Explore St. Louis - Tourism Promotion Agency

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Explore St. Louis - Tourism Promotion Agency

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PostNov 20, 2007#1

I don't think I've seen this posted yet.  The Explore St. Louis site has been updated.  Looks pretty good -- I like the photos in the Tour St. Louis.



http://www.explorestlouis.com/visitors/index.asp
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PostNov 20, 2007#2

I didn't know Ted Drewes and the Botanical Garden were in "Midtown/Clayton." I realize the idea is to simplify the geography of the city for tourists, but such a fib is downright misleading, and it makes the CVC seem unfamilar with their own city.



Photos I would add:



--Cherokee Street Antique Row

--Outdoor cafes in the CWE

--Pride flags on South Grand (let's put out the welcome mat as so many other cities do)

--Washington Ave. streetscape



Showing that there's actually life in the city is a good thing, don't you think?



I may sound overly critical of the CVC, but considering they lobbied to tear down the Century Building (because parking garages are more attractive than beautiful edifices, don't ya know), coupled with their sub-par marketing campaign, I have reason to be disappointed.



As long as the CVC plays it safe, St. Louis will be viewed as a suburban, wholesome Midwestern diversion, and we will never be the destination city that we should be. I realize that big convention business is important, but why not market to gays and lesbians, artists, college students, etc. and show the rest of the country that we're a progressive-minded city that is worth a visit?
T
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Super ModeratorSuper Moderator

PostNov 20, 2007#3

STLgasm wrote:I may sound overly critical of the CVC, but considering they lobbied to tear down the Century Building (because parking garages are more attractive than beautiful edifices, don't ya know), coupled with their sub-par marketing campaign, I have reason to be disappointed.



As long as the CVC plays it safe, St. Louis will be viewed as a suburban, wholesome Midwestern diversion, and we will never be the destination city that we should be. I realize that big convention business is important, but why not market to gays and lesbians, artists, college students, etc. and show the rest of the country that we're a progressive-minded city that is worth a visit?


Why aren't we doing this? And why are we lumping Ted Drewes into Midtown/Clayton for simplicity's sake when it would be more appropriate in the South section? More importantly, shouldn't we market as many of our city's unique neighborhoods (the CWE, Lafayette Square, etc.) and some of the better inner suburban destinations (University City Loop, Maplewood) as possible? The site may look nice, but like you, I see many missed opportunities here.
S
169
Junior MemberJunior Member

PostNov 20, 2007#4

STLgasm wrote: but why not market to gays and lesbians,
There is a rainbow resources section already on the site....not a very good resource, but at least there is an effort.
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PostNov 20, 2007#5

It's very challenging to keep up-to-date with your own city, though a few dozen of us here do a decent job! Maybe I'm not the typical family weekend getaway-er, but I wish they would include places like the Lemp Brewery, The Grove, ONSL, etc. for the "urban adventurer". When you're in a new city it's nearly impossible to find the up-and-coming areas, or places that really unique. It's one thing to find the signature beautiful historic neighborhood in a city - every city has one (or more) and they're all great, even sometimes unique. But from experience, people are most surprised and intrigued by the off-beat, the potential and the unique.
B
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PostNov 20, 2007#6

Now, now. The Business Journal is going to editorialize that we're all just so "critical" and don't give new stuff a chance.



Far be it from all those pro-CVC people to question why Ted Drewes is in "Clayton/Midtown," while the "County" section (there is no "South," just a massive "everything else" called "County") has narrative about Clayton.



Don't complain. Just do what they tell you to do, and everything will be fine.
E
479
Full MemberFull Member

PostNov 20, 2007#7

When one divides the region into a few catch-all areas, everything does seem within reach.



But there doesn't seem to be many things to reach for.
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AdministratorAdministrator

PostNov 20, 2007#8

bonwich wrote:Now, now. The Business Journal is going to editorialize that we're all just so "critical" and don't give new stuff a chance.



Far be it from all those pro-CVC people to question why Ted Drewes is in "Clayton/Midtown," while the "County" section (there is no "South," just a massive "everything else" called "County") has narrative about Clayton.



Don't complain. Just do what they tell you to do, and everything will be fine.


Since I live near Ted Drewes, does that mean I'm in the Clayton School District?
S
1,400
Veteran MemberVeteran Member

PostNov 20, 2007#9

I think they should at least rename it to "City Neighborhoods and Inner Suburbs" or something that is a little more accurate. I'm fine with the region breaks as long as they aren't deceptively labeled.
B
2,190
Life MemberLife Member

PostNov 20, 2007#10

A great selling point of this region from a tourist/hospitality standpoint is that it's a city of neighborhoods (and a county that has numerous distinct and interesting municipalities). For the CVC to put out such an abominable (and demonstrably inaccurate) oversimplification is nothing short of incompetence.
P
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PostNov 20, 2007#11

STLgasm wrote:
I may sound overly critical of the CVC, but considering they lobbied to tear down the Century Building (because parking garages are more attractive than beautiful edifices, don't ya know), coupled with their sub-par marketing campaign, I have reason to be disappointed.



As long as the CVC plays it safe, St. Louis will be viewed as a suburban, wholesome Midwestern diversion, and we will never be the destination city that we should be. I realize that big convention business is important, but why not market to gays and lesbians, artists, college students, etc. and show the rest of the country that we're a progressive-minded city that is worth a visit?


Amen brother. I don't think you're being overly critical at all. If people aren't critical, they will just continue as is, marketing the city as a suburban family wholesome every other midwestern town. I think you're thinking...
S
1,400
Veteran MemberVeteran Member

PostNov 20, 2007#12

I think someone deleted my post without notifying me. I will post again since I have no way of knowing if this was a glitch or if someone deleted it.





^^

I don't think they can do a neighborhood by neighborhood breakdown because then they would have to find something unique and tourist-friendly for every neighborhood in the city. Some neighborhoods are not as advertisable as others from a tourist standpoint.
B
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PostNov 20, 2007#13

stlmike wrote:I think someone deleted my post without notifying me. I will post again since I have no way of knowing if this was a glitch or if someone deleted it.





^^

I don't think they can do a neighborhood by neighborhood breakdown because then they would have to find something unique and tourist-friendly for every neighborhood in the city. Some neighborhoods are not as advertisable as others from a tourist standpoint.


See also: Skyscraper thread. You were apparently two places at once and forgot where you were.



That said: I'm not saying to use the entire CIN map. But "Midtown" is a defined neighborhood near SLU, and it's ridiculous to use it with "Clayton" to summarize the entire non-downtown area of the city.
S
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Veteran MemberVeteran Member

PostNov 20, 2007#14

Ha! I have no idea how that happened.



Okay then. I agree. As long as they aren't being deliberately confusing.
J
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PostNov 20, 2007#15

Is Royale Dump downtown still open? Cause it's not listed under "Dinner theater."
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PostNov 20, 2007#16

I emailed my friend at the CVC with my criticisms, and she forwarded it to the marketing dept. Hopefully they'll fix it.
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PostSep 18, 2025#17

Stl Mag - Explore St. Louis CEO says targeting 6 new markets produced big gains this summer

Hotels were full this summer in part because Explore St. Louis consciously set out to target six markets that were a little further away from where they’d previously advertised, but had affordable, direct flights: Denver, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Minneapolis, and Washington, D.C. (They continued to seek visitors from what they consider the region’s core markets of Chicago, Memphis, Kansas City, and Indianapolis.) 
https://www.stlmag.com/business/explore ... s-tourism/
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PostSep 18, 2025#18

I met with Brad Dean recently, he’s the real deal and will be significantly better than Kitty was.
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Post12:56 PM - 1 day ago#19

I’ve been thinking about ways to elevate the Gateway Arch to the level of other must-see historical monuments.  Like the Statue of Liberty, Liberty Bell, Mt. Rushmore, and Ellis Island.
  1. Give the Old Courthouse an official name -- "Dred and Harriet Scott Old Courthouse".  Or, "Dred and Harriet Scott Old Courthouse National Historic Site". As far as I can find, it has no official name currently.  Just Old Courthouse.
  2. Rename the museum under the Arch to “Louisiana Purchase Museum”.  And re-work part of the museum to make it a Museum for all the people now living in the Louisiana Territory.  The Louisiana Purchase is why residents of St. Louis, New Orleans, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Kansas City-Missouri & Kansas, Denver, Omaha, Des Moines, Tulsa, OKC, Little Rock, and Wichita, along with smaller metros in South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Montana, and Nebraska, are Americans today.  Maybe the re-worked section could have a panel for each large city in the territory with a short history of each city’s early origins before and after the 1803 purchase.  Like me, folks now living in those states likely had ancestors that got there by crossing through St. Louis at some point.  The Arch is their ancestor’s Ellis Island.  
Then market the Gateway National Park as more than America’s Tallest Monument.  Market the importance of the 2 museums in our nation's history.  One museum doubled the size of America.  The other nearly cut it in half.   Should we go so far as to rename it “Gateway Arch and Dred and Harriet Scott National Park”?

And, like other National Parks, define trails of varying lengths visitors can trek on and off the grounds.  They would include other historical points like, the Mississippi river’s edge, Ead’s Bridge, Laclede’s Landing, Wainwright Building, Busch II home plate at Ballpark Village, Eugene Field House, Union Station, Soulard, AB.
S
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Post1:15 AM - Today#20

To think I haven’t posted my recent write-up Where Is Dogtown? Mapping St. Louis’s Unofficial Neighborhoods and Districts because I’m not sure if people will object to me grouping a few neighborhoods together, when they put the botanical gardens under Midtown/Clayton. I was worried about linking Midtown and Grand Center together.
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Post4:18 AM - Today#21

^I wouldn't worry. I think what people say is a lot more important than the "official" designations. Except county people who insist Forest Park is downtown. Ignore them.