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Special Articles
Gary M. Gaddis, MD PhD FAAEM FIFEM
On behalf of all AAEM members from Missouri, I write to persuade you to join us here in St. Louis for the 27th Annual AAEM Scientific Assembly, June 20-24, 2021.
The COVID pandemic has led AAEM leadership to move the scheduled time from the original early March date and change to June. And, June will actually be a better time to come “Meet Me in St. Louie!” It is much warmer and greener in St. Louis in June than in March!
I will not delve deeply into the scientific program, but of course, our Scientific Assembly is always “top-notch.” To travel here simply for the scientific content to be shared will alone be worth the trip. However, June is a great time to come to “The Lou.”
The Metro’s Red Line connects directly to our Lambert/St. Louis International Airport by rail, so one need not rent a car or ride a taxi or Uber/Lyft. But, if one drives to St. Louis or rents a car, there are other interesting sites nearby. More on that, later.
The Assembly will be headquartered at the Union Station on Market Street, just west of downtown. Onsite are our new St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station and the St. Louis Wheel, a large Ferris wheel from which one can gain a commanding view of the city.
Just to the east is the City Walk, with several parks and their statues, upon many of which children can climb. There is also a large playground in City Walk. The parks in City Walk that adjoin Market Street lead directly to the Old Courthouse, a part (along with our famous Gateway Arch) of the Gateway Arch National Park.
The Old Courthouse is not likely to be open in June, but it has historic significance. It is the site at which Dred Scott began to sue for his freedom. A statue commemorating Mr. Scott and his wife stands outside the Old Courthouse.
Across a green expanse from the Old Courthouse and abutting the Mississippi River is our city’s best-known attraction, the Gateway Arch, completed in 1965. It still retains a stunning modernity of appearance. One can ride to the top of the arch in a specially-designed elevator car for an unmatched view of the city. Do note, these elevators are very small, so claustrophobics should just admire the Arch from the park below. And, the Arch does move perceptibly in high wind, when sensed from the inside (Remember, flexible structures bend, but rigid structures break!). Just below the Arch, a recently renovated museum documenting details of our nation’s westward expansion is worth a visit.
To the west of Union Station are other great attractions. As I have noted, the Union Station sits on our city’s Metro train line. One can ride the Metro west to the Forest Park/DeBaliviere station, two blocks north of our historic Forest Park. Forest Park was the site of the 1904 World’s Fair, and some of the buildings constructed for that event still stand. Chief among these are the beautiful and unique “Jewel Box,” the Missouri History Museum (which always has interesting exhibits), and the St. Louis Art Museum, fronted by our statue of “Saint Louis,” whom you may also know as King Louis IX of France. (Louis XIV, he of the “après moi, le deluge”, was the one who had Versailles built; he came later). Also in Forest Park is our world-renowned St. Louis Zoo. Admission is free (but they do charge to park in their lots). There is a bus that travels to different points in the park and connects all of these sites. If you want to run all or part of a former Olympic marathon course, the 1904 Olympics were also in St. Louis, and the marathon route starts and ends at the track within the outdoor stadium at Washington University, just west of the park. The route is marked through the county. A large set of commemorative Olympic rings gives a “photo-op” at the northeast end of the stadium grounds.
South of the mid-town, our city is also justifiably proud of its Botanical Garden. You may need a car or taxi to get there, unless you rent a bike (There are decent on-street bike lanes that make the trip safe, St. Louis is a very bike-friendly city). At the Botanical Garden, one can enjoy the Japanese Garden, complete with Koi fish to feed. At the other end of the Garden, one can see examples of the many food-yielding plants that grow in our temperate climate. There is the Climatron, a geodesic dome completed in 1960 and that looks to have been dropped in from the future. It has many tropical plants. Nearby, don’t miss “World’s Fair Donuts” at the corner of Vendeventer and Shaw.
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If one wishes to venture farther away and into St. Louis County, we have the Butterfly House in Creve Coeur, open year-round. Also not to be overlooked is Grant’s Farm (former home of former President Ulysses S. Grant, then purchased by the Busch family, and now a place to see the Clydesdales and many other animals) and enjoy a nice outdoor experience, in the southwest part of our metro.
Finally, there is a big beer culture here. The Anheuser-Busch (AB) brewery is about a mile south of the Arch, and is open for free tours (and a free glass of the AB beer of your choice). But the brewing movement here is much bigger than AB. St. Louis is DEFINITELY a “beer town.” From the Barnes-Jewish Hospital at which I work, there are at least 8 breweries (if craft breweries and brewpubs are counted) within four miles. Chief among these are the Schlafly brewery (which has a nice restaurant) in Maplewood, and the Urban Chestnut Brewing Company (UCBC) in “The Grove.” Urban Chestnut has gifted brewers, and they have many interesting choices. Hopefully COVID will be a receding memory, because UCBC has a proper German-style “beer hall,” with long tables and excellent German-inspired “pub grub.” Some other notable local breweries include “Side Project,” “Four Hands,” and “Perennial.”
I hope I have made St. Louis seem irresistible! “Meet me in St. Louie” in June of 2021!
