urbanSTL

loftlover wrote:

St.Louis UAB alumni wrote:There is Paddy O's, Hrabrosky's, Mercury, Mike Shannon's, and two other bars who's name I can't remember. If you don't see those then you must be coming in from the East side.

I don't think it was necessarily bars he was talking about. I've not been to Kauffman Stadium, but he gave me the impression the experience was more complete (although the quality of baseball is obviously suspect).

^uhh...

Overheard at the Cubs-Cards game, three Cubs fans from Chicago discussing New Busch and The Hole:



CF 1: "I like the new stadium, it feels alot more open than the old one, but it only holds, like, 45,000, why didn't they make it bigger?"



CF 2: "I dunno. St. Louis is pretty poor, think about it, how many people in St. Louis could afford tickets, let alone season tickets!?!"



CF 1: "How big is St. Louis?"



CF 3 (looking proud of his knowledge): "It's just over 1 million, including the suburbs."



CF 2: "Yeah, dude, it'd be like, you know, like if Wrigley Field held 450,000 people!"



CF 1 and CF 3 (together): Yeah...



CF 1: "What's all that dirt over there for?" (pointing at "The Hole")



CF 2: "I dunno."



CF 3 (serious): "Maybe they do motocross there."



CF 2: "Yeah, cool!"



CF 1 (laughing): "That's where they do the monster truck shows."



All three Cubs Fans: (laughing hysterically)



Nearby Cards Fan (obviously irritated): "That is where Busch Stadium used to be. They are going to build Ballpark Village there."



CF 2: "What's that?"



Nearby Cards Fan: (describes Ballpark Village - restaurants, ESPN Zone, high-rise condominiums and apartments)



All three Cubs Fans: (stare at Cards Fan as if he had just claimed he'd seen Albert Pujols fly)



CF 3: "They should make it a parking lot where you could tailgate, that's what this place is missing, ya know, like the Brewers ballpark."



CF 1 and CF 2: "Yeah..."

CF1, 2 & 3 rule!!!! I dig those guys!

jlblues wrote:Overheard at the Cubs-Cards game, three Cubs fans from Chicago discussing New Busch and The Hole:



CF 1: "I like the new stadium, it feels alot more open than the old one, but it only holds, like, 45,000, why didn't they make it bigger?"



CF 2: "I dunno. St. Louis is pretty poor, think about it, how many people in St. Louis could afford tickets, let alone season tickets!?!"



CF 1: "How big is St. Louis?"



CF 3 (looking proud of his knowledge): "It's just over 1 million, including the suburbs."



CF 2: "Yeah, dude, it'd be like, you know, like if Wrigley Field held 450,000 people!"



CF 1 and CF 3 (together): Yeah...



CF 1: "What's all that dirt over there for?" (pointing at "The Hole")



CF 2: "I dunno."



CF 3 (serious): "Maybe they do motocross there."



CF 2: "Yeah, cool!"



CF 1 (laughing): "That's where they do the monster truck shows."



All three Cubs Fans: (laughing hysterically)



Nearby Cards Fan (obviously irritated): "That is where Busch Stadium used to be. They are going to build Ballpark Village there."



CF 2: "What's that?"



Nearby Cards Fan: (describes Ballpark Village - restaurants, ESPN Zone, high-rise condominiums and apartments)



All three Cubs Fans: (stare at Cards Fan as if he had just claimed he'd seen Albert Pujols fly)



CF 3: "They should make it a parking lot where you could tailgate, that's what this place is missing, ya know, like the Brewers ballpark."



CF 1 and CF 2: "Yeah..."

They must have been from Peoria or someplace like that.

^Why Peoria? From their accents, they were definitely from the Chicago area, not Central Illinois. My guess was North Shore 'burbs, but to find out I would have had to actually converse with them, perish the thought.

Didn't mean to knock Peoria, it just seems that when I'm at Cards-Cubs games, a lot of the Cubs fans are hicks from elsewhere in Illinois, Iowa, etc.

True. As a born-again Cards fan I still remember my days as a Cubbie. Not many true Cubs fans from Chicago would come to St. Louis to see a game - especially this year. Tickets are Wrigley aren't so tought to come by.

Nearby Cards Fan (obviously irritated): "That is where Busch Stadium used to be. They are going to build Ballpark Village there."

This "nearby fan" wasn't jlblues, was it?

Complete morons. I hope somebody at least corrected them on the population numbers.

STLbiggestfan wrote:Complete morons. I hope somebody at least corrected them on the population numbers.

I would say the majority of Cubs fans (and Chicagoans in general, particularly the suburban ones) think the way those three morons do, so that "somebody" would really have their work cut out for them. I am sure most Cubs fans would swear with one hand on Harry Caray's statue and the other on an autographed Ryne Sandberg jersey, that the population of St. Louis can't be much over 1 million, and the population of metro Chicago is well over 10 million (I had one friend tell me the population was 12 million - back when the entire population of Illinois was only 12 million ) I have informed many of them over the years, but it never seems to stick. I guess they think I am inflating the numbers like they are. I could go on and on about my theories on this (imagine if your image of the entire St. Louis region was based solely on the drive into St. Louis on I-55 from the east and walking around downtown, for example), but I will spare you all...

stlmike wrote:This "nearby fan" wasn't jlblues, was it?

Nope. As you probably know by now, I lived in Chicago for several years. You wouldn't believe the serious questions I have fielded about Saint Louis over the years, by otherwise very intelligent, educated people, many of whom have spent some time here. I gave up trying to educate Chicagoans about Saint Louis a long time ago...

^^^ Holy crap jl, that was possibly the funniest thing I've read on here.

...Maybe because I've had completely horrid (but some not so stupid) conversations with Cubs fans before at Busch, both old and new. I could just picture that whole thing in my mind. Bravo!

SB 55 in IL is not a very scenic drive for density lovers.

Delay in construction on Ballpark village due to major changes View VIDEO



06:26 PM CDT on Wednesday, August 30, 2006



(KMOV) – There's a new addition to Busch Stadium construction that's raising eyebrows and causing some confusion.



We’ve reached the homestretch of the new ballpark's first regular season and still no solid answers on when the stadium's ugly surroundings will finally get their upgrade.



Ballpark village, the multi-million dollar retail, entertainment and residential district slated to be developed by the Cardinals and the Cordish Company.



But when?



Adding to the confusion is that parking lot that recently went in behind me here at Walnut and Broadway. Its left some fans wondering if there's been a snag in the execution of getting the village built.



Its also sparking rumors but Mayor Slay says the delay isn't a negative, because plans are now for the original $60 million village project to be a stellar $600 million downtown destination.



Mayor Slay says all parties have been in contact with each other several times a week for the past several weeks.



They hope to be well into phase one by 2008.



The village must be complete by 2011, or the Cardinals could pay a penalty of up to $3 million a year.



Both the city and the cardinals have confirmed that new parking lot is temporary and will be open to fans within the next few days.

Good news there...

BUT... what the hell is that little corner lot for anyway and why was it even built? I have a feeling - for the wealthy elite going to the games... but come on!

matguy70 wrote:Good news there...

BUT... what the hell is that little corner lot for anyway and why was it even built? I have a feeling - for the wealthy elite going to the games... but come on!

My parents had green seats to the game tonight (go Cards btw, 13-6, way to fry those fish!) and had a parking pass with the tickets...it was for Lot C, which is the lot directly south of Highway 40 and west of 8th...seriously? If I could find a damn parking spot that close I'd be set!! Maybe the wealthy elite are thinking "OMG, I have to walk UNDER a highway to get to the game? That's just blasphemy!" That new parking lot is ridiculous. I agree Mat.

Wow, I can't wait for 2008.

DeBaliviere wrote:Wow, I can't wait for 2018.

There: fixed it for you.

2008 is one year and four months away. No reason to despair. Especially if the project is projected to double. Looking back on posts from 2005, they expected a $300million project. A figure that caused celebration at the time. So double, $600million, is twice as good. It is too soon to give up.

I think all the Chicago banter is just a little jealousy showing. I mean, NBC reported just last week that St. Louis is the 12th biggest city right behind the 11th biggest city of Chicago.



Cubs rivalry or not, this simply boils down to a gigantic hole outside the stadium. The question is, does it make a good impression or not? No it doesn't.



Guess we'll just have to suck it up for the time being and put on some PR spin. The budget has doubled and it's scheduled to open up in 2018. Ok, maybe 2008. Works for me.



And yes, I'll continue to root for the Cubs. Loyalty is in order as I was born in Chi-Town. Believe it or not, this isn't nearly as contentious as rooting for my alma mater Iowa State against Nebraska in a football game in the student section in Lincoln. Thank goodness for having giant friends from Nebraska with me.

stlmike wrote:

Nearby Cards Fan (obviously irritated): "That is where Busch Stadium used to be. They are going to build Ballpark Village there."

This "nearby fan" wasn't jlblues, was it?

So double, $600million, is twice as good.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. That price tag could be adjusted for inflation because they may figure that by the time they actually get this thing built that the cost of materials and labor will be double what they are now.

^Can you give us an update after the show? Do you get KMOX in New Jersey? Does that mean I can get it in Maryland?

JMedwick wrote:Expat, I listen online through the computer. Go to the KMOX website and you will see the listen live link on the right-hand side.



Though, I can pick it up sometimes late at night on the old car radio.

Please let us know. Streaming is blocked here at work.