Did you know the World's Fair was held here in St. Louis in 1904? If you answered "no" to this question, your status as a St. Louisan is hereby revoked until you've watched the 1944 movie Meet Me in St. Louis, which re-creates that momentous time. (Well, sort of; it's pretty clear that the exteriors were shot on the MGM lot.) Equally importantly, the film will get the titular waltz, the official theme song of the fair, stuck in your head for at least a week. Once that's been accomplished, dance your way to the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park and take a look at the ongoing exhibit on the fair. The other displays are pretty interesting, too. Fortify yourself with a drink or a meal at Bixby's, the museum café, and start walking westward along Lindell Boulevard. (A true St. Louisan always looks west.) Let your eyes wander over the rolling hills of Forest Park, across the Grand Basin, all the way up to the Saint Louis Art Museum, which began its life 107 years ago as the fair's Pavilion of Fine Arts. Or turn the other direction and admire the mansions built by well-heeled citizens who wanted to be close to the action. Straight ahead is Washington University and its signature building, Brookings Hall, which — you guessed it! — also played a role in the fair, as the administrative building. The area's quieter and more peaceful these days than it was in 1904, but if you feel the urge to sing, nobody's going to stop you.
The Macklind Avenue Mile
| Sep 25, 2014
Washington Avenue from Vandeventer to Compton avenues
| Sep 27, 2012
Ninth Street from Lynch Street to Lafayette Avenue
| Sep 29, 2010
South Grand Boulevard from Shaw Boulevard to Utah Place
| Sep 30, 2009
Cherokee Street
| Sep 24, 2008
Magnolia Avenue from Kingshighway
to Grand Boulevard
| Sep 26, 2007
Manchester Avenue from McCausland Avenue to Big Bend Boulevard
| Sep 27, 2006
The (New?) Mississippi riverfront
| Sep 29, 2005
Market Street, between 4th and 20th streets
| Sep 29, 2004
Market Street, between 4th and 20th streets
| Sep 29, 2004