in depth

In DepthWhat do Judy Garland, Nelly, Joe Garagiola, Pierre Laclede and Provel have in common? The movie star, the rapper, the baseball player, the French fur trader and the cheese all have a St. Louis connection.

Back in 1764, Laclede established a trading post on a bluff 18 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. With a surrounding area rich in natural resources and the river providing an easily navigable link to New Orleans, this new settlement seemed destined for success.

And prosper it did. After being governed by Spain and France the United States acquired the town in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Lewis and Clark set off from nearby St. Charles on their 1804 trip to the Pacific. The arrival of the Zebulon M. Pike in 1817 inaugurated the steamboat era.

The 1904 World’s Fair—held at Forest Park, the crown jewel of the city's parks—celebrated the Louisiana Purchase centennial and put the city in the world spotlight. (This is the Judy Garland connection; in the film “Meet Me in St. Louis” Garland plays a 17-year-old whose family is leaving St. Louis for New York and will miss the extravaganza.) The fair introduced and popularized food items that have achieved who-hasn’t-had-one status, among them the hot dog and the waffle cone. And from this beginning comes the city’s reputation for regional specialties.

Provel? This mild and creamy blend of Swiss, provolone and cheddar cheeses is the defining ingredient in St. Louis-style pizza, which has a thin, crackery crust, a sweet tomato sauce and finely chopped toppings, that is then cut into square or rectangular slices.

Another specialty is toasted ravioli, a Sicilian concoction of pasta squares encasing meat or cheese, given a twist by being breaded and deep fried. In St. Louis, “toasted rav” typically has a ground beef filling and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese on top and is served with a side of marinara sauce.

All things Italian are found on the Hill, one of St. Louis' best-known neighborhoods. Even the fire hydrants are painted the colors of Italy's flag. In addition to primo Italian groceries, bakeries and restaurants, the Hill is noted for two baseball giants—Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola—who grew up on Elizabeth Avenue.

The city claims some famous music exports, too. Besides Nelly, the St. Louis area produced such luminaries as Chuck Berry and Miles Davis. Their brass stars are embedded in the sidewalk on Delmar Boulevard with other cultural contributors, collectively making up the St. Louis Walk of Fame.

Then there’s the city’s architectural facets. Head over to Lindell Boulevard and prepare to be impressed by the turn-of-the-20th-century brick and stone mansions and the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, a massive Romanesque building. At the foot of Ashley Street along the downtown riverfront is the Ashley Street Power House, a squat building standing in stark contrast to its most prominent neighbor, Lumière Place. This glitzy casino/hotel complex is the latest salvo in an ongoing effort to re-establish downtown as a place to live and play.

But perhaps the most well-known symbol of the city is the 630-foot-tall Gateway Arch, which is the symbolic starting point for the arduous trek across the American West undertaken by countless 19th-century pioneers. Taking the tram to the observation room at the top for views of the city is a necessary sightseeing pilgrimage.