really into it.

Healthy Adult Crush

The Breeders are playing tomorrow night at Pops in Sauget, Illinois. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, the Breeders are playing tomorrow at Pops.....Ahhhhh.

All right that's enough. The Breeders are the only female led band that I can think of that rock hard with true originality. Can you challenge me on this? I am looking to be proven wrong. By rock, I mean in a Ramones, White Stripes, Rolling Stones, Husker Du way.

Janet Weiss, Kim Gordon, Kim and Kelley Deal....these are the best women in rock EVER. I am close to adding Carla Buzolich too. I'm just not there yet. Am I missing anyone?

Anyhow, I will be there tomorrow to see the Breeders for the first time in my life. I've also never been to Pop's.

Here's one of my favorite Kim Deal moments, covering Guided by Voices. Damn. Damn. That's kim in the red sweater. Yeah, that's kelly in the white sweater. Cooler than a well digger's ass. They define female rock cool like Keith Richards in 1968 defined male rock cool.

Local Bands

A much trusted old friend of mine casually played an album from a local band, Miles of Wire. I loved it. It was solid from start to finish. The singer had Jeff Tweedy inflections and intonations and they kind of had a Wiskeytown vibe, yet were very original. I tried to find this album, but it is not for sale on their website. The copy my friend played was burned and had no title. Anybody know anything about these guys? I'm tempted to go and see them.

What are the best St. Louis based bands/musicians of the last 10 years?

I'm certainly no expert, but here's some local shit that has made an impression with me over the years:

Son Volt
Chuck Berry and his daughter who plays a wicked harp.
Henry Townsend
Bennie Smith
Highway Matrons
Gentlemen Callers
Nadine

What am I missing?

Shop the City

Have you seen those stickers around town that say "Shop the City"?

I agree with the sentiment. I go out of my way not to spend money in the burbs.

I recently attempted to simplify my life by dropping the non-local bank and cell phone company I've done business with for years.

The last straw with the bank was that they built a brand new headquarters in a flood plain in Chesterfield. I realize money is not stored in banks, but on principal, I cannot trust my money with an institution that settles down in a high risk flood plain. That just seems counter intuitive to me.

Secondly, ATT seems to be a big employer in STL. I went with them, dropping Verizon who does not employ as many in the city.

Speaking of city related stickers, where would one pick up one of those oval shaped CITY stickers I see about town?

Peterman Reality Tour-STL Style

Yeah I like Seinfeld. I like Kramer. I know there is a real guy in NYC that Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David crafted the Kramer character after. The "real Kramer" does bus tours of the legendary Seinfeld sites in NYC.

I work in the burbs. Unfortunately. Most (~90%) of the people I work with live in the sub and exurbs. Most don't know STL at all. They know the city mainly as legend. An interesting yet scary place best left alone.

They just don't get it. They have no idea what St. Louis is like. Yet, they usually claim her namesake as home.

Is there a market to give reality tours of the STL I know and love? Would suburbanites be willing to pay money to see the real STL? Many of these people I work with are not from the metropolitan area. They see pictures I have of STL in my office and they'll ask "is that NYC?". Or, "wow, that beautiful where's that." I reply, that is STL, a city 25 miles from here. And you're right, it's beautiful.

Most county suburbanites have no clue what STL is about. Maybe we should reach out to them and spoon feed em and drive them around and show them what they are missing. Maybe we should show them the neighborhoods and local establishments that the vast majority of people don't know about.....Or, maybe they don't deserve to know. ...After all, Red Robin is acceptable cuisine to some of these folks.

Carondelet Rec Plex and Mayor Slay moving to Boulevard Heights

Today the Post Dispatch has an article on the new rec plex being built in Carondelet Park.

I am very optimistic on this deal. I think this will add to the quality of life and add to the property values of the area. But, this is St. Louis....there are going to be naysayers on this deal. Believe me. Let's break down the story in the Post, my comments are in bold italics:

'Bulldozers are making way for a $20.8 million recreation center in Carondelet Park that is designed to give city residents a suburban-style place to heft weights and zip down a water slide.'

Some will complain about the loss of trees. High winds and lightning take out old-growth trees too, at least we get some progress on the loss of these old beauties. Remember, trees are a renewable resource.

Suburban-style? What does that mean?

The Southside Community Center, within view of Interstate 55, will have indoor and outdoor swimming and water park features. Its two-story building will include two basketball courts, weight and exercise rooms, an overhead jogging track and general meeting rooms.

This is great. The Southside needs an option for swimming. The indoor pool at the Carondelet YMCA is very small, but serves it's purpose. There currently is no outdoor pool. There is a pool at the Concordia Turner building though. I would imagine they will find it even harder to compete when this opens.

The YMCA of Greater St. Louis is in line to manage the gym and swim parts through membership fees, but the general meeting areas will be open to all residents.

"We're trying to provide some of the amenities that people have in St. Louis County, and make city living that much more attractive," said Alderman Fred Wessels.

Agreed. Loughborough Common also did that, for better or worse.

Scheduled for groundbreaking this fall is a similar center in O'Fallon Park, on the city's north side. Both are being built through a one-eighth-cent sales tax that city voters adopted in 2006.

Will the YMCA run the North Side center? Will their prices be the same. Will there facility be comparable? I certainly hope so.

Mayor Francis Slay, who is moving soon to a new home just south of Carondelet Park, plans to be among the center's first members, a spokesman said. Slay said city residents will be getting "high quality" recreation complexes.

Now this is the big story of the article in my opinion. Let me first say that I am not criticizing where a man chooses to live. I too live in the 12th ward where Slay is moving to. I believe he is moving to the Boulevard Heights new housing development. This kind of confirms was other bloggers say....Slay is a wanna be suburbanite. He could live anywhere in the city he wanted. He did not choose a uniquely St. Louis neighborhood like Downtown, Compton Heights, CWE, TGS, you name it. Instead he chose the most conservative, suburban like neighborhood in the city. I am not criticizing his personal choice. I kind of like the condos in this dev. as I've stated in previous posts.

Politically, this is kind of strange to me. He chose the furthest south reaches of the city. He chose a new housing development that mimics suburban designs. He chose the only GOP led district (Heitert's the only Republican alderman).

Does anyone else think that's a little strange? At least from a political standpoint?