Meet Me in St. Louis

I've just returned from a whirlwind nine days in the city of Chuck Berry, Lewis & Clark, T.S. Eliot, cotton candy and the ice cream cone, all of which got their start in St. Louis. We went in order to see people and for me to meet the friends, family, and city of Craig Downs, who also got his start in St. Louis and was the best private tour guide imaginable.

We had a fabulous time. I found St. Louis, despite its recent well-publicized troubles, to be vital and intelligent, an historical monument in itself, full of fine museums and delightful architecture, with a thriving art and music culture. I'll talk more about those things in an upcoming blog, but I have to devote this first one or two to another monument which also grew in St. Louis.

For me, it was love at first sight. Allow me to take you now to one of my new Favorite Places In All The World.

Let's park for a while...

at City Museum.

Created by the remarkable visionary and sculptor Bob Cassilly with Gail Soliwoda, at that time his wife and business partner, City Museum opened in 1997 in an abandoned shoe factory. The entire museum is interactive. There are no looming guards, no bossy docents, no rules I saw except one height restriction: you have to be over four feet tall to slide down the ten-story slide, which spirals through a sheet metal tunnel from the top floor to the ground floor. Fortunately, they let me go anyway. I'm proud to say Craig and I joined his grandsons in taking the great swirling plunge as they cheered us on from the bottom end of the tunnel.

The whole museum is for climbing -- through tunnels that meander and twist and become catwalks that morph into ladders and staircases and slides and the mouths of giant sculpted animals. This is no kiddie park of simple forms and primary colors. Every surface is decorated with found objects, many sculptures made of discarded manufacturing parts and pieces. The ground floor bathrooms are "tiled" with 2,500 mouse cages from Washington University. Bannisters are made from recycled oddities, walls are covered with reclaimed thingamajigs.

As with all visionaries, Bob Cassilly got a lot of flak when he began his creation. Now, 700,000 people explore City Museum annually, twice the population of the city of St. Louis.

There are restaurants and even a bar or two scattered about for refreshments in between playing. Every floor presents a new treat for the eye, a different environment through which to stroll or scramble.

I am still inspired and thrilled by what we saw. The immense grasp of the creator's vision boggles my mind. You'll forgive me, I hope, if I continue this story next week, as I can't get enough of it. After all, you still haven't seen the caves and the roof and the architecture floor and the Ferris wheel and...oh, well, you'll see next time.

The first mission statement of City Museum was, "To reawaken the childlike imagination, joy and sense of wonder in all of us." They are still accomplishing that mission. 

By the way, for those good readers who don't know yet, Craig and I will be opening La Casita Magica (The Magic Cottage) here in San Pancho in December. Our hope is that the Cassillys' mission statement will apply to our new art gallery, too. We took a break from our preparations to make the trip to St. Louis, which I believe was just perfect, as so many things are. We returned home filled with excitement and purpose, our imaginations invigorated and spewing ideas like shooting stars from a comet's trail.

More -- about all of this -- in the weeks ahead.

Comments

[Sarah Love]

Brilliant! What a place and a great story! I've only been once, but this makes me want to go back very soon...
Love you,
Sarah

[Travis]

Oh wow. Just wonderful. Your photos are spectacular, and still I'm certain NOBODY'S photos could fully capture that place. Oh. Wow.

[Jim FunkyMonkey Semar]

Welcome & please come again

[Joann Burnham]

St Louis is a well kept secret....so much to do and so much of it free....art museum, zoo, history museum, science center etc etc etc. So glad you have discovered us

[georgy]

What a terrific post - Thank You!!!