Posted by: Crissa in seasonal, holidays, attractions on
Dec 10, 2008
As a kid and even still, I enjoy a good festive evening car ride of “Christmas light gawking.” Its nice to know that others share my same seasonal urge, which has influenced a variety of light displays over the greater St. Louis area. Two of the most popular (outside of church hosted events) light spectacles are in Jelly Stone Park (Eureka) and Tilles Park (St. Louis).
Posted by: Crissa in nightlife, music, concerts on
Nov 30, 2008
The Old Rock House (located on South 7th Street) was practically at maximum capacity last night. Not to unusual for the two groups playing on Friday night: Public Property and Messy Jiverson. The entire upper balcony was occupied, along with almost every square inch of the lower level. The crowd was expected to be large; to make room for a huge crowd, the majority of the dining tables and chairs were removed to allow more space. As always, once the bands started jamming, spilled alcohol slowly began to cover the dance floor and a mixture of incense scents lingered in the air.
Posted by: Crissa in health on
Nov 17, 2008
Are you looking for ways to be healthier? Ways to lose weight? How about ways to feel better in general or even save some cash? Trader Joes has your solution. My favorite location so far is in Des Peres and quite honestly not only am I growing fond of the food selection and the location but I've also grown semi-attached to the employees. They are always friendly, helpful and always have something nice or intriguing to say. I just feel better about my shopping experience when someone who works at the location seems to enjoy their job - it just says something about the company all together.
As far as products go, they have everything from cheese to whipped cream, cheesecakes to all natural sodas, salmon to pizzas, pastas to wines, and dog food to laundry detergent. Sometimes they even have samples of their featured products of the week. The prices are reasonable and sometimes even cheaper than if you went to buy something similar in nature at a local grocery store. You can fill a hand basket there and expect to only shell out about $30-45. Go to Schnucks and you are likely to dent your wallet another $10 to $15 and of course, not have as great of products.
Posted by: Crissa in holidays on
Nov 17, 2008
Christmas is honestly my favorite time of year. I think its sickening how commercialized and materialized this season of giving has become though. Weeks before Thanksgiving the Salvation Army already has bell ringers glued to each entry and exit way of grocery stores, Kmarts and Walmarts. It's a big guilt trip going into the store for your already chopped down grocery list and having to feel like crap when you have no extra money to put in those stupid red buckets. Trust me, I'm for charity, I just think it is twisted how a lot of people I speak to feel the same way about the Salvation Army bell ringers. Its not that we aren't charitable people, its just that we are already struggling to make ends meet and alongside of paying Uncle Sam every extra dime we get, bell ringers make you feel guilty that you should also give up every last penny you have.
I, along with several friends, have resorted to the ‘don't leave your car unless you successfully managed to get someone else on the other line' course of action. This way, we appear distracted when we walk by the bell ringers and don't look heartless and at the same time we don't feel as guilty as we would if we would just walk past them and avoid eye contact. I always smile and nod, though. I give props to those who do charity work. I spent about a year and half doing charity work myself and I know how under appreciated those folks are.
Posted by: Crissa in singles, relationships, dating on
Nov 10, 2008
Casual Encounters. Men seeking Women. Women seeking Women. These are just a few of craigslist's personal ads. I would give a rough estimate that 70% of the posts are simply people trying to cover up a request for a one-night-stand. Another 20% of the posts are mainly society's rejects, mom's with 8 kids, 3 ex boyfriends, on welfare who lives in a trailer, or even your "lurking within the depths of that ever so charming yet witty post" serial killer. Then finally, a pitiful, yet most likely statistically correct, a pathetic 10% are true, honest cries for their dream come true, life long partner to respond.
Posted by: Crissa in shopping on
Nov 10, 2008
On the hunt for a pleasant shopping experience? With 3 locations in the St. Louis area, the Alpine shop carries all your gear needed for out door recreational activities. Are you a fisherman? A hunter? A snowboarder? A mountain climber? Do you enjoy float trips? Camping? If you answered yes to any of these, this store is worth taking a trip to.
Posted by: Crissa in restaurants, food on
Nov 7, 2008
Today I happened to venture on a place not so fabulous for dining; its more like a potential death wish. The Galleria's own Johnny Rocket's was a joke. The servers looked high and didn't know what they were doing. Technically they weren't even servers, they stayed behind their wall the whole time, I guess I should call them cashiers. Hmm...funny that they are even called that because I was able to walk away without my debit card even being charged. Don't get me wrong, I love getting things for free, its just the fact that they had no clue what they were doing that just astonishes me! Where it normally takes a mall food court meal around 3 minutes to be served, ours took 24 minutes! The food itself was kind of pathetic, I wasn't even sure my friend's cheeseburger had cheese on it. I think it was like melted tan colored plastic...hopefully she doesn't die.
Posted by: Crissa in nightlife, concerts, bars on
Nov 6, 2008
BROKE rocked the stage at Fandangos last Saturday night. Typically they are a cover band but I hope they go far – they are good enough. It made the evening a blast, some beer, some good music (for a younger crowd, some John Meyer, some Weezer, some Commodores..), and not too bad of an atmosphere. There was little smoke in the air, waitresses waited on you enough but not too much to where it was annoying, and the sound system just amplified the effects of BROKE’s sound. The bassist and drummer especially blew me away! A lot of the cover bands these days are just “so-so” but this one is particularly enjoyable. You can get your dance on while sippin’ beer on their dance floor. Its not a large space but its enough for the size of the crowd. While I cannot comment on their food, I can, say it was some mighty good draft beer. The only thing to watch out for are cover charges at the door; last Saturday night it was $3/person. You should call in advance to find out when this group is playing...enjoy them, they're BROKE.
Posted by: Crissa in reviews, nightlife, bars on
Oct 31, 2008
The Hot Shots off Manchester is the Friday night hang out spot for light weights and hard headed jerks alike. I thought everyone had to be at least 21 to enter after 11pm, but I guess not. I have been to this location four different times now and I must say, each time is just as disappointing as the previous experience - if not more. I just keep going because it is close to some of my friends. The bartenders seem to tend to males more (even though I bet I tip more than they do), food takes forever to be delivered, prices are not all that great unless you go during a special, need I say more? Beware, the jerks come out during specials. They get drunk, get loud, get obnoxious and blow smoke in your face and utter stupid sexist & racist remarks. After a while it begins to smell like nasty body oder, spilt beer, dirty dishes and putrid trash cans. I definitely suggest changing your plans if it involves going to this particular location. I have been to others, none have been close to this bad.
Mmm..beer....
One of my newer favorite dinner hang outs is Schlafly Bottleworks in South County. I'm not much a beer drinker most nights, but I love the Hefeweizen and the Pilsner. If you are not a huge beer guzzler, try the Hefeweizen; if you are a Miller kind of guy/gal, go for the Pilsner. The drink glasses are large, filling and satisfying. The prices aren't bad either! If you like pizzas, you can order your own style mini pizza - and bison, goat cheese and bbq are options! I personally like the BLT with olive oil instead of globs of mayo. The servers are nice, the food comes up quick! Never a complaint from me. If you are looking for more of an intimate setting, go to the Schlafly Tap Room. It has a larger area for pool or darts and has 2 bars as opposed to the Bottlework's single bar. However, the menu at the Tap Room varies from that of Bottleworks. You cannot order the BLT or mini pizza at the Tap Room. My two favorite dinners a the Tap Room are the Corned Beef Sandwich and the Beer Battered Cod & Fries. Again, never a disappointment at this location either. Their food is always fresh and tasty!
Posted by: Crissa in reviews, restaurants, food on
Oct 24, 2008
Now we all know St. Louis is famous for its toasted raviolis, however, I must warn others about the the Pasta House located in Afton. The first and only time I ventured there nearly resulted in me upchucking my delightfully tasty lasagna. The service was slow and our waitress tried to short us of our complimentary rolls and butter. However, the worst part came towards the end. My boyfriend likes to collect all the utensils and plates and place them into one, neat pile for the server. He noticed a knife on the windowsill and as he picked it up we noticed a large swarm of ants covering both the knife and a fork, also on the windowsill. This meant those dirty utensils were sitting there for at least a day. I almost became sick at the table. The manager tried to resolve the issue by grabbing at the ants and trying to carry them away in a napkin - dropping ants on the table and floor as he went. While I understand he was in a panic, you'd think a manager might react a tad different. I felt bad for him, but I felt worse physically. He tried to make it up to us by giving us free dessert, but after that I wasn't hungry for the remainder of the day. I'm not sure if that is a common happening there or not, but beware of this restaurant's window sills!
Posted by: Crissa in reviews, restaurants, food, bars on
Oct 24, 2008
If you are looking for a nice patio dining experience, the Corner Pub & Grill on Big Bend is the place for you! While your date may not enjoy the increasingly chilly weather, the Corner Pub & Grill has several heat lamps sure to keep you both warm and toasty. The prices are low enough of to satisfy you as well! I went with a small group and all of us enjoyed what we ordered: the burgers were cooked perfectly to our orders (medium rare and medium well) and the fried pickles were practically right out of the fryer. If you are sports fan and must watch your football, fear not, there are large flat screens inside the restaurant, however, seating is a bit harder to come by as the indoor section is not as roomy as the patio. Either way, look forward to pleasant and cheap evening without sacrificing taste or service.
