Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

Spring also means weddings and proms and favorite locations for those special photos. Here are a few in and around St. Louis, along with some facts about each of which you may not be aware.

We’ll begin with a church, where most weddings take place. There are many beautiful ones to choose from in the area, but one will do in representing them all: St. John the Apostle and Evangelist Catholic Church in downtown St. Louis. In the mid-1800s, as people poured into the young settlement/city, Catholics in its first “suburb” were served by St. John the Apostle and Evangelist parish – founded in 1847. The present church was dedicated on November 4, 1860. It has seen uninterrupted daily use since its opening (and plenty of refurbishing along the way). During one twenty-year period it was the Cathedral Church of the Archdiocese (replacing the Old Cathedral on the riverfront, which had become too small for the job). If you look closely, you can peer down Chestnut Street and see the Gateway arch in the night sky.

Yes, St. Louis Union Station is one of those popular destinations for wedding and prom photographs. More noteworthy, it is a National Historic Landmark. When Union Station opened in September of 1894, it was the largest and most magnificent terminal in the United States; and St. Louis was the fourth largest city in the nation. At its peak in the 1940s, Union station became the busiest rail terminal in the world, serving over 100,000 passengers a day. Yet, marking the end of an era, bystanders waved as the last train left Union Station on October 31, 1978. Today, St. Louis Union Station is home to an elegant hotel, offices, shops, and special events venues.

Here is the heart of travel: the magical! You put yourself out there and once in a while something special happens. My passengers – a wedding party here for the reception – had all stepped safely inside Bellerive Country Club just moments before the storm hit. It was a doozy. Then it lifted, and as I sat in the club parking lot, this . . . a moment as surprising and rewarding as Bellerive itself. Named after the last French commander in North America – Louis St. Ange De Bellerive – the country club was established in north St. Louis in 1897, several miles east of its current location, to which it relocated in 1960. Originally a nine-hole golf course, Bellerive did not just move, it “grew up” . . . fast. In 1965 it became the youngest course to host the US Open. By 2013 it had become the third club in history to host all four men’s major championships (the PGA Championship, the US Open, the US Senior Open, and the Senior PGA Championship).

Wine country . . . romantic vistas seemingly made for proposals, weddings, and receptions. Chandler Hill Winery is located near Defiance, Missouri, at the beginning of the first “wine country” west of the Mississippi. It occupies the same land once owned by Joseph Chandler, a freed slave and neighbor of Daniel Boone’s family. Joseph Chandler died in 1952 at the age of 98. But his love of the land lives on at Chandler Hill, where the tasting room and winery are on the site of Joseph Chandler’s original cabin. The stones from the cabin’s foundation are part of the waterfall at the Chandler Hill entrance.

Prom night at America’s Center. Here I am with a few of my favorite travel companions, delivering prom attendees to one of the many ball rooms hosting proms throughout downtown St. Louis. This location happens to have a 28,000 square foot ballroom. I hope everyone was able to find one another in there.

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

SPORTS NEWS: It turns out that green does not completely dominate spring. Blue prevailed this week in the NHL playoffs – round two – between the St. Louis Blues and the (very green) Dallas Stars.

In case you haven’t heard, Bellerive Country Club is scheduled to host another very big event – one of the biggest in golf history: the 100th anniversary PGA Championship. It is coming in 2018, so anyone with hope of participating still has some time to sharpen those skills.

ART NEWS: Boarding after the wedding reception at Bellerive, a passenger spoke of what he called “the best Neiman” he’d ever seen. The work of art he was lauding featured Tom Watson, Gary Player, Hale Irwin, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer. Having made several deliveries to Bellerive, I can tell you the inside scoop on this one: It’s not a Neiman. But it’s worth a visit to check it out.