Free Recession Buster Getaway: St. Louis

We know you love Milwaukee.  We do, too. Sometimes, though, it's good to get on plane and head out of town.

And we’re happy to help. This summer and fall, OnMilwaukee.com is teaming up with AirTran Airways to offer six free "Recession Buster Getaways." Every two weeks, we’ll preview a great destination, report on some of the bars, restaurants, shops andevents that make them unique.

All you have to do is read our guide, then write your own Readers Blog about why you deserve a trip. If we pick your submission as the best, we’ll give you a pair of roundtrip tickets, a brand new netbook and a little cash to buy in-flight Wi-Fi.

The complete rules are here, but for this first contest, you can blog between now and Sunday, Aug. 2

For our first destination, senior editor Drew Olson visited St. Louis during the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Olson has traveled to St. Louis several times in the past, but made it a point to check out some new sites along with some old favorites for this report.

ST. LOUIS -- Whenever people from Wisconsin ask me to describe St. Louis, I like to tell them, "It's just like Milwaukee or Green Bay ... only it's a lot hotter, they drink Budweiser products instead of Miller and they wear Cardinals red and white instead of Brewers blue or Packers green and gold."

It's not that simple, of course.

The St. Louis Metro area is home to 2.8 million people, which makes it the 16th largest in the United States. Much of that population is concentrated in the suburbs, but the Downtown area offers an array of attractions and funky neighborhoods that will interest visitors from Milwaukee who happen to be in town, say, for the Brewers' two remaining regular-season series at Busch Stadium (Sept. 1-3 and Oct. 2-4).

Residents definitely love their Cardinals. I used to think that everyone in the city owned at least one jersey and that half of them featured first baseman Albert Pujols' name and number. After visiting the All-Star Game last week, I came to believe that there are two or three Cardinals jerseys for every man, woman and child in the vicinity.

Busch Stadium, located in the heart of Downtown, is the center of attention for both locals and tourists from April until early October. It's a pristine ballpark with terrific seat locations and sightlines. You can see the Cardinals' love in the jerseys and in the sports bars / restaurants. Former players-turned-broadcasters Mike Shannon and Al Hrabosky have bars within a fungo of the ballpark. Joe Buck and Albert Pujols have their names on places, too.

There is much more to St. Louis than just baseball.

St. Louisans point with pride to their history, architecture and cultural attractions -- many of which feature free admission.

The Gateway Arch, a symbol for the city, is a popular tourist attraction offering breathtaking views of the city, river and surrounding area. The Old Courthouse, located right near the Arch, features restored courtrooms and a decorated dome. Admission there is free. 

The St. Louis Zoo, located in Forest Park (which locals will tell you is bigger than Central Park in New York), is free. So is the Budweiser Brewery tour, which includes the Clydesdale stables and two free "samples." The St. Louis Science Center  is free and kid-friendly and the Art Museum is free on Sunday.

The Botanical Gardens are among the best in the country and Muny, the nation's oldest and largest outdoor theater, is located in Forest Park and features concerts and off-Broadway musicals, with some free seating. The Boat House, overlooking the lake in Forest Park, offers tourists a chance to rent paddle boats and kayaks to see the park from a different angle.

During my recent stay, I ventured away from the hustle and bustle of Downtown in order to sample a slice of the Delmar Loop, a shopping and entertainment district. I stayed at the Moonrise Hotel, a 135-room boutique hotel that opened earlier this year.

Walking into the Moonrise is an experience not unlike walking into The Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee and that's not a coincidence. Both properties are operated by Desires Hotels, which also has outlets in New York, Miami Beach and San Juan. Instead of the motorcycle / leather theme that permeates the Iron Horse, the St. Louis property really hits the Moonrise idea. There is an illuminated, rotating moon on top of the building and an iridescent lobby wall and stairs that change color. 

In addition to the standard rooms, which are trendy and well-appointed, guests can choose from 10 different Walk of Fame Suites, each designed around a theme based on a different star from nearby St. Louis Walk of Fame (Josephine Baker, Buddy Ebsen, Betty Grable, Tennessee Williams, etc.)

The Eclipse restaurant, located on the ground floor, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Rooftop Terrace Bar offers great views and a light menu.

The Moonrise is located next to the Pageant, a great music venue, and close to the Tivoli, a historic movie theater, Blueberry Hill, a restaurant / music venue and Vintage Vinyl, a great record store.

The Loop, which is about 15 minutes from Downtown, is near a Metrolink line that makes it easy to get around. The area also is called the "U-City Loop," in honor of Washington University.

In addition to the Loop, visitors will want to check out the Central West End, an eclectic and diverse neighborhood that features mansions mixed in with apartments that house students from Saint Louis University and Washington University.

Other interesting neighborhoods include the historic French town of Soulard, which is home to the second largest Mardi Gras celebration in the U.S. as well as a famous farmer's market, "The Hill," a neighborhood where Italian immigrants settled. (The boyhood homes of baseball legends Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola are popular tourist stops).

"This is a town where you can get great Italian food and steak," one longtime resident told me during my stay. "It's not very good for other ethnic food. It's not a place to look for Mexican food or a lot of Asian-Influenced food. It's mostly steak and pasta, but we do those very well."

Former WTMJ (620 AM) radio personality Mark Reardon, who now hosts a show on KMOX (1120 AM) in St. Louis, was kind enough to list some favorite things about his adopted hometown:

Favorite restaurants: 

• Cunetto House of Pasta, 5453 Magnolia Ave. A fixture for 35 years on "The Hill," which is St. Louis' version of Little Italy.
• Lucas Park Grille, 1234 Washington Ave. Upscale and trendy, this is the place to see and be seen.
• Acero, 7266 Manchester Rd. A comfortable, casual restaurant that serves traditional Italian cooking with a few modern twists.
• Chimichanga, 5425 S. Grand Blvd. A good place for Mexican food on the South Side.
• Wasabi, 228 Washington Ave. One of the more popular sushi places in town.

 Favorite places to take visitors:

• KMOX Studios. To see the view of the Arch from our studio!
• The St. Louis Zoo. It's free!
• Blueberry Hill and the entire Delmar Loop. Blueberry Hill is a landmark restaurant and music club. St. Louis native and rock-and-roll legend Chuck Berry still performs occasionally and the Loop is a neighborhood full of cool restaurants and funky shops.
• The Fox Theater or the Muny. The Fox is a classic old building and the Muny hosts music and dramatic plays in an outdoor setting.
• Busch Stadium. The Cardinals rule this town.
• Columbia for a Missouri football game. Great atmosphere.
• Historic Downtown St. Charles. Lots of cool shops and restaurants.
• The Wineries in Augusta. Located on the bluffs of the Missouri River about 35 miles from town, these wineries have a long history.

Favorite things to do on my day off:

• Go golfing in Forest Park.
• Ride my bike on Grant's Trail.
• See a movie at the Tivoli on the Delmar Loop.
• Happy hour in Soulard (that's my wife's favorite).

For more information on St. Louis, check explorestlouis.com.