Triangle Trip

Meet me in St. Louis?  Here’s a short guide on what to see and what to do in St. Louis, Missouri:

Sightseeing

1. Arch and Riverfront – Not much to say, this is the one thing they always show and reference when speaking about St. Louis.  If you are visiting St. Louis, you need to see this spectacular creation.

2. Forest Park – For outdoor lovers, this is one of the treasures of St. Louis. It hosted the 1904 World’s Fair, and has undergone $100 million of restoration since.   Its 50% larger than NY’s central park at about ~1300 acres.  The park has beautiful trails, picnic areas, art museum, waterboats, and more…

3. Busch Stadium – Home of the St. Louis Cardinals.  This city revolves around one sport, its baseball, and with it, its the Cardinals.  I know of people who work in St. Louis who close down their offices just to see the home opener.  Cardinals fans are one of the greatest baseball fans in the nation.  The stadium has recently been renovated and it looks amazing.

4. St. Louis Zoo – I’ve been to a few zoos around the country and this is by far the best free zoo in the nation. If you are coming with kids, bring them to the zoo. Remember, it’s free!

5. Anheuser Busch Brewery – This is for the beer lovers, take a tour of the brewery and get a free drink as well.

6. St. Louis Science Center – Great place for kids. A “new” science center (although not new anymore) was built across the highway from the old science center, but it is attached with a bridge over the highway. Pluses: it has an Omnimax theater and a planetarium.

Nightlife

The Loop – I’m not sure why they call it the loop, but this six blocks of entertainment attracts all sorts of people. It is referenced in Nelly’s country grammar song (I’m from the Loop’ and I’m proud) Blueberry Hill is a must see, where celebrities come if they come to St. Louis. The Delmar Loop is located closely to Washington University in St. Louis so this place is packed with college kids.

Laclede’s Landing – Fun bar area in downtown, which is a must for St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Hosts many bars, a piano bar, and clubs.  Beware of the drunkards.

Soulard – Counter to the Landing, this is the French quarter of St. Louis. It has a Mardi Gras celebration which obviously is not as big as New Orleans, but its still a fun place to go. Also beware of the drunkards. It also has one of the oldest public market open in the mornings. Producers come shop here.

Central West End – This is more of a hip and trendy area for professionals to come and shop, wine and dine. This place is at the west end of St. Louis country, but it is centrally located to all of the St. Louis suburbs. Cleverly named.

New York City is known as a great place to shop. If you are in retail or any type of brand, you must have a New York address. This also applies to retail outlet stores. If you really want a bargain and have a few days left in New York after you have completed my efficient New York City Guided Tour, I highly recommend you visit Woodbury Commons – a place where you will find all the major brand names in one location.

There are multiple ways from NYC to Woodbury Commons. You can rent a car and drive North on New York State Thruway (I-87) to Harriman, Exit 16. You can easily find Woodbury Commons after the toll plaza. The drive from NYC to Woodbury Commons is about a 90 minute drive with traffic plus approximately $10 of tolls. One day car rental in NYC will cost you around $80 with taxes.

To save you the hassle of driving and some money for shopping, there are buses that operate hourly from NYC to Woodbury Commons. You can take a bus from NY Port Authority Bus Terminal (on 42nd Street and 8th Avenue, one block west of Time Square) to Woodbury Commons. Here’s the link to the NY Port Authority bus schedule.

If you are staying on the East side of NYC and do not want to cab/walk cross town, there is a daily bus that will take you to Woodbury Commons in the morning and back in the evening. The East side NYC to Woodbury Commons bus goes up 3rd Avenue at around 8AM and returns from Woodbury Commons at around 2:00PM. Here’s the link to the East Side bus schedule. Enjoy your shopping.

Here are two recent posts regarding New York City:

1.  Economic way to get from NYC to Philly, DC and Boston

2.  Where to eat in NYC Chinatown

As a follow up to my NYC Guide post, below is a list of Chinese restaurants in New York’s Chinatown I highly recommend to tourists and locals. I am actually a frequent customer at most of the restaurants I list below. Not only are these Chinese restaurants good, they are also very cheap. Before you go into any of these Chinese restaurants (or any for that matter), make sure you have cash with you as most Chinatown businesses only accept cash.

1.  New Wonton Garden – It used to be the best wonton in the world… but quality has gone down due to new ownership. However, this is still the best wonton noodle shop in the US. I am a huge fan of wonton noodle soup and Wonton Garden in NYC has the best soup in the nation. Wonton Garden is located on Mott Street between Canal and Bayard. Each bowl of wonton noodle soup or any other dumpling with soup will cost you under US$6.

2.  Big Wong King or Big Wing Wong – Both places offer cheap Cantonese style food. You can get BBQ pork, duck and other traditional Cantonese dishes in any of these restaurants. These two restaurants are probably the cheapest on the list. You can get a wonton noodle soup or roast pork with rice for under US$4. Big Wong King is located across the street from Wonton Garden and Big Wing Wong is located on Mott between Canal and Hester.

3.  Joe’s Shanghai – There are three Joe’s Shanghai locations (NYC Chinatown, Uptown and Flushing). The Joe’s Shanghai in Chinatown is by far the best. Joe’s Shanghai offer the best Shanghai soup dumpling in the world. I am not joking or exaggerating here. I have tried the best Shanghai soup dumpling deemed by local Shanghainese pundits, and Joe’s Shanghai soup dumplings was much better. For a tray of soup dumplings, it would cost you no more than US$6. Joe’s Shanghai offers many other Shanghainese dishes which are authentic. Go early in the afternoon or late in the afternoon to avoid the long lines. Joe’s Shanghai in Chinatown is located on Pell Street between Mott and Bowery.

4.  Hop Lee – Located on 16 Mott Street near Chatham Square. Hop Lee is more of a casual dining place with traditional Chinese food. Like most traditional restaurants, food is served family style. I always order the Cantonese style lobster dish which I highly recommend for my readers. Hop Lee also offers fresh seafood and vegetable dishes. Go there for dining and you will not be disappointed. Your meal should not run you US$50 for two people and I will guarantee you will be full.

5.  Golden Unicorn – This place is usually packed on weekends and most tourists know about it. Despite the fact that it is touristy, I still highly recommend this restaurant. I believe Golden Unicorn serves great dim sum for breakfast and has a good menu for fine dining in the evenings. Golden Unicorn is also cleaner than other dim sum restaurants in New York’s Chinatown.

Hope y’all enjoyed this post and visit my NYC Chinatown favorites. Leave me a feedback after you have tried these places.