marco

True, the poor Blackhawks are a mess.

He thinks he has the Blues now, just wait. He's going to find that Scottrade Center is the epicenter of disappointment

I'm pretty neutral although I was leaning towards UND with Oshie and all - but I could tell from the moment I started watching that there was a media tilt towards Boston College, however they were giving UND their dues too. There's always a slight (or major) bias with teams in the Northeast in any league pro or amateur though, so I wouldn't take it personally, not that it's not worth pointing out. Sorry to see your guys season end that way - just be glad your parents didn't set you up for a life time of dissapointment by taking you to Blues games when you were a kid

It's so much that it isn't cosmopolitan in North & East St. Louis, as much as it is an absolute dump and not for the faint of heart. Most of the area is pretty typical though for a city the size of St. Louis. But if you're looking to really upgrade your experience outside of Downtown St. Louis, then you need to visit Clayton, MO just a few miles west of Downtown. And no, I won't cooridinate your group activities, sorry - I'm not free at all in April through May anyway . As part of what I do I meet people from all over the nation that travel to STL and the great majority of them have a positive experience.

Don't expect much free beer at the Anheiser Busch Brewery tour. I think all they give out is two ten oz cups. Schlafly Bottle Works is nice though. The Metrolink Train may go near there now too - I'm not absolutley positive on that, not my area of town.

If you're looking for some places to hang out near the Scottrade Center, maybe this helps. I thought I saw a couple other STL locals lurking around here, they may have other opinions, here are mine. A:: Inside of the Scottrade on the main level is a bar named "14th & Clark," not a bad little place. http://scottradecenter.com/content/14.html B:: Federko's on the main floor of the nearby Sheraton Hotel is a hockey themed place. However I have never heard anyone say that it was known for their food, so don't get your hopes up in that regard - but I've never ordered off the menu so be your own judge. But hey, it's only a block or two away and with it being owned by NHL Hall of Famer Bernie Federko, you can bet it has its own flair for the Hockey nostalgia. C:: A place that I like that's slightly farther away is Maggie O'Briens. No promises here either but it has plenty of space to accomodate plenty of people. http://www.maggieobriens.com/ D:: Avoid North St. Louis City all together, unless you're into gangs and crack, the same could be said for East St. Louis Illinois which in my opinion is better viewed from afar, or the other side of the Mississippi. If you ask some locals they'll brag that E. STL is where the strip joints are... they're right, but personally I avoid that dump like the plague... or Herpes. E:: The total opposite of N/E STL is Clayton, MO - St. Louis's lesser known Downtown #2. Accessible via the Metrolink Train. Upscale and Cosmopolitan if that's what your into. Not for the tight budgeting tourist, however super nice. Here's the link to the Metrolink Train website: http://www.metrostlouis.org/MetroLink/MLtimetables.asp F:: Outside of a severe weather event, the climate this time of year in St. Louis can be almost unbeatable, although right now they're predicting it to be a little on the cool side (highs less than 60) but maybe that's hot to you, I dunno. Either way it's almost 2 weeks away, in this part of the country and time of year, weather forecasts can, and often do change suddenly, so keep your eye out on it. Hope that helps.