Out on the Town

We had some really great fun this last weekend. The kids are up on all the trendy places to eat and hang-out. (Wow, that kind of slang really dates me) Erin really went all out on showing us some great spots. I think everyone in St. Louis was out Saturday, so there were no parking spots at a couple of places we wanted to try, but we did get into a great spot called "Vin de Set", which is somewhat close to the Arch. These murals were painted on the walls inside, but we headed out to the rooftop for drinks and coffee with a few crepes thrown in for good measure.

This picture is on the rooftop with the Arch in the background.

All that you can see of it is a tiny silver sliver over hubby's right shoulder.

It was all lit up, but hard to see in a photo.

Saturday morning we headed out for coffee at one of the neighborhood spots, Winslow Home. At one time it had been an old storefront, so they kept the idea and turned it in to a "general store" of sorts. They served bakery items and lunch and then had the best displays of home items, linens, chocolates, candies, stationary, etc. Tons of organic produce...really a cool place. The sunflowers were the largest I have seen, that came from the farm that morning.

Just look at that tin ceiling.

Then we headed to the "Central West End", which is kind of Hippie, Boho, Arty. You know the kind of place. Little pubs and outdoor cafes...antique shops..book stores...coffee shops, and oh my, a cupcake shop! It was a lot of walking and oogling and window shopping, so we stopped at an outside spot for a yummy little lunch.

The weather was PERFECT this last weekend with upper 70's and low 80's,

a bunch of little clouds and a heavenly breeze. perfect.

Great old buildings everywhere you looked.

These kids cannot take a bad picture!

Below is the storefront to one of Erin's favorite stores, "Cassie's". Here you can have perfumes, lotions, creams all mixed for you personally. I love her concoction of cherry-almond. Wonderful!
She was showcasing her "Harry Potter" potions here in the front window.

These are just a few of the hydrangea bushes that were everywhere in Forest Park.

These are a few of the houses in the neighborhood. Tudor Style has always

been my favorite, along with English Country furnishings.

I would have paid good money just to have been invited in for a tour

of some of these amazing places.

This looks like a place out of Hansel and Gretel or some other fairytale or nursery rhyme.

It is directly behind Erin and Keith.

Sunday we headed to the Galleria to have lunch at the Cheesecake Factory,

another beautiful day to eat al fresco.

Next to Forest Park at the Boathouse. Kayaks and paddleboats could be rented,

but we sat in the shade and sipped our favorite beverages.

St. Louis made diet root beer.

This was a dog-friendly zone, as is most of the park, so we had lots of laughs watching

all the dogs, and how they related to each other.

trying to cool off.

This guy was just too cute

We visited Anthropologie, where I found an awesome scarf,

Restoration Hardware, where I bought my favorite "Crack Cream" so good for dry skin, Brighton, where I just had to get new earrings, and Dillards,

where the salesman of the year talked my man into a new pair of great shoes...

not to mention tons of other great places, where I was so busy oohing

and aahing that I actually forgot to get my camera out.

St. Louis is amazingly beautiful with all the old buildings, and architecture,

great places to eat and shop.

Thanks for coming with us.

Debra

100 Years of History

Well, we finally made it to St. Louis!

Our daughter Erin, and her husband Keith, moved to an historic district in St. Louis last October. They both have demanding jobs, so this move was pretty intense for them. They had been looking for the right house for several years and pretty much knew where they wanted to be. Painting, re-plastering ceilings and walls, installing ceiling fans, insulation, drywalling, more painting, more plastering, roof work, landscaping, etc. Need I say more, a 100 year old house needs a lot of maintenance and TLC. So then we had Christmas, then my hostpital stay, and weeks of feeling bad, so now nine months later I finally get there.

Wow, it was worth the wait!

The area they live in is a few blocks away from Washington University, (Wash U, as the locals call it) and a few blocks from Forest Park, which was where the St. Louis World's Fair was located in 1904. It is absolutely gorgeous with 100 year old tree-lined streets, and lush landscapes. It's "Close-in"; University City, St. Louis, but in a lovely gated area.

Erin and Keith

This is inside the entry.
Stained glass front door with original square brass doorhandle.


Erin has a black Eastlake parlor table. Hmmm...wonder where she got that?

Entry and stairway

Beautiful marble floor in the entry way with my grandkitty, Boscoe. She is quite the Miss Congeniality, as you can see. I call her "the ignorer". She used to slap you every time you walked by, but she's mellowed somewhat.

Erin likes a palatte of grays, taupes, and darker colors. I think these are 10 foot ceilings, and original windows with the wavy glass panes. Keith's Mom is in the process of making their draperies. Yikes what a job!

She has a mixture of furniture, that she has tied together with black paint.

They have a little Modern edge to their decorating,

that keeps things unexpected.

These beautiful hardwood floors are throughout the house.

The kids call this the "Harry Potter" door. In reality it's their entry closet.

Living Room that connects to a large sunroom

through french doors.



"Curiosity Bookcases"

Authentic cow hide rug, you can see the brand.

Monstrous television, but movies sure are fun.

The ceilings are amazing in the sun room. They remind me of a Basillica.

Upstairs stair and hallway. I love the turned original spindles.

The upstairs bath that I used has the original sconces.

Marble window ledges.

Original claw foot tub and more marble floors

This room is above the sunroom on the second floor. They use it as an office,

and it has french doors into the Master Bedroom.

Keith is a "Craig's List" shopper, and he has found some great pieces.

Master Bedroom gray-green walls.

The tour didn't include the third floor media room with a projector TV or the other bedrooms and baths. They also have a large unfinished basement with the laundry and a wine cellar.

Now we are back on the main floor again, and this is the window above the kitchen sink.

(view of next door)

They ordered this table, but are still waiting for the chairs to arrive. Vintage fan, and poster of the London Underground.

Garden window, that Boscoe has claimed as her perch, which looks out to the back yard and detached garage.

This is a beautiful little fountain and pond. The sound is so relaxing.

Back view of the house.

Concrete garden statue in honor of their dearly departed

English Bulldog, Jack Edward.

He was a handsome fella, quite the British man about town.

Back deck and hot tub.

I have photos of some of their vintage and retro poster art. I'll post those soon.

We had a wonderful time on our visit. The kids were lovely hosts and put up with me waving a camera at every nook, cranny and shopping spot.

I'll share MORE photos, next post.

Hope you enjoyed the house tour.

Debra