Intro

You can feel it in your pores, can't you -- that insidious, sticky time of year creeping up on us when we will all become sultans of sweat. We at the Riverfront Times are no strangers to the brutality of summer, to the hateful humidity it summons, to the indignity of being forced into air-conditioned theaters to watch movies we'd never watch if it weren't 98 degrees in the shade. It can be cruel, unforgiving and unrelenting. But together, we will endure -- for we must. Ich bin ein St. Louisian.

We understand well your trepidation as we move closer to those fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk days, and our tender, compassionate hearts have driven us to produce a guide on how best to sweeten summer's miseries. So cheer up and chill out. Help has arrived. With the proper spirit and good ol' American ingenuity, there is no reason we cannot enjoy a good ol' St. Louis summer.

With the help of our finest crackerjack freelance team, we have compiled a number of cool ways to beat the heat. Learn how to sneak into fancy hotel pools, join nudist camps or play baseball they way they did a century ago. Check out some of the big events you simply can't miss this summer, or come ride with the St. Louis Scooterists. This guide is our way of saying, "Don't fear summer; embrace it."