BEFORE THE NEXT HOME GAME

At first I gave this post the title "After the All Star Game" or "After the crowd was gone" but then I remembered the stadium did not look so clean at the end of the game whenever we were there. So the title "Before the next home game" would be more appropriate for these photos taken last year when we attended the Fans Appreciation Day when the fans were showered with complimentary food, beverage, locker room tours, kids run the bases and other fun activities. We got to the stadium early enough that I was able to take these photos, just in my strange mind, wanting to capture rows of empty seats before they were filled with sweaty human bodies, some were actually empty inside themselves!

BENJAMIN AT BUSCH STADIUM

Benjamin was pretty excited to be at Busch Stadium since he did not get a chance to see the new Yankee Stadium and the CitiField (Shea) Stadium before he left New York. I am not sure if I should (or could) try to find a St. Louis Cardinals shirt that would be a good size for Benjamin. Perhaps an extra-extra-very-extra small - haa haa

To all the visitors - we hope you have a nice and enjoyable time while you are in St. Louis. Come back and see us real soon, will ya!

CITY OF ST. LOUIS - 2009 MLB ALL STAR GAME

Last weekend, we were in downtown St. Louis and I took these photos of the City all awash in red and blue banners as the town prepared for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It is the 80th Midsummer Classic between the All-Stars of the American League and the National League. The last time St. Louis hosted the MLB All-Star Game was in 1966. Visit my sport blog www.shorthandedgoal.blogspot.com if you wish to see more photos covering the event and Busch Stadium including locker rooms.

According to the business journal, the 2009 All Star game is expected to make an approximate $60 million economic impact not only to the City of St. Louis but to the entire bi-state region (Missouri-Illinois). An estimate of 250,000 people will attend other events such as FanFest (above photo) at the America's Center, the Home Run Derby, and Charity Concert at the Riverfront.

A national tourism event like the All-Star Game is great as it brings in much needed economic boost. It is estimate that visitors would spend an approximate $30 million in dining, hotels and retails. Photo below shows the food and merchandise tents are ready to accomodate visitors' shopping needs.

Downtown St. Louis, anchored by the mighty Gateway Arch, was founded by Pierre Laclede in 1764. The town became a vital hub of transportation in the early 1800s with the arrival of the steamboat. Like many urban centers, the City of St. Louis has gone through many changes and renewal efforts have continued to bring a resurgence of residential living and business community. Here is an interesting fact - 16.4 million visitors spent their vacation annually including 4 million people visited the Gateway Arch. I wonder what the 12.4 million people do while in St. LOuis if they did not go up the top of the arch.