Last month I was proud to be a part of a group who gathered
in Saint Louis to celebrate the birthday of my friend, Ken, who many of my
regular blog followers may recall has been along on many of my travels, including
last summer’s Colorado road trip. You
may also know we sometimes refer to Ken as “the Beast of Virden.” It’s a name well-earned. After all, Ken really is from Virden,
Ill. (He’s also a pretty big Rolling
stones fan, for what it’s worth.)
The trip afforded me an opportunity to hit several of my
favorite (and previously blogged about) places in Saint Louis, as well add a
few new experiences to the resume. And,
of course, great travel often includes great company. We certainly had that on the trip, as well.
Our first stop in Saint Louis … Broadway Oyster Bar,
conveniently located near both Busch Stadium and the historic Soulard neighborhood. I drove down with two other friends, Kent and
Sue, and it was here where we met Sue and Terry Hupp toward their end of day
drinking in Soulard.
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| At the end of the "patio bar" at Broadway Oyster Bar |
Plus, it’s the closest place I know where I can get Abita
Amber. Or, in my case, a fresh Abita
Strawberry Harvest on tap. Now, that’s a
bonus up here after a dreary Midwest winter.
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| Me and Terry Hupp in our natural habitat |
Terry Hupp obviously approves, too.
Moving on, we meet up with the birthday boy soon after he
has checked in to the Cheshire Inn near Forest Park. Unfortunately, Sue and
Terry’s room is not yet ready. Fortunately,
the great staff at the Cheshire compensates them with a round of appetizers at
their on-site tavern, the Fox and Hounds.
Lucky us.
It didn't take us long to do some serious damage to a
cheese and pate plate and a serving of wings.
The wing sauce is made with Newcastle Brown Ale. I could have drank a cup of it as a
chaser.
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| Deep discussion |
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| Two Sues and a Terry ... as Kent Argenta would say, you couldn't swing a dead cat in there without hitting a Sue. |
Meanwhile, the commiserating continued until Sue and
Terry’s room was ready. Plans were
afoot. Anticipation for a planned dinner
at Blueberry Hill and a Drive-By Truckers concert at the Pageant began to
build. We mobilized and made our way to
the popular Delmar Loop neighborhood and Delmar Boulevard where both are
located.
Delmar has no shortage of bars, eateries and shops which
draw an eclectic crowd. It also helps
that it’s so close to Washington University.
After finding parking in a nearby county, we joined the throng of
pedestrian traffic crowding Delmar and bee-lined it to Blueberry Hill.
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| Chuck Berry appropriately displayed above the entrance |
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| Out of place, yet seemingly appropriate |
An hour-long wait for a table for six provided me plenty of
time to soak up the atmosphere. As you’d
expect from a restaurant and music club where local legend Chuck Berry still performs
regularly, the walls are heavily lined with pop culture memorabilia and other
oddities.
And while Blueberry Hill may feel somewhat like a tourist
trap, the beer and food prices make you feel at home.
We were eventually seated in the dart room, one of
several themed rooms that comprise the Blueberry Hill complex.
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| Meatloaf was headlining that night at Blueberry Hill |
And since we were in a hurry (and many of us planned on
absorbing a few more alcoholic beverages that evening), most of us opted for
the meatloaf special. Very affordable,
if somewhat ordinary. Maybe Ken made the
right call with the Loop Club "sammich" after all, since he couldn't even finish
it (more on that later).
We moved on to the Pageant which I have previously
blogged about as one of my favorite venues to see a special live music
attraction. Since Ken is a huge Drive-By
Truckers fan, their show at the Pageant was the reason for us all to get
together to celebrate. And, as I believe
I've mentioned before, there’s really not a bad line of sight in the whole arena.
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| From the floor ... |
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| Or the balcony ... |
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| Drive-By Truckers rock the Pageant |
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| A closer look ... |
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| Whooping it up on Ken's birthday |
From all indications, it was a very happy birthday for
Ken, indeed.
He even got to bring along the rest of his sammich for a
late night snack. The rest of us were a
little jealous. Even as the lettuce
wilted, it mocked us all night long.
It should be interesting when many of the same crew get together for a trip to New Orleans at the end of April. One thing is certain; I'll be on hand to record all things blog-worthy ... and probably a few that aren't.
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