Intro
Table of Contents
For convenience, I’m including a Table of Contents to easily navigate this extended play travelogue entry.
If you’d prefer to watch all video clips at once, navigate here.
Forward
If you’ve followed me for any time, you know that St. Louis is somewhat of a second hometown for me; all of my family originates from St. Louis, and most still live in the area. And while I haven’t visited nearly as frequently as I did growing up and through college, in the years since my grandparents have all since passed, I still find my way there every so often for family occasions. This September of 2022 marked my cousin’s wedding.
Day 1 - Arrival
Every trip starts with a travel day, and this one was strictly travel only even with just a ~1hr 45min flight - running on only a couple hours of sleep, I got breakfast and copious amounts of iced coffee at the American Airlines Admirals Club before boarding the flight.
Before the pandemic I had racked up quite a few miles with United, but sadly with the World on an extended pause for a few years, my status dried up and their milage program changed, so I was back to square one. This trip offered a blank canvas, so I decided to try out American Airlines for the first time. It also didn’t hurt that AA, even after splurging the whole $36 extra dollars for an upgrade to First, was still almost $200 cheaper than the same flight on United; WAS to STL has always been a ridiculously expensive route, and only has service with commuter jets (which I always enjoy, though I know I’m in the minority).
American employs E175s for this route, which has a 1+2 seating layout. Onboard, I continued fueling myself with iced coffee to stay awake; the aircraft is only equipped with hot percolators, but the flight attendant also loved iced Americanos as much as me, and made me 3 perfectly blended iced coffees off-menu. I always opt for the a window seat, and taking one of the solo seats in First, in my opinion, provided the best of both worlds. I’ve tried repeatedly to get a view of DC, or a view of ANYTHING other than Alexandria or Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling for years with flights via DCA, and have never been successful until finally this flight taking us on the river flightpath North, providing a beautiful view of the Pentagon, Rosslyn, and Tyson’s Corner. Once up in the air, I continued working on the latest photos for Kaiser Permanente to round out the true “working in business class” First experience.
On the ground at STL, I learned that Cape Air operate(d) out of STL (they no longer service STL as of this writing), and toured a small airport museum before picking up my rental for the week and heading to the hotel for some much needed sleep.
Day 2 - Wedding
Ceremony
The new day was my cousin’s wedding, and while I brought my camera along, I left it in the car for the ceremony and reception portions of the day, because I know how rude it is to be that person at a wedding that isn’t actually one you’ve booked. It was also nice to actually attend a wedding as a guest and not a photographer, which at this point feels strange and unfamiliar.
Downtown St. Charles
After the ceremony, there was a several hour gap until the reception, so my aunt and I went to lunch in Downtown St. Charles, which was having a street festival with art vendors and live music. We toured some of the booths, browsed a few antique shops (where I picked up some really cool McDonnell Douglass relics) then went to local favorite Lewis & Clark's Restaurant.
Reception
Like the ceremony, I left my camera in the car and mostly used my iPhone until the photographer had wrapped up their booking. This let me have the somewhat unusual experience of being a guest, which was nice to actually relax at a wedding - it felt somewhat surreal. Actually, the only reason I used my real camera at all was at the insistence of my aunt.
After the wedding, quite a few hours had passed since dinner, so on the way back to the hotel I swung by White Castle to grab a snack to go, since it was late enough only a few fast food places were open. As it would turn out, half the county also had the same idea, possibly because White Castle thrives off this exact scenario: everywhere else is closed. I ended up waiting in the drive-thru line for over an hour, and the line of cars the amassed behind me quadrupled in length from where I started.
Day 3 - Baseball & Kittens
Cincinnati Reds @ St. Louis Cardinals
The next day was a day I’d looked forward to for years after almost exclusively visiting St. Louis in December or other months when baseball was off-season. In fact, the only time I had been to St. Louis during the baseball season was while the Cardinals were on a roadstand, but finally the dry streak was broken! I finally got my second MLB park under my belt, and it’s fitting it was Busch Stadium in my “second hometown” and not Camden Yards despite driving or walking past it a bunch of times.
To top things off, this was Albert Pujols’ final season, on a single-year deal to end his career with the Cardinals, and in the chase to hit 700 home runs; and we made sure to arrive early because it was also Albert Pujols bobblehead day: a 1 of 4 collectable that were already being listed on eBay for ~$150 before the game even started. Sadly, Pujols didn’t make any progress during this game; in fact, the Cardinals were shut out scoreless 3-0 Reds. Pujols went on to reach the 700 mark five days later with a two-run homer at the Dodgers.
Kitten Playtime
After the game, and a shower break back at the hotel (where I spotted an interesting motorcycle trailer across the street), we reconvened for dinner and just hanging out at my aunt’s, who has two new kittens who are adorable and still learning their abilities.
Day 4 - Workday
Day 4 was a work / recovery day for me; I needed to get two photoshoots delivered to clients to meet deadlines, and after 5 days of non-stop photoshoots, travel, and events, I kept my phone on Do Not Disturb and did not leave my hotel room until dinnertime. I edited the remaining photos from the sessions I worked on during my flight while watching Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. As the sun was setting, I wrapped up the two shoots with delivery to my clients, and was able to relax.
I had every intention of taking myself out to dinner that night to treat yoself, and chose the fanciest restaurant I could find without going outright downtown into St. Louis; where I landed was pretty nice for the midwest suburbs, though not quite as upscale as I had anticipated. YaYa’s Eurocafe blended elements that reminded me of Longhorn and Cheesecake Factory; both are places I enjoy, even if they aren't what I'd classify as "fancy."
This Euro-style restaurant offered decent food and excellent service; my server seemed surprised that I was dressed up and dining solo. Although the restaurant had a chain-like feel with its varied architecture, decor, and menu, I discovered it’s actually one of a small group of five locations under the ownership of a family-run company. This reminded me of the a popular American Restaurant chain beloved by many in the DMV area, which also manage a collection of eateries with similar offerings. Both restaurant groups’ partnership with a major US food supplier likely explains why the food seemed familiar and neither quite match the high expectations set by their online presences. While I wouldn’t consider YaYa’s particularly unique, it’s certainly a popular local chain among locals.
Regardless, I enjoyed my dinner and decided to stop by the bar afterward for a digestif. The bartender, like my server, seemed intrigued by my solo visit and pleasantly surprised by my knowledge of the cocktail menu. I ordered an Aviation, a fundamental, classic gin cocktail that not all bars can make due to the scarcity of one of its ingredients, creme de violette. To my delight, they had a bottle of Giffard Creme de Violette, the same brand I stock at home, and they crafted the cocktail for me. The drink had a striking neon blue hue, which I suspect was due to the peculiar use of Bombay Sapphire, although I can’t confirm this as I was pulled into conversation with the couple next to me (who apparently owned the St. Louis Rolls Royce dealership 4mi away). The cocktail’s vibrant appearance quickly caught the attention of others at the bar, leading to a wave of orders for the same drink. As I was leaving, the bartender was busy teaching other staff members how to make Aviations to satisfy the sudden demand.
Day 5 - Downtown St. Louis
St. Louis Background and Arrival
Every time I visit a city, especially a new city, I make time to go exploring on foot to get a sense of the unique vibe and culture that place has. I’ve been to St. Louis countless times at this point, but since almost every trip has been with family and / or on a short timeline, I had never done a true exploration of downtown St. Louis. St. Louis locals will know the culture of the city wherein if you live in the suburbs you never leave the suburbs / avoid going into downtown at all costs; this attitude, shared by my family, is another reason the only places downtown I’d ever been were the Gateway Arch, the historic Old Courthouse (which is just one block away), and the Anheuser-Busch St. Louis Brewery (which I would like to go back to, since I was under 21 when I visited - fun fact: I have still, at age 35, still never had a Budweiser).
That attitude isn’t without reason, however. St. Louis is consistently ranked among the most dangerous cites in America, frequently topping that list, including as recently as 2023. For a DMV comparison, St. Louis is a lot like Baltimore, but worse. I’ve driven through quite a bit of downtown St. Louis over the years, so I am quite aware of how rough the city can be, and how rapidly things can change in even the same block. Heed the warnings: St. Louis is absolutely as unsafe as the reports say, and you should never let your guard down even in places that feel safe in this city. The suburbs are perfectly fine. Anywhere East of the Zoo, you should use extreme caution and street smarts, areas between there and St. Louis Lambert International Airport are generally fine but you should pay attention to localized rough pockets, and generally anywhere West of I-270 is humdrum-safe suburbia.
Knowing this, I planned to park as near somewhat-already-familiar area I could in a monitored garage since St. Louis, like many cities, has an epidemic of vehicle break-ins and catalytic converter theft right now. I parked a few blocks away from The Arch, and even this high rated parking garage was covered in graffiti, like much of the town in patches. I appreciate graffiti, but even if you’re not well-versed in it (which I do not claim to be), even the untrained eye can tell the difference between street artists and territorial tagging.
Hitting the street level after parking many stories up, and orienting myself without stopping, I made it several blocks over to the Kiener Memorial Fountain and Runner Statue. I didn’t have an intention of visiting The Arch or Courthouse this time, since I’ve seen them both several times already, but figured why not since I’m here, it’s been a while, and it’s a suitable starting point.
I made it to the East side of the Courthouse, and no sooner had I stopped to take a quick centerline picture of the Courthouse and I was already being accosted by a homeless person, who yelled, “you wanna see some crazy shit; go to Africa!” among other nonsense and cursing. I wasn’t stopped even 30 seconds and they were already following me, yelling nonsense at people that weren’t even nearby. I walked away as though I never even noticed them, until they fixated the same arbitrary energy on the next person who became the nearest person to alienate. 21% of individuals experiencing homelessness report having a serious mental illness, and 16% reported having a substance use disorder, according to SAMHSA. The only other city I’ve been actively followed was Providence, RI at dusk.
The Gateway Arch
Next I made it over to The Gateway Arch, and like every time I’ve seen it, it always amazes me that such a structure is actually as tall as it is - pictures never do it justice, and it feels increasingly impossible the closer you approach on foot. By time you’re setting foot in Gateway Arch National Park, you’re awestruck, likely due to it being rooted in two places 630ft apart, rather than a skyscraper, or other tall monument like the 555ft tall Washington Monument, which are impressive, but much less brain-bending with their singular footprints. The Gateway Arch, designed by architect Eero Saarinen, of Washington Dulles International Airport and JFK TWA Flight Center fame, stands equally tall as it stands wide, at 630ft, with a weighted catenary design covered in stainless steel panels.
I think this is the only time I’ve been to The Arch mid-day and in clear weather, so I was glad to make a repeat visit, and did a full walk around to capture The Arch’s details, particularly since I’m shooting on gear that’s over a decade newer and sharper than my last visit.
I also got some waterfront views of beautiful (sarcasm) East St. Louis, IL (which, to be clear, is even more unsafe than St. Louis itself; St. Louis is known as the “murder capital of the US,” but East St. Louis actually has double the homicide rate), to include the Mississippi River Overlook I would try to visit later in the day, but I was most interested in the nearby train tracks, since there is a lot of freight infrastructure in the area. I was lucky and even got to watch a train roll by, and I’m not even a trainspotter.
Above St. Louis
While overlooking the Mississippi River, I saw an R44 taking off, circling, and landing several times, which made me curious, and it immediately became clear walking down the park’s steps this was a helicopter tour. I wasn’t sure quite what to expect, but know to take the opportunities presented to me and head over to the helipad. I booked a flight that ensured I’d see the ballpark and The Arch, and hopped in the familiar helicopter.
The pilot was well-versed in the history and landmarks, and I don’t think quite understood or believed me when I told him I was an experienced aerial photographer until partway through the flight, after I’d commented that this was my only time in a helicopter with the doors on and it was strange to have air conditioning rather than just billowing air with your feet dangling out the door. This turned out to be the calmest helicopter flight I’ve been on; I’m used to pilots with some giddy-up and positioning the chopper where you ask quickly and efficiently - this pilot wasn’t pushing the R44’s maneuverability at all, surely because that’s the routine for inexperienced fliers.
I love every helicopter flight, and I love the pictures I was able to secure from this flight. I took a bunch of aerial photos, focusing on an overview of the city and favorite landmarks, and otherwise trying to highlight details of the sprawling infrastructure St. Louis is built around.
Downtown North
After the flight I decided it was time for some coffee and a quick snack, since I hadn’t eaten anything but my daily Iced Americano to get started. I had decided that the best plan of action for exploring is, since I’ve seen The Arch at this point, an easy goal to guide me through the rest of the explorations would be to try and get interesting photos of The Arch without being primarily nearby it.
All the nearby Starbucks were closed, but that encouraged what I should have done from the start, and lead me to a nearby local coffee and gelato shop. Walking past the Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, Cafe de Blaire offered me a few minutes of air conditioned recovery from the first half of explorations. Albert Pujols’ homerun tally leading to the 700 club was marked on the window, with no progress from the game two days prior, and no games played since then.
After reenergizing, I continued North with the intention of heading to a spot in Laclede's Landing, and passed by the Eads Bridge to East St. Louis, Illinois; I considered walking it to get a over the Mississippi River, but quickly abandoned the thought knowing I already had more compelling pictures from the air making this idea an exorbitant waste of time, and that the bridge also was a prime location for a pedestrian to be mugged with zero means of escape. I got a perspective of Eads Bridge and the historic Greeley Building, then continued on to Laclede's Landing under the building I had just captured.
Clamorgan Alley in Laclede's Landing is no secret at this point, but it is certainly off the most obvious touristy track. The area once was a thriving commercial district for restaurants, boutiques, and small museums is now largely empty following both the George Floyd protests, and even moreso, the COVID-19 pandemic - businesses had to close for either reason, and many did not reopen - across the city there is damage or results from 2020 still left untouched to this day. In Laclede's Landing, most businesses were vacant or permanently shuttered, still occupied but collecting dust from the sudden shutdown in early 2020. A few restaurants were open, or gearing up for happy hour, but practically no patrons were present despite the nearby parking lot being full.
After taking in Clamorgan Alley, I continued toward the waterfront which was touted to offer a dog park and somewhat of a “beachy” area, with the location just two blocks within eyeshot of the St. Louis’ Four Seasons Hotel and Horseshoe casino. The street looking no different than the rest of Laclede's Landing, I rounded a corner and found myself at the entrance of a homeless encampment, heeding some meager shelter offered by the overhead railway (the same line I had photographed earlier), and the words “Safe House” spray painted on the wall of the abandoned parking garage that was further being used as a homeless tent city shelter.
Turning around, heading West to explore away from the riverfront now, I passed by the Federal Reserve of St. Louis, and noticed how even the workers getting off for the day were coordinating their exit from the building, always traveling in pairs or more, and just the general tactics to keep distance from other unknown pedestrians. This is routine in broad daylight in downtown St. Louis.
Overshadowed by the Famous-Barr Building and its adjoined parking garage, the historic terracotta-faced Gill Building currently sits vacant, but unmarred. Adjacent, beneath a crumbling garage entrance ramp, is an abandoned police substation that has been tagged and its exterior damaged by attempted forced entry. The graffiti, empty streets save for workers who exit to the street, speedwalk, and quickly enter their nearby destinations like mice avoiding exposure, and variable homeless or territorial roamers, amongst the mishmash of abandoned buildings and vandalized businesses next to luxury skyscrapers and manicured art parks, give the city a precarious Jekyll and Hyde sense of dangerously unpredictable split-personality.
Ballpark
I was ready for another recharge, and now found myself near a Starbucks that was actually open. Inside Ballpark Village adjacent Busch Stadium I inhaled my third Large Iced Americano for the day, and again was only one of two patrons inside the coffee shop. After inhaling the bean nectar, I explored around Ballpark Village, attracted by the loud music playing that sounded like a live performance - in actuality, it was a DJ setting up for an event later that night. I found Mark McGuire’s name on the walk of fame, and imagined how festive the area must be on game days.
Remnants
Just a block over from squeaky clean, upscale Ballpark Village, or two blocks from Busch Stadium itself, is the former location of Mike Shannon’s Steak and Seafood, the luxury steakhouse and sportsbar concept created by the namesake Cardinals player turned broadcaster, which closed January 30th, 2016. Today the signage is still present on the exterior, and the interior remains fully furnished save for dining tables and chairs.
The former valet and reservation-preferred fine dining establishment stands as a dilapidated time-capsule. I was once again struck by how abruptly St. Louis changes in just a block. Two minutes prior I was sipping iced coffee in a gentrified sports district, and across the street I am being watched by a shirtless man smoking pot on a loading dock before I doubled back to sneak into the restaurant’s former outdoor dining patio.
I scouted the place through a railing before proceeding - there was evidence of the patio, which offered a lot of concealment from street level, actively being lived in. I cautiously climbed into the patio, and seeing there was nobody immediately present, quickly walked through a single pass, taking pictures without stopping. The walls are tagged, ground piled with rubbish, and the part that drew my attention in the first place is the smashed window, glass shattered all over the ground, crunching under my feet with each step. Incredibly, an inner pane was not shattered, keeping invaders out and the interior still untouched - it wasn’t immediately clear if the second, unbroken pane was also a layer of glass, or instead more durable plexiglass. A year later, this shattered pane has been cleaned up, but what was a broken window is now tagged alongside the rest of the building’s graffiti.
On the way back to my car, because I had a few more things I wanted to do before calling it a day, and I had no intention of continuing exploration after sunset. Not in areas I’m unfamiliar with here, and certainly not alone in this town. Not far from my car I spotted The Edible Difference, which closed over 8 years ago. The downtown deli was highly rated and beloved by locals, but is yet another boarded up loss to the rough City of St. Louis.
The state of these locations and examples are not reflections of the owners, past, present, or future; the decay is a reflection of the problems the city itself faces.
East St. Louis
I had one more idea to attempt before calling it a day. At the recommendation of Philip Hu, who I’d be meeting the next day, I decided to head over to the Mississippi River Overlook, located in East St. Louis across the river from The Gateway Arch. The small park with a two-story ramp offers a panoramic view of the St. Louis skyline; the only issue is it’s in East St. Louis.
I drove across the Eads Bridge, which I’d just a few hours earlier poked my camera onto, and got off at the first exit, driving through the DraftKings Casino. Ironically, I then drove under the Eads Bridge, meaning I have been on and under the Eads Bridge on both sides of the river twice in the same day. Stopped under the bridge was an engine having some kind of electrical problem, as it was loudly arcing, snapping, buzzing, and hissing angry electrical noises, and it wasn’t coming from the MetroLink above.
Going a bit further, just a few hundred feet away from the overlook’s parking lot, this train line, feeding into the Cargill grain elevator, blocked the road as the train was parked for loading cars, cutting off traffic in either direction with no obvious option to divert. I decided to scope out the industrial area and train for a few minutes to see if it indicated it would be moving anytime soon. An engineer on another engine in this train stuck his head out the window to yell at me; “Is that car locked?! It better be!” A cautionary reminder that even though this area seemed devoid of people except industrial workers, the locals are still warning it’s a high crime area with car robbery and theft being problems.
The train wasn’t moving, so I found a possible alternate route. There seemed to be an industrial access road leading a back way into to site as well, if I went through part of town to get to it, and assuming the train wasn’t also blocking the other side, since that railline also crossed the road. I decided to give it a shot and head that direction. Entering a one-way interstate onramp and taking the access road offshoot, I head that direction through an overgrown field and past run down industrial buildings, scattered hardparked semi trailers, and debris littered everywhere. The crumbling road narrowed to a single lane between the waste and overgrowth encroaching, and around a blind corner I came up on another semi trailer, except this one had a group of about 10 guys leaning against it or gathered around the fire in a rusty oil drum burning in the middle of the road. They looked like day laborers, but the road being blocked by a fire barrel (which is extra strange on a Summer afternoon) and group of unknown men in East St. Louis, I said “absolutely not” and drove off the road and did an immediate about-face in the unkempt grassland. I wasn’t taking any crazy risk, even if they were just laborers from the nearby industrial recycling facility - East St. Louis’ reputation precedes itself, and again, I already had captured a fantastic view of the St. Louis skyline from the air. Perhaps I’ll try seeing the Illinois view of St. Louis a different time, but it wasn’t in 2022.
TopGolf
The sun was setting, and I had plans that evening to go TopGolfing with my aunt and cousin. I joined the rush hour traffic en route back to my hotel for a shower and change of clothes before meeting up with them, and my cousin Patrick showed my aunt how TopGolf’s bowling-like scoring works. Patrick turned out to be a bit of a golf-shark and wiped the floor with us, and my aunt ended up being a pretty consistent chipper after a few comical missed swings. I’d get my revenge tomorrow though…
Day 6 - Saint Louis Art Museum
Saint Louis Art Museum
Back in 2011, I visited the Saint Louis Art Museum with my cousin and her kids. We toured much of the museum, though sadly had to skip Monet’s sold out Water Lilies series exhibit. After that Winter in St. Louis, I posted the pictures from that trip online, and that’s how I became connected with Philip Hu, Saint Louis Art Museum’s Curator of Asian Art.
Philip and I have followed each other’s photography and travels ever since, but had never actually met although exchanging numerous messages and comments off and on when one of us shared something particularly interesting. Philip is much like me in that he takes pictures of anything and everything interesting all the time, though he’s decidedly much better at posting his pictures methodically than I am.
This trip provided a great opportunity in that my time was flexible, and the fact that I actually had personal time, so in the time preceding my trip I’d reached out to arrange some time to actually meet one another after over a decade of following one another’s lives and visuals. Philip has been at the Saint Louis Art Museum since 2006, but has a local connection as well, having worked at the Dumbarton Oaks Museum in Georgetown here in Washington, DC way before I even had a real camera (I was shooting on my Kodak Advantix at the time, however).
At this time, Philip’s latest exhibition, Global Threads: The Art and Fashion of Indian Chintz, was days away from opening, and the exhibition space was still being prepared to ensure protection of the display pieces. Philip and I met up at the Cafe for coffee and introductions before exploring the museum on foot. As we got acquainted in person, we were both interested in how one another goes about capturing photos - obviously I had my full-size Canon EOS R5 with me, like the rest of the trip, but we both agreed that the adage, “the best camera is the one you have with you” holds true. I had forgotten to format my card from the day before, and showed him a preview of some of the areal photos I’d captured not 24hrs prior. The cafe was closing, and our coffees were empty, so we continued the conversation throughout the SLAM’s walls and grounds.
The Saint Louis Art Museum dates back to 1879, and is tied for the 21st largest art museum in the US. I was most interested in hearing him describe the daily work that he does, and the many challenges of curating a museum that the average person wouldn’t think about. Most people imagine a kind of Indiana Jones “it belongs in a museum” academia-type carefully depositing artifacts into display cases, but that’s not quite the reality, and is only a tiny fraction of the intricate dance of coordinated efforts that goes on behind the scenes; this slow, detailed, and often complicated process is the topic of most of our discussion outside of specific pieces we both stopped to admire.
How many times have you read the captions of an artifact in a gallery that mentioned the piece being on loan, visiting, or from another entity’s collection? Many pieces have been purchased by or donated to the SLAM, like most public art museums, but this isn’t always the case, and is often impossible to display a comprehensive exhibit without incorporating a number of loaned pieces. In these instances, just like in the photography world, licensing is king; curators like Philip spend much of their time finding artifacts that are suitable to form a complete picture in a given exhibit, which may focus on a specific time period, cultural heritage, process or style, etc, and negotiating for their use - a process that in and of itself has many hurdles that can often take years. The reality of brilliant academics sourcing antiquity is true, but it’s happening in emails and meetings, not Temples of Doom.
A desired artifact, once it has been identified as suitable, must be available for the timeframe the exhibit or installation is scheduled; this quickly becomes a scheduling-dance, as any artifacts being leant must all be available at roughly the same time and duration. Additionally, don’t forget, the Saint Louis Art Museum like most others, also may have items from their own collection out on loan, and these all must be due for return if desired for a given exhibition. Negotiating terms and aligning timing is an extremely lengthy process.
Furthermore, an artifact may need restoration work; this could mean anything ranging from simple inspection and preventive conservation to interventive restoration. Depending upon the complexity of the cleaning or restorations needed, these processes, often carried out by specialized 3rd party organizations, can take months or years to complete. Additionally, while insurance is a part of the ownership and exhibition process the entire way, it’s not uncommon for insurance negotiations to also be required before any restoration can even be commenced, adding even more time to the process. After a piece’s restoration has been completed, a curator will typically visit to inspect the work before approving for transport; it’s much safer and easier than transporting the artifact in the event additional attention is required - site-visits to inspect artifacts account for quite a bit of the travel a curator like Philip Hu performs.
This complicated process is of course orchestrated by a team of people with different roles. Once the artifacts are secured, they must be displayed, which encompasses planning arrangement and layout, construction of the exhibit itself, and installation. All artifacts have detailed caption information describing their name, artist, creation date or time period, ownership or provenance, and of course the paragraph(s) explaining the piece’s history, significance, meaning, imagery, usage, etc. These captions are written, proofread, reread, and may go through several versions of revision before the final copy is published on display. Many artifacts or exhibits also have online counterparts, so detailed and archival photographs are often captured, especially of visual art such as paintings. The Saint Louis Art Museum does have an in-house photography studio, but some pieces are so large or difficult to position that they must be photographed in the museum’s larger halls after-hours simply in order to have the proper space for setup and lighting, if not the size of the piece itself.
Philip told me fascinating stories about his work as the Saint Louis Art Museum’s Curator of Asian Art, and I asked him questions about the curation process as he showed me some of his favorite pieces and spots in the museum. I had spent several hours touring around the museum before meeting up with him, and our couple hours conversing and touring the museum together confirmed to me that my feelings on museums is, at least to art lovers, a universal experience: you can spend an entire day in a single museum and still feel like you’ve only barely scratched the surface. I adopted the practice a long time ago that any museum piece I see and am moved to photograph, I also try to capture the caption information to read or reread later - I’d love to read every caption for each piece I see, but unless it’s a museum in a city you live and are readily able to revisit, there usually is only enough time to skim captions of the pieces or collections you’re most interested in. It’s a rare treat, but the best experiences I’ve ever had in museums have been talking with an employee, because they’re always knowledgeable from the extensive time able to absorb the museum, and their excitement for their favorite pieces and places. But this time of finally meeting the fascinating Philip Hu I’d crossed paths with virtually 11 years prior was wonderful listening to him talk about his experiences in the art world, and the paths life will lead you.
I’m so thankful we were able to find a time to get introduced and share experiences with one another. Below, I am combining pictures from my entire time touring the Saint Louis Art Museum, and I’m excluding caption information for aesthetic purpose here, but if desired, they may be see in the full photo gallery. The Saint Louis Art Museum is located in Forest Park, St. Louis, and is free to visit - the inscription above the main entrance reads: DEDICATED TO ART AND FREE TO ALL • MDCDIII (1903). Philip’s most recent curated exhibition is, Shimmering Silks: Traditional Japanese Textiles, 18th-19th Centuries, opening at the time of this writing.
Forest Park
The Saint Louis Art Museum is located in Forest Park, and faces out above the Emerson Grand Basin Fountains. I had a bit of time left before my evening plans still, and wanted to get some sun exploring the grounds a bit before the sun went down. A group of runners was running sprint drills up and down Art Hill, and a yoga class was just beginning at the base of the Grand Basin. I spotted a couple getting their engagement photos taken near Picnic Island, and complimented the photographer for shooting dual medium format film bodies.
Hibachi
On the drive back to my hotel, I drove through a violent freak downpour that was a surprising storm pocket given the beautiful weather the rest of the area had all day. I met up with my cousin and her family to go finally try KiTARO Bistro of Japan, a hibachi that I had always thought was a sushi place that I’d seen their colorful lights on countless trips but had never gotten to try since I’m basically the only person in my family who likes Japanese food. As it turned out, they weren’t making sushi at all that night, so we all had the hibachi performance experience instead of sushi boats.
Day 7 - Family Day
Susie and Ron
For my last full day in St. Louis, I visited an aunt and uncle on my other side of the family - most of my trip had been spent with one side of my family, since that was the side of the wedding. Dropping by their place also meant I saw my grandparents’ home for the first time since they passed away and the house had been sold - it looks pretty much the same, but it was a bit odd not walking up the steep driveway, slipping on sleet, and hearing the door open to the off-tune stringed door chimes.
I talked with my uncle while he tuned up a chainsaw and reminisced about the time we’d gone biking together on the Katy Trail, when my (borrowed) bike developed a leak and needed patching and re-pumping every couple miles, making a casual relaxing trip much longer and more annoying on the return leg. I spent most of the afternoon catching up and sharing similar memories with them.
Ethyl’s & Bowling
For dinner, I met back up with my Aunt and cousin to hit up a famous local BBQ joint that we go to every time I’m in town: Ethyl's Smokehouse & Saloon was a favorite of my grandma, and it’s still a favorite of all of us to this day. After inhaling some Missouri BBQ, we wanted to do something fun like the other night, and went bowling - a perfect compliment to TopGolf. Unlike TopGolf, tonight would be be my night, and I smoked everyone’s scores to make up for Patrick kicking everyone’s butts two nights before. After dinner, we spent some time relaxing and playing with the kitties before I head back to the hotel to pack for my flight the next day.
Day 8 - Departure
The next morning I awoke to dreary drizzle, which I find relaxing, however it makes for bland landscapes, which is what I hope for on travel days. At the airport, I took a few pictures of STL’s Play Port kids play area to share with a friend at IAD (who I partnered with in capturing their kids play area when it opened), grabbed lunch, and took my single-seat on the CRJ900 return aircraft.
By time of departure, the rain had cleared up giving way to textured clouds which we’d quickly ascend above. I often like to schedule flights to begin or end near sunset in order to try and capture aerials of a city in good transitional lighting, and my arrival into DCA gave me beautiful views of Vienna, Tyson’s Corner, National Harbor, Alexandria, and Washington, DC in the blue hues of dusk as the busy city lights brilliantly lit up the ground. At wheels down, my dad and I head to Silver Diner for dinner, to conclude the week plus.
All Video
For your convenience I’ve included all the video clips from above as one complete set showing my trip in this video:
