It's no secret if you read this blog that I'm bullish on our city’s future. For starters,

Last year, Vogue,  the New York Times, and Southwest Magazine published glowing reviews of our city.

The Vogue article describes the “magic” of St. Louis and highlights that “this midwestern city is home to vibrant communities of adventurous designers and artists, startups and coworking spaces. I’d even go as far as to say the city’s urban hang-outs rival the cool magic of those in [NYC and LA].”

Meanwhile, in the New York Times, their author writes that “St. Louis has all you could want in a city — museums, green spaces, good music and exciting new restaurants — plus that distinct Midwestern sense that if you stop random people on the street, there’s a very good chance they grew up nearby and are excited to share the name of their favorite bar with you.”

The highlight the Moolah, Broadway Oyster Bar, the City Museum, The Clover and the Bee, Bar Les Freres, Our Museums, Blueprint Coffee, Bowood Farms, Sugarfire, The Loop, 4 Hands and more.

Then a few months later, in October, Southwest Magazine prints that we’re more than just a city - we’re a “dream factory” - precisely, thank you.

Condé Nast saw it a few years ago and named St. Louis one of their 6 cities to watch in 2017, highlighting our mouth-watering barbecue and other amazing food.

They suggested walking off the calories from our blossoming foodie culture in Forest Park – thank you Condé Nast for noting that it’s “nearly 50 percent bigger than Central Park, and home to the St. Louis Art Museum, the St. Louis Zoo, the St. Louis Science Center, and more.”

Also note in the nearby Shaw neighborhood the Missouri Botanical Garden is the oldest of its kind in continuous operation.

Of course the magazine naturally wasn’t finished; “St. Louis also has the second-oldest symphony orchestra in the U.S., several world-renowned (free) museums; and a downtown area on the upswing thanks to new start-ups,” - the fastest growing start-up city in the U.S., so thanks for noticing.

This year (and every following year too) let this site be your go-to source for what’s great in the region.

(And I didn’t even have to mention The Arch, Cardinals, or Ted Drews.)