Many people, or friends and co-workers, have asked me about my opinion on Michael Vick, I assume because I am both a fan of both animals and the NFL. And this is my official statement.

Despite your feelings about cats and dogs, the situation surrounding Michael Vick has made one thing clear: despite how cruel you are to people or animals, if you are good at sports, your road to life will be paved with gold.

Dante Stallworth was a very talented wide-receiver with the Cleveland Browns. I say was, because he is no longer with them, due to his DUI charges in March of 2009. He killed one man.

Plaxico Burress dropped a gun in a nightclub, and received a 2 year sentence. He hurt no one.

I have to say, out of all of these cases, Michael Vick got off the easiest. It has nothing to do with the fact that the victim was dogs. What is does have to do with is the fact that Dante Stallworth and Plaxico Burress never intended for anyone to get hurt. They were complete idiots, but they never intended to hurt anyone. Michael Vick, however, was incredibly pre-meditated in his cruelty to animals. He set out to make a profit off of dogs that had their teeth beat out of their heads, that were electrocuted, that were tortured.

Michael Vick is a different situation. If you can lay your hand on a being that has a beating heart and warm breath, and then take a hammer and beat out its teeth, than you are a bad person. I place you in the same league that I place Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacey. You are a serial killer.

If you do these things, and then a football team places you on their roster, well, you are a football team that I will boycott. Again, I make the point, you are proving that no matter how bad you are, if you can throw a ball, then you can do well in life.

Is this what you want to teach children?

South Morgan Ford

The problem with sourdough toast is that it can truly be used as a weapon. Eleven Eleven Mississippi, a restaurant in downtown St. Louis, had this problem when they first opened. They had a sandwich that was soooo good, but it also scraped off the skin on the roof of your mouth, a burn that you could feel for days. My friend Pamela nicknamed it "The Scraper Sandwich". I don't know what it is about this bread, and why no other bread is as lethal once it's been toasted. I'm open to theories.

This was about the only unpleasantness I experienced yesterday at 3 Monkeys, a fairly young pub in South St. Louis, on South Morgan Ford. For those who are familiar with St. Louis, a few blocks over, on South Grand, you can get some of the best international fare the city has to offer (I wrote about Lemon Grass in a previous blog, a well loved restaurant on South Grand). If you want fabulous pizza, Black Thorn Pub is in the neighborhood, but if you're in the neighborhood at lunchtime, it doesn't do you much good, because being first and foremost a bar, Black Thorn isn't open until the evening. So if you don't want international food, 3 Monkeys is a great option. They offer hamburgers that receive rave reviews on webboards, and their pizza looks delicious--I will definitely come back and try it. I was in the mood for a sandwich, and while they don't have very many vegetarian options, the portabella mushroom sandwich on sourdough seemed like a good way to go. For many restaurants, this is the old vegetarian stand-by. They might as well call it Old Faithful. But anyway, it was a good sandwich, the mushrooms were juicy, the cheese was melty; it was just painful for my mouth. Was it worth $8.95? Meh. I'll try the pizza next time. They also have a decent selection of beer, especially on draft, including Delirium Tremens, a tasty Beligian Pale Ale that I don't very often see on draft.. But the best part about 3 Monkeys is definitely the decor. Gorgeous mahogany wood runs throughout, and it has a true pub feel. I was surprised to notice that a sign hung above the bar reading: No cigar or pipe smoking, because it seemed to me a place where fat old men with white beards should be hanging out, drinking good beer or scotch, puffing away at pipes and cigars, and discussing politics and literature. It would be a very cozy place to relax with friends on a St. Louis winter evening.

I also visited a couple of antique stores on Morgan Ford, and even wandered down to an estate sale that was taking place on one of the side streets. This part of Morgan Ford has grown incredibly over the past 10 years or so. The owner of one of the used car dealer ships there will talk about how once upon a time, it wasn't at all unusual to open up in the morning and see needles scattered all over the parking lot. But like so much of St. Louis, Morgan Ford has been a blessed recipient of the renovations that have taken place.

www.3monkeysstl.com

Bel Biv Bevo, Now You Know. . .

The Old Bevo Mill. It's not "Poison,"

but it is rumored to be haunted.

I used to live a few blocks south

of here.

Mannequin legs above a vintage shop I visited.

Lazy Saturday Morning

Saturday morning brunch with the girls. This is a sentence that brings a delighted smile to the faces of women everywhere. A lazy morning spent with coffee, mimosas, and conversation with old and new friends, often friends that you simply haven't seen for a while because everyone is too damn busy. For women in St. Louis, there is no better back drop for these sacred moments than Cafe Ventana. They call themselves "A Bohemian Bistro with a French Quarter Feel," with antique gas chandeliers, french doors, and a cobblestone alleyway. I have to say, I have never been to New Orleans, but from what I've seen in pictures, the description seems to be accurate. Inside the brick loft stlye building is cozy seating and a fireplace. Even the bathrooms are beautiful. A jazz band was playing, which I thought was unusual, but very much appreciated, on a Saturday morning. Jazzbands are typically cocktail hour fare. As far as the architecture of the building, it is apparently modeled after some guy name Brett Hutt, and his "Retronomic Development". What I read online is this: "Retronomic Development is the phased restoration of a community's architecturally historic commercial corridor using mulit-repurposing and appropriate green building infill". What I take that to mean is: swooping down on cities that are going to hell, refurbishing their buildings, and staying true to being green. I'm not sure why they couldn't have used more simple terminology, but whatever, there it is.

But let's talk about the food. The food is DIVINE. Word on the street is that their coffee is wonderful; I did not partake, as I had already had 3 cups by my arrival. However, I will say that I'm inclined to believe public opinion, on this matter at least, as I know they have someone who roasts their coffee in small batches twice a week. They have Bloody Marys, Mimosas, and Bellinis, and Mimosas are $4 til 2pm on Saturdays. Yea!!! The menu features tasty items like Beignets--French donuts, and some are filled with Columbian Chocolate, yum. . . --Smoked Salmon Brie Souffle, and Egg Panninis. I had the Capri Pannini: egg, tomato, mozzerella, and pesto on rosemary and olive oil bread. It was delicious, and they did not skimp on the egg. I had problems deciding what to get, finding myself wavering between the Capri pannini, the portabella mushroom pannini, or the bagel with smoked salmon, cream cheese, onions, and capers. When I've tried the other items, I will report back.

Other than work on my writing, watch some movies, and attend a housewarming party, that was all I did this weekend, and I was fine with that. I wasn't in the mood to wander the city alone, although the part that we were in has some beautiful architecture. I was perfectly fine with spending three idle hours in the shade talking about guys, politics, and bad drivers. Especially as I grow older, I love to steal away to spend time with women and do really nothing at all. It's refreshing.

The top right picture is where we were sitting on the patio. Isn't it beautiful?

I will attempt to do something more exciting next weekend. I'm going to try to get Brenden out on more of my excursions. He hates the city, so my next goal is to force him to love it. Should be interesting!

Oh, and the website:

www.cafeventana.com

Straight out of Compton

This Saturday, I visited the Compton Water Tower, off of Grand. If you're like me, you've driven by this several times without really understanding what it was. I accidentally stumbled upon some information online a few weeks ago, and found out that it is a historic water tower, one of 7 in the United States (and we actually have 2 more!). The observation deck offers a 360 degree view of the city. The only structure that offers a higher view of the city is the Arch. And now a little boring history:

In the 18th century, the demand for water was too much for the city's system, so a large vertical standpipe was built, and the Compton Water Tower was built around it to cover its unsightly appearance. It was officially finished in 1899. It is 179 feet tall, with 198 spiral steps. It is estimated that at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, as many as 5,000 a Sunday flocked to the tower, the surrounding grounds, and the lily ponds. The tower was retired in 1929, and was occasionally opened for private tours. In 1972, it was declared a national landmark. In 1984, it was closed to the public, and fell into a state of decline until 1995, when the City considered demolishing it. The local residents and neighborhood associations got involved, and restoration of the tower and grounds started.

Another cool feature on the grounds is The Naked Truth sculpture, which was unveiled in 1914, amid much controversy due to her nudity. It was designed to honor German Americans.

I was very excited about visiting this structure that I have always wondered about, without really fully considering what might happen. I have a tendency to forget that I'm afraid of heights, primarily because--well, I'm not ALWAYS afraid of them. I love roller coasters, for example, and being in most high rise buildings don't bother me at all. But it all depends on the structure. Ladders, for example. I develop such a panic attack when I'm on a ladder that I freeze, and have to be physically helped down.

I did not get the same sort of panic attack this time, but as I climbed the narrow staircase, my legs became more and more wobbly, and I found that I had to clutch onto both railings to steady myself. It didn't help that I noticed the landings weren't in the greatest of shape, which led me to wonder what it would be like to fall several stories to my imminent death. By the time I reached the observation deck, under a bell-shaped roof of terra cotta tiles, my entire body was shaking. Not to mention that it was muggy inside the tower, and I was sweating profusely.

However, I have to say, the view was worth it. And, there were windows that opened, letting in the most delicious cool breeze. It was wonderful--the problem with the Arch is that once you reach the top, it's just a bunch of narrow windows that barely allow much of a view of the city. The Compton Water Tower is open and airy, allowing great views of the Arch, the Lemp Brewery, and even as far away as Clayton. I loved it. I felt safe in that tower, meditating on the grey skyline that hung over St. Louis. And I tried to ignore the fact that at some point, I would have to face those narrow staircases and the trip down.

I did make it down, however, and headed to South Grand for a late lunch. I decided on LemonGrass, a wonderful Vietnamese restaurant. I typically eat tofu in curry sauce, and enjoyed that even before I became a vegetarian. The creamy sauce is perfect, just right on the blend of curry and coconut milk, not too sweet, not too spicy. The sticky rice is fluffy and shaped into a ball garnished with delicate carrot sticks and green leaves--I don't know what the green leaves are. They aren't parsley, but it makes the rice look very pretty. The spring rolls are great, too. As I sat there, dipping my spring rolls into peanut sauce and sipping on Jasmine tea, I remembered the first time I ate here, probably 10 years ago, and how much I hated the spring rolls. In fact, I didn't really care for the city in general. Yet here I was, in a zen moment of enjoying the food, the city, and a local paper. Across from me sat a couple, the guy wearing a cowboy hat and a woman wearing a wife beater. Behind me I heard a group of friends talking, the girl talking about her nut allergies and marveling at the spring rolls--it seemed that it was her first time eating Vietnamese food.

On the way back to my car I saw the funniest graffiti on a building on the corner of Grand and Connecticut:

Good message, I'll keep that in mind!

Pics from the tower are below, I would've taken a picture of the food, except that my battery died, but click on link to LemonGrass's website, and check out their menu. They have pics, and unlike McDonald's, the food served really looks like the picture!

Compton Tower:

http://www.watertowerfoundation.org/

They are open on the first Saturday of every month from 12-4

http://www.lemongrass-rest.com/

The Naked Truth

Lemp Brewery

Peveley Factory

Ceiling of the tower

Lemp Brewery, again

MacArthur Bridge

Midnight Madness

Alright, I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this one, mainly because I have apparently fallen out of love with the event called Midnight Madness at Gateway International Raceway, located just over the river, in Illinois. I think I might be outgrowing it. The picture I posted above probably best explains Midnight Madness. That, and the jerk dancing below.

Midnight Madness, contrary to its name, actually starts much earlier than midnight, usually around 8 or 9 pm on select Fridays throughout the summer. Drag racing is the main event, but they also have music acts, drifting--which I can only describe as the figure skating of motor sports, please video below. People also bring their cars to display in all of their muscley, modded out glory--and I am quite aware that muscley isn't really a word. This year they also added kids doing bike stunts on ramps. In years past, a group called the Streetfighterz would do motorcycle stunts, which I really enjoyed, but they had some falling out with Gateway, so they are not performing there anymore.

I used to love this event with all of the people, the cars, nitrous mixed with the scent of hot dogs and funnel cake--but this year, not so much. Maybe it's because I was tired, maybe it's because I'm getting too old--maybe it was the fact that I really noticed that most of the patrons were punk white kids with their hats on sideways and their boxers hanging out, and this annoys me. Maybe it's because I'm a female. I have no idea.

But if you're someone that loves muscle cars, drag racing, or if you're just a white person that wears their hat sideways, the link is www.gatewayraceway.com/tickets/midnight_madness.php

Below are pictures from the night. There is also a video of one of those punk kids dancing, and it is hilarious. It was truly the best part of the evening.

Now, this guy thinks he's cool!! My favorite part is how halfway through the dance, he almost just starts to walk away, as if he momentarily came to his senses and realized how silly he looked. In the background, you will hear what sounds like the yap of a small dog--that is actually me, about to wet myself with laughter.

This is a poor example, because the guy is oversteering, but this is an example of drifting.