Day 19 – Meet me in St Louis

‘Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before’

I woke up feeling refreshed and headed out into another beautiful sunny day, cold, but otherwise perfect in every way.

The vents in the road really know how to let off steam. Eat your heart out New York! Here it looks like they are having a full blown BBQ party, just under the nearest manhole cover and hey maybe they are, I am in the wilder states now.

So anyway here I stand on the banks of the mighty Mississippi, close to the former home of Chuck Berry and Scott Joplin, king of ragtime. The seat of the Mississippi Delta blues and just a stones throw from the beautiful Arch of St. Louis. A hollow structure of some 600 feet that towers over the city and is higher, even, than the Washington memorial in DC.

It is also the gateway to the west and was once an important trading post for furs, among other goods.

The Arch museum, talks a lot about the pioneers who travelled westwards during the 19th century in search of land and of a better life and about the history of St Louis. Most, people in the States, well ok nearly everyone, pronounce it as you would the name Lewis in the UK. I however pronounce it as you would for Louis the 14th of France. Actually I am right 😉 as it was founded in 1764 by a French man, as a fur trading station, and named in honour of Louis 9th!

The arch is an impressive accomplishment. The fact that it is hollow is an engineering feat that wouldn’t have been possible even a few years earlier. As it is hollow you can go up to the top in a capsule. The views are said to be magnificent, but I was happy wandering around the museum exhibits. I never realised that most of the USA, as it is today, was pinched off the Mexicans, who lost around half of their country back in the days of the Alamo. Times were not easy here and in 1849, a Cholera epidemic wiped out 7% of the population, which rather puts Covid into perspective!

In the 1870’s they built the first structural steel bridge. People were so scared to cross it at first, that a circus Elephant was brought in to walk across it and show that it was safe. It is still in use today, the bridge that is., not the elephant.

Prior to the Louisiana purchase of 1803, women had many of the same rights as men, being allowed to own property for example. Sadly the transfer put Louisiana under American law, rather than Spanish & French and so many of those rights were lost. Can’t really blame the Americans though, as their laws at that time were pretty much entirely imported from Britain!

Next I’m am off to the Soulard quarter. I walk along the banks of the Mississippi, past a couple of old paddle steamers, until I exit the park at the far end and suddenly find myself in a pretty dodgy area with a near 2 mile walk to get to the district I want.

There are large areas of derelict ground, old disused warehouses with broken windows and numerous bypasses and underpasses.

Putting my head down and trying to look purposeful and edgy, I strode on.

Eventually I arrived at the entrance to Soulard Farmers market, an oasis of vegetables of all kinds in long covered walkways. Once inside, your senses are assaulted by the fabulous aromas coming from the  spice centre. I can’t begin to describe the shelves that line the walls from floor to ceiling crammed with powders, packets, tins, vials and jars of every description.

One of the eateries inside was Soulard’s Cajun corner. Their specialities are Gumbo and Jambalaya. I went for the Jambalaya and ate it perched on an empty market stall, watching the world go by.

Then I took a walk past many of the old houses, small shops and bars that make up the area. It’s the very opposite of upmarket, but is lively and earthy.  The Blues museum is closed, no surprise there then.

There is also a city garden, which has a lot of statues, including one of Chuck Berry. A  little bit further away is what is known as the walking figure. There is a duplicate in Miami and a third somewhere else.

I am starting to get into the bits of America where you can do a lot more of what you please, Axe throwing anyone ?

Dinner ended up at the same place as I enjoyed it last night. Tonight was much busier though being a Friday.

St Louis is an interesting place and I’m glad I came to visit. The architecture, the Arch itself and the colourful history shown in its food and music is a great mix, but I think there is a fair bit of poverty and the nice bits rub shoulders with the less salubrious parts with little in between.

The streets are still empty of people. Where are they all ?