St. Louis is a beautiful city and that’s why we must support the community here.  For example, it’s one of the most charitable cities in America.  We have so many charities in St. Louis and as a city, we just like to give and help those that are unfortunate.  We also give first class treatment to arts and cultural institutions.  In fact, I believe St. Louis has world class arts and cultural institutions in our very city.

We also have a large volunteer force.  The people of St. Louis love to volunteer and offer their spare time to help the city and its organizations.  I’ve been to other cities in America and while there are many volunteers there as well, it just feels like St. Louis citizens enjoy volunteering more.

Our football team, the St. Louis Rams, remains a competitive and model team in the NFL.  We have great fans of the St. Louis Rams and we are proud of the history of the Rams.  We also have an excellent baseball team in the St. Louis Cardinals and of course, I think we have one of the most lovely stadiums in the US.  Busch Stadium has an excellent view of not just the field itself, but you also get a great view of the city landscape behind Bush Stadium, including the Gateway Arch.

So, I’ve been studying Chinese lately with a tutor at www.mandarintutor.com and I wanted to find a place in St. Louis to practice my Chinese. As you may well know, the Chinatown that used to reside at Hop Alley is long gone.  Fortunately, we have a new Chinatown at Olive Boulevard in University City.  It’s roughly located between Interstate 170 and Midland Boulevard.  Around 1989, enough restaurants and businesses opened that the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of St. Louis was created.  Since then, several Vietnamese restaurants and even a Japanese restaurant has been established around the new Chinatown and you might even think it’s becoming a center for Asian business in general!  If you’re looking for a place to get asian groceries and goods, this is probably the most convenient place in St. Louis to get it.  The selection of groceries are excellent and fresh and if you want to try some of the asian oriented vegetables, this is a great place to get them.

Since the beginnings of the new Chinatown, many of the original businesses have remained including a newspaper, a salon, and a place for seniors to obtain services.  There is also a nice Chinese bakery to visit if you want to get your latest filling of Chinese cakes and pies.  In addition, there is expansion to create an International Center and build an indoor mall to host more tenants.  Chinatown shows how vibrant the city of St. Louis is and how we appreciate and support our minorities and their businesses.  We encourage more minorities to come to our city and to establish businesses and communities to make the great city of St. Louis more diverse.

St. Louis is a beautiful city and there are many things to do while you’re in St. Louis.   First and foremost, if you haven’t yet, you should visit the Gateway Arch.  Once you reach the top of the Gateway Arch, you will have a magnificent view of the city of St. Louis.  For thrill seekers, you can also check out Six Flags in St. Louis.  At Six Flags, you can try the Screaming Eagle wooden coaster ride or maybe brave the whitewater adventure of Thunder River.  The St. Louis Zoo is also a great attraction to bring your family and children for the day and it even includes an interactive Stingray pool.  Also, check out Ballpark Village where you can find the Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum, the Cardinals Nation Restaurant, Budweiser BrewHouse, and Live! Marketplace.

Another nice place to visit is the Kemp Auto Museum. There, you can see some of the finest European automobiles. You can see cars from the past all the way to more modern and present day designs. Next, visit the Missouri History Museum where you can learn the fascinating history of Missouri and how our great state looked like in the past and how it has transitioned to the modern day.  Don’t forget about the St. Louis breweries as St.Louis has a tradition of brewing the most tasty beer in the mid-west.  You can take a tour of Anheuser-Busch Brewery and learn the history of brewing in St. Louis and also see how beer is brewed today.  Maybe take a sip of beer from the brewery before you leave!

Soulard is an old neighborhood in St. Louis but one with a lot of character and soul.  You will see red brick townhomes lining the streets of Soulard.  Nearby these townhomes are a plethora of live music clubs and restaurants.  There are a number of music clubs, shops and restaurants for you to visit in Soulard and each have their own distinct character.  If you’re around in July, drop by for the French heritage with a Bastille Day.  There is also a Farmer’s Market is Soulard that sells fresh fruit and vegetables.  And come October, Soulard has a celebration for Oktoberfest for those that enjoy a little beer and wine.  Take a visit to Soulard and you will feel you have taken a peek into St. Louis’s wonderful past.