H eadlines
St. Louis a Vibrant Gateway to the West
1764. French fur traders Pierre
Laclede and Auguste Chouteau
JEFF AND VIRGINIA ORENSTEIN |
founded St. Louis on high land
JE FEATURE
just below the confluence of
the Mississippi and Missouri
Note: We recommend that Rivers.

travelers should follow current
CDC guidelines and check with Before You Go:
each mode of transportation • explorestlouis.com/
and specific venue of interest • riversandroutes.com/
for current information before • stlholocaustmuseum.org/
traveling. Check explorestlouis. • travel.usnews.com/
com/ before you go.

St_Louis_MO/ Things_To_Do/
ST. LOUIS IS KNOWN as
the Gateway to the West. It Getting There:
has earned that title because St. Louis can be easily reached
it is located near the conflu- by highway, air, train or
ence of the Mississippi and riverboat.

Missouri rivers, making it a
natural center of economic • By car, St. Louis is reached
and political activity for the
by Interstate Highways 44,
region, as well as the logical
64, 55 and 70
starting point for the western • By air, St. Louis Lambert
expansion of the United States
International Airport (STL)
beyond the Mississippi.

is 16.8 miles from the
St. Louis served as the
Gateway Arch.

economic and political center • By train, Amtrak’s Gateway
of Spanish Upper Louisiana,
St. Louis Station is 3.3
the starting point for Lewis
miles from the arch. It has
and Clark’s Corps of Discovery
frequent service to Chicago
and the economic and social
and points west and south.

center of what would become • Since St. Louis is on the
the state of Missouri.

Mississippi River, riverboat
It is a large (2.8 million in
cruises are available locally
the greater metropolitan area)
and to distant destinations
but accessible city that fronts
north and south.

on the Mississippi River. Its
most identifiable feature is the Must-Sees and Dos for
630-foot-tall Gateway Arch, a Short Trip:
located downtown. But there • The Gateway Arch National
Park. Take a trip to the top.

is far more to St. Louis than
the arch. The city hosts a lively • Explore Laclede’s Landing.

nightlife, beautiful Forest Park, • Take a local cruise on the
Mississippi. a renowned zoo, an excellent
aquarium and attractions for • Visit St. Louis Forest Park.

• Check out Busch Stadium.

the whole family.

The river is a center of • Visit one of St. Louis’
panoply of museums.

commerce with busy ship
and barge traffic, rail lines,
highways on each side and If You Have Several
industry galore. It is also a Days:
tourist attraction with boat • Visit the National Museum
of Transportation, an
rides and restaurants with a
excellent railroad history
river view. East St. Louis lies in
museum 20 miles from
Illinois, across from St. Louis
downtown. and is a huge industrial center
• Visit the Aquarium at St.

that boasts a casino.

Louis Union Station.

The city was founded by the
French in Spanish territory in • Tour the Busch Brewery.

T RAV EL
12 OCTOBER 28, 2021
The Gateway Arch can be seen for many miles. Here is a view from the Mississippi River. The building with
the green roof is the Museum of Westward Expansion, part of the Gateway Arch National Park.

Photo by Jeff Orenstein
The view from the top of the St. Louis Gateway Arch is impressive. Here we are looking at the immediately
adjacent downtown area:
Photo by Jeff Orenstein
The repurposed St. Louis Union Station is the home of the new St. Louis Aquarium and several restaurants
and shops.
Courtesy of Visit St. Louis
JEWISH EXPONENT
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



H eadlines
Ginny O’s Tips
For Dressing The Simply Smart
Travel Way For St. Louis:
Tourists can be comfortable
with casual dress. Even though
it is a big city, there is no need to
dress up for tourist attractions.

This Destination at a
Glance Mobility Level: Moderate.

There are some hills around
the riverbank, and some
attractions require walking
and climbing some stairs.

When to Go: The shoulder
seasons of April and May and
September through October are
good choices. Summers are hot
and humid, and winters are cold.

Where to Stay: The Drury
Plaza Hotel at the Gateway Arch
is centrally located and has a
great happy hour. Most national
chains have locations nearby.

Special Travel Interests:
U.S. westward expansion. l
Jeffrey and Virginia Orenstein
are travel writers from Sarasota,
Florida. Jewish St. Louis
A list of area Jewish houses of worship can be found at
THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF ST. LOUIS released a
jfedstl.org/synagogues/. There are almost 20 different Jewish
major survey of that metropolitan area’s Jewish commu-
congregations in
the region.

The institutional network of
nity in 2014. Overall, the study shows that St. Louis’ Jewish
Jewish organizations
is also
fairly dense in St. Louis. See a
community is stable, with a wide range of Jewish engagement.

list at jfedstl.org/community-engagement/. There is also an
independent Jewish newspaper called the St. Louis Jewish
Finding include:
• There are about 61,000 Jewish people in St. Louis and Light.

Jews have been in the region at least since Joseph Philipson
another 28,000 non-Jewish persons living in households
arrived from Pennsylvania in 1807. Wolf Bloch, a native of
with at least one Jewish adult.

Schwihau, Bohemia, settled there in 1816.

• Of the approximately 89,000 people in at least partially
Early arrivals
were not religiously observant and probably
Jewish households, 11% consider themselves “partly
intermarried and,
in this way, may have lost their Jewish
Jewish,” and 31% are not Jewish.

identity; by
1836, the
first religious services were held when 10
• The majority of local Jews live in Creve Coeur, Chesterfield,
men rented
a little
room over Max’s Grocery and Restaurant
Olivette/Ladue and University City/Clayton.

on the
corner of
Second and
Spruce streets — now occupied
• 71% percent of Jews under age 65 in St. Louis are employed,
by the
Gateway Arch.

The next
year these pioneers organized
and 70% have earned a college degree. Just over half were
the United
Hebrew Congregation,
which is still in existence.

born in the St. Louis area.

It is
the oldest
synagogue west
of the
Mississippi River.

• 13% of Jewish households are multi-racial, Hispanic or
The B’nai
El congregation
was organized in 1852. In
non-white. 4% are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

1866 Congregation
Shaare Emeth
was organized. In 1886,
• 91% give to charitable causes, and 80% have volunteered
a number
of dissatisfied
members organized
Congregation in the past year.

• Area Jews practice Jewish rituals less today than a Temple Israel. l
generation ago.

— Jeff and Virginia Orenstein
The Gateway Arch, located in
the Gateway Arch National Park
and branded as the Gateway to the
West, is a prominent landmark in
St. Louis.
Photo by Jeff Orenstein
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