If you are one of the nearly three million Americans who call Saint Louis, Missouri their home, then you are more than attuned to the quaint French settlement's charisma and culture. And, when you leave, you definitely lose your
bearings. Leaving for school in Northern Indiana, I became all too aware of them.
1. "Dinner"
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an order-out pizza, so my mind immediately went to Imo's (EE-mohz) deliciously crunchy crust, original provel cheese, a blend of provelone, Swiss, and cheddar cheeses, tavern cut and chunky toppings, only to be met with gazes of bewilderment that the Saint Louis pizza style was completely alien. My boyfriend and I once invited some of his out-of-town family to dine on some original STL 'zas for supper. They loved it of course.
3. Schnucks and Wehrenberg don't exist
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baggers. Working at Schnucks is a great first job, and many of my friends from high school still work there. At school, I get to shop at Kroger, which isn't much different, but I never shopped there with my parents growing up. Sigh.
Wehrenberg is a chain of movie theaters with about ten locations in the greater Saint Louis/Illinois metropolitan area. AMC doesn't have much of a foothold, so if Saint Louisians want to see a movie in 3D, fancy chairs and pay through the nose for a tub of popcorn and soda (not pop), Wehernberg is the place to go
. They also have the catchiest lil anthem and nobody outside of the Lou will understand when you creepily whisper "Wehrenberg" at the movies.
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and free stuff to ALWAYS want to go to Wehrenberg.
4. People actually support
teams besides the Cardinals and the Blues?
I have never been much for sports. I could, however, name off several
Cardinals players and some fun facts, tell you the last year the Rams
won the Superbowl (1999) and have a vague knowledge of how close
the
Blues are to the Stanley Cup without any hesitation.
My parents have been season pass holders to Rams games since before I was born (but we don't talk about that anymore).
My brother was a hardcore baseball fan until his hero, Albert Pujols,
betrayed him by signing to the Angels after the 2011 World Series.
David Freese is a hometown hero, hailing from Wildwood, MO., and has been the Imo's spokesperson since the 2011 World Series. Heck, my cousin had a Blues-themed wedding. Saint Louis people do not screw around with their fan status. Don't know what to get someone for Christmas? Bam, Cardinals mug. Problem solved. So walking into Walmart
and seeing COLTS T-SHIRTS?! Oh, wait.
5. Zoos and museums cost money
to visit?
I'm sorry, what was that? Saint Louis, MO, is proudly home to one of the only free zoos left in the
country and some free museums, like the art museum. These establishments
rely on donations, so citizens are very aware of how crucial it is to
keep places like these open. Granted, everything inside costs at least $10, but hey,
we got in for free
, right?
6. People have never heard of toasted ravioli or gooey butter cake.
What's a Panera? I go
to Saint Louis Bread Company (or Bread Co.) for my artisan lunches, baked goods and wifi.
8. Stan "The Man" Musial
Stan Musial is a legend- one
of the greatest baseball players in history. He's the Lil Sebastian of Saint Louis and kind of still is. We've named bridges after him and people make Rubik's cube collages of the man. If that's not something to you, then I don't know if we can be friends. Just look at that smile.
9. People are afraid to talk about guns
Missouri is a conceal-and-carry state and Illinois has just become
one. People usually love
their guns, and those on
both sides of the fight are always up for some hearty debate. The rest
of the country seems to shy away from the issue for some reason. Scared?
10. No driving rivalry
Missouri and Illinois have different driving laws: Illinois requires
driver's ed courses
and hundred of hours of road time before taking the
driver's test, but Missourians just have to pass the test to get their
license. As an Illinoisian, I usually get more cautious around Missouri
plates and I'm sure they do the same to me.
11. Delmar Loop
It's every urban shopper's dream. There are farmer's markets, sculptures, electronic stores, fro-yo shops, crazy fancy fondue shops, vintage record
stores, every level of clothes shopping and the world famous Fitz's all on one street and trolleys to take you to all of them. The sidewalks are walks of fame with stars for the hundreds of famous STL natives. I've asked to go there for my birthday every year since I was fifteen. Where am I supposed to shop now?
12. The Mississippi River
Last, but certainly not least, is the mighty Mississip. Sure, she may be muddy and polluted from that insurance scam in the eighties that sent hundreds of people rolling their cars into it for the claim, she may also flood frequently, and give off the rankest humidity imaginable, but she's the reason Saint Louis is what it is. Back in the day, the river was the lifesource. Without the river, my great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather would not have been able to migrate from Germany to New Orleans, all the way up to Saint Louis and set up a cabin on the farmground on the neighboring side. And I would not have been able to experience what I believe to be the greatest city on earth, my home, Saint Louis, MO.
