My eye couldn't miss this artwork that stands on a wedge of a park at the corner of Big Bend…read moreBoulevard and East Lockwood Avenue. The sculpture was added in 2007 when the park was acquired and the park was upgraded with new lights and landscaping in 2018. I initially thought it was a rooster of some sort but the caption gave it away. With that, I do now see a gymnast's arms and legs with the bright dash of long hair extended. Clearly, they are way more flexible than I am! The sculpture is by artist Allen Jones and was completed in 1993. It is here on loan from the Gateway Foundation. [Review 17241 overall - 146 in Missouri - 758 of 2022.]

I honestly debated taking off a star for one issue, but in the end I couldn't bring myself to do it…read morebecause everything else about this museum was so wonderful. First of all, it's free, which is incredible considering the quality of the collection. It's located in the middle of beautiful Forest Park, so even getting there is part of the experience. The museum sits on top of Art Hill, and the grounds are gorgeous with wide green spaces, walking paths, and beautiful views. It's the kind of place where you can easily spend an afternoon both inside and outside. The museum itself has an impressive collection spanning so many cultures and time periods. There are ancient artifacts, European paintings, sculptures, decorative arts... and yes, they even have Egyptian mummies. Seeing those in person was fascinating, although I'll admit it always makes me wonder about the provenance and how museum collections like that came to be. That's a much bigger conversation though. The staff were also fantastic. Everyone I spoke with was kind, approachable, and happy to share what they knew about the artwork and exhibits. You could tell they genuinely enjoyed being there. The only reason I almost docked a star was because I came across... well... a piece of poop on the gallery floor. It wasn't cleaned up immediately, and it seemed to sit there for a while before anyone noticed. It definitely caught me off guard. That said, I don't think it's really fair to blame the museum for another visitor's actions. Accidents happen, and while I wish it had been spotted sooner, it didn't take away from how much I enjoyed the museum overall. Beautiful setting, incredible collection, friendly staff, and one of the best free museums I've visited. Definitely worth a stop if you're in St. Louis.

I'm not from the St Louis area but this is still my second visit to the St. Louis Art Museum. This…read moreis truly a premier art museum with a diverse variety of exhibits, including an outdoor sculpture gardens. It's located in beautiful Forest Park and the views of the park from the front entrance are great. The building itself is an architectural gem. We spent over 2 hours here and only scratched the surface.

First experience at the Edison Theater for a Black Rep performance. Happily surprised at the size…read moreof this auditorium. Seating comfortable, semi-circle around the stage with center, right and left choices. Ticket price included free parking in the garage located about a block from theater entrance. Enjoyed a funny, well performed play. Small concession stand. Enjoyed the show and setting on campus.

The Edison Theatre is a small proscenium thrust theater at Washington University. I swear there is…read morenot a bad seat in this 656 seat theatre. Everyone of them seems to have a direct view of the stage. It is located on Forsyth Blvd and is an easy find on campus. ET is a busy little theatre. In addition to Washington University Performing Arts Department, which produces three mainstage Edison shows each year, it also serves as a performance venue for Washington University student organizations. It also serves the STL theatre community as a rental house. Local performing arts organizations such as The Black Rep and Missouri Ballet Theatre, have produced major shows here. I love the intimacy of this small theatre, it has a real New York feel to it. Would I return? - Dim the lights and raise the curtains, I'm ready for a show When: Numerous Why: Live Theatre

Came here for a thrift and vendor pop up event. There's lots of parking in the back I didn't know…read moreabout. It's a large venue with lots of space to spread out, including a top floor and basement we never went down to. We enjoyed sitting on the back patio. A stand out to me was the nice bathroom. Lots of stalls and well kept. I would love to come back here for more events.

If you love gin, this is heaven in a glass! The Gin Festival was an absolute blast -- great vibes,…read morefriendly crowd, and an impressive lineup of local and international distillers. Every booth had something unique to offer, from classic London drys to wild botanical blends I'd never even heard of. The bartenders were super knowledgeable and happy to chat about flavor notes and pairings. Plus, the live music and food trucks gave it the perfect laid-back festival feel. Highly recommend pacing yourself (and bringing a friend who loves gin as much as you do). I left with a few new favorites and a smile that didn't fade all day.

I walked in for a set of snakebite piercings and was very happy with the service, pricing, and…read morepiercer. She was very nice and accommodating and sat with me as long as it needed to get my scarred over previous snakebites realigned and looking and feeling better than they did before. Will be coming back for more work, looking forward to getting tattoos here as well. Very professional and clean place!

Will be going back to Austin. Excellent experience with super friendly staff. Couldn't have had a…read morebetter experience. No regerts

Walked down from my parking spot on Manchester to see what was down this far and stopped in Zee Bee…read moreMarket Lots of color with all the fair trade items! Great T-shirts, pottery, jewelry, lots of things to look at in a bright airy space. Staff was super friendly, explaining different items and offering help. At purchase I was offered a sign up to their new rewards item and took advantage as I had my eye on a few things for gifts. Walked out with a great T-shirt and a small bag of coffee

The coolest store, the staff greeted us immediately and there were so many cool items inside! It's…read moreall about fair trade and the items you find are so very unique and gift able. I just loved this place so much and would visit nearly every week.

I can't say enough positive things about Union Studio! Both the Tower Grove and Webster locations…read moreare spectacular shops. If you are looking for a business that features a wide variety of local St. Louis items, look no further! Katie, the gift services manager, was excellent at helping us pick out and arrange custom gifts to give to our family and wedding party. She was accommodating in tailoring items that each recipient would love. The customer service is fantastic, and she even helped take the gift sets to my vehicle!

I was really happy to wander in to Union Studio earlier this week when I was out shopping for a…read moreMother's Day gift. The space is really big and full of beautifully curated local products. They had lots of inspiration boxes to fit different personalities. I found one I really liked and they helped me put one together to fit my mom. I ended up getting a couple of pieces of handmade pottery, tea, caramels, and a tiny plant. They wrapped it up beautifully in a box and ribbon. I will definitely be coming back here for future gifting needs and it's great to be able to support many local companies in one place.

I needed some photographic images framed and had just recently moved from Chicago so was not sure…read morewhere to get this project done. Through a search online, we found Norton's Fine Art and Framing. I'm very happy with the customer service, level of professionalism, creativity and skill of the people at Norton's. Owner Mary Norton shepherded my project and was a pleasure to work with. The project was creating a shadow box using 3 photographic images. The backstory... I'm a former photojournalist and pretty particular about how my work looks. In the 80's I created hand-made Christmas cards by printing 4x6 images of my work, then mounted the prints to 4x6 black mat board, making them a similar size to postcards and mailing them out. My mother-in-law saved all the cards sent her and gave them to my youngest daughter recently. My daughter spoke of her plans to have a shadow box made with her 3 favorites. I decided as a Christmas gift, I would surprise her by framing them. Mary is personable and her knowledge of framing options is extensive. Our discussion included type and depth of the frame, order of the images and type and color of matte board. A deep frame black frame was chosen for the piece. Since it was a deep frame, she suggested having each image at a different depth from the back of the piece, giving the artwork additional visual interest. After working through several iterations of various blacks and grays, I landed on two mats, both the same black with a grain. She suggested the grained mat board be cut in in one direction for the first mat and in opposite direction on the second mat. Since the grain reflected light in different way, the mat boards looked slightly different, but yet are the same mat. The side of the postcard with the postmarked stamp, the address and the Christmas greeting was not able to be seen, but Mary photocopied them at the original size and mounted them on the back of the shadow box. So it showed the uniqueness of the original work. It was a stunning presentation. When my daughter received the gift, she said it was the best Christmas gift she's received. Norton's Fine Art and Framing will be involved with all my framing going forward. I would put their work on par with any art I had framed when I living in Chicago.

They do such an amazing job. So detail oriented and above and beyond with their aim to please. The…read moreNorton family is so great and relatable. Such a pleasure to work with. It's also so nice to support a small, local family business. I can't think of a single reason to go anywhere else!

I spent 3 summers working here as a college student, and just got back from volunteering for a 5…read moreday session with 7 & 8 year old kids. This camp offers kids from any income level the opportunity to go away to camp. They can learn to swim, climb a tower, perfect their artistic talents and so much more. The leadership program includes wilderness adventures of hiking and canoeing, takes them on college visits, lets them experience how volunteer service feels and gives them to skills to get to a job at the end of the 4 year program. While the kids think they are just having fun, the real goal is to give them the skills and desire to further their education...college or vocational...and break the cycle of poverty. It also is a wonderful work experience for young adults. Teaching them responsibility, exposing them to diversity and hopefully influencing their attitudes about the potential of all children if they are just given the opportunities and skills needed to succeed. If you are thinking of sending your kids to camp, SFC is a nurturing environment that will challenge them. They'll walk through the woods and sing songs around campfires. They'll make friends and learn the value of teamwork. They'll spend hours in the library and try new foods. They'll grow up with camp their second home. Start them young and keep sending them back.

All of my kids have been going through their program. Two of them have completed their program and…read moreare moving on to counselors in training. Not sure where they would be without the experience and leadership training that they received!