St. Louis Review: City Museum

Okay, I cannot sing enough praises of the City Museum. There is TRULY nothing like it in the ENTIRE world (I dare you to find me a place that has, like, half the awesomeness of the City Museum). I take every advantage I have to visit and spend as much time as possible exploring.

I know the word "museum" can have a negative connotation to some kids, but this is NO ordinary museum. The first floor is made of ALL recycled materials - concrete, mirrors, mosaic pieces, letterpress pieces (seriously. I want to steal them), fabrics, sticks, wood, there's part of a TREE...there's just everything. There are also these SWEET man-made caves that are all dark and cold and kids run around and explore.

[Essner and I discussing the meaning of life, by the "wooded" area]

The second floor is kind of boring - there's this supposedly "cool" aquarium, but I've never been in there because it costs extra money. There's also the remnants of a shoelace factory. The museum itself used to be a shoe factory, so a lot of the materials found in the museum are left over from the factory and be repurposed as something else. HOWEVER, there is also a new wing of caves that start on the second floor. They're fantastic!

[You will find yourself on hands and knees most of the time. Here I am doing JUST that.]


[Pete and Essner enjoying the cool air. We found a cold pocket in the caves]


[Yes. Those are SLIDES]


[A sweet organ in the upper caves]

The third floor is pretty great. There's a couple of "smaller" museums up there - a museum of mirth, mystery, and mayhem; an architecture museum (before buildings are demolished/knocked down/renovated, they pulled corners or sculptures or cornices off them) AND there's a skate park. They used to let kids bring in their skateboards, but now everyone just runs around like a crazy person instead.

[Big Boy figurine]

[Life-size Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots]

[Arcade Hall, in Museum of Mirth, Mystery & Mayhem]

[Pretty sunset on the third floor]

[Pete and Essner playing piano]

[Fancy schmancy shot of said piano]

[Pete and I posing in one of MANY fun house mirrors]

[Omie hanging out with an old pal]

[Pete and Omie rolling in a barrel]

So, as if that doesn't already sound AWESOME, there is the OUTSIDE - a huge mesh of wires, discombobulated fire trucks, platforms, steps, ball pits, airplanes...EVERYTHING.




[Pete and Essner being brave. I, on the other hand, stayed down below and took pictures]

Here are a couple of pictures I found on flickr, since I don't have pictures of EVERYTHING I wanted to show you...

[This is what it looks like when you walk in. AMAZING!]
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[Walk into the whale's mouth]
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[Yes, there IS a school bus mounted to the top of the building!]
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AND, as an added bonus: the first pictures EVER taken of me and Pete together. While our first official date was at South City Diner and the Tivoli, the first time we ever hung out together, as a couple, NOT on SLU's campus...was the City Museum.