10/31/09

At the Botanical Gardens, the Climatron in a blaze of autumn colour. Happy Halloween!

10/29/09

Again from the flipside.

10/27/09

Sorry for the long delay again.

It's been a harrowing week, so on Sunday I went to the Missouri Botanical Garden to draw and give my mind some empty space. My camera batteries needed recharging, so I just took a few snaps with my phone along with the sketches. In my opinion, the garden is the most beautiful place in St. Louis. I can literally feel the peace when I walk through, even if some special event is going on, like the children's Halloween event that happened last Sunday.

It's beautiful any time of the year. Right now, all the colours are ablaze. It's good for the soul to come visit.

10/19/09

A pic from a few weeks ago of the remains of the San Luis Apartments in the Central West End. Tearing this down leaves a gap... which will be filled in by a parking lot -- a "campus improvement," of course. The bus picking people up in the diagram is a nice touch:

As someone who lives here without a car, it is difficult. But it drives home the awareness that until St. Louis is willing to seriously consider lessening reliance on the automobile it will never be a great city.

10/18/09

A shot from outside the region today -- Lake Superior, August 2009. When I get homesick, this is the kind of thing I miss. Living next to the Mississippi is not the same as living next to the inland sea.

10/17/09

Canary yellow bicycle on Washington University campus the other day. There was only a handful of bikes on the racks -- with the colder weather, bike commuting has decreased substantially.

10/16/09

Stuff from Third Degree Glass Factory's demonstration at St Louis Science Centre last weekend for SciFest, a five-day festival showcasing all kinds of different science talks, demonstrations, and other activities.

10/15/09

One of four blue herons spotted while biking out on the Great River Road from Alton to Grafton, IL.

10/14/09

Building detail in the Central West End neighbourhood.

I got bogged down the past few days with work and put off posting because I didn't have any particularly good material. I've kind of made a resolution to myself to try and put up a photo each day, even if they aren't remarkable photos. The habit is the important thing, and hopefully with more practice my photos will improve.

10/08/09

It's amazing to me that the old Chain of Rocks bridge was part of Route 66 and meant for vehicles. Look at how narrow it is! Now it's for bikes and pedestrians only. Also unique is the bend partway through, so that the bridge was located on bedrock the whole way through - cheaper to build that way. You can see it at the right of this photograph.

The old Chain of Rocks bridge is rich in history, some good and some bad. I hear it's cleaned up a lot since the early 1990s (where it was the site of a double murder), and we didn't feel unsafe when we were there, but apparently many cars at the parking lots on either side are prime game for break-ins, so be careful.

10/07/09

At the end of the riverfront trail is the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge - which is called old on account of the fact that a New Chain of Rocks Bridge was built, larger to accommodate more traffic. This bridge is open only to cyclists and pedestrians now and crosses over to Illinois. Some work has been done to renovate the bridge and commemorate its history as part of Route 66, including this mural.

10/06/09

One of a couple of junkyards along the Riverfront Trail. When you see the number of cars in these junkyards, it's a bit staggering.

10/04/09

Railway car labelled for the now-defunct Cotton Belt Railway, again along the Riverfront Trail.

10/03/09

Starting just north of the arch along the Mississippi River, the Riverfront Trail is a wonderland of abandoned and still-functioning industrial infrastructure, reflecting St. Louis's history as a river city whose port is past its peak. This little building is not far from the trailhead.

10/02/09

There is nothing better than beer and dinner after a long bike ride - unfortunately, it might leave you with a shaky hand... hey, I never said I was actually much of a photographer.

This pic's from back in the summer, taken at the Schafly Tap Room after biking STL's Riverfront Trail. Those blurs behind the drinks are our bike helmets. More info about the trail here - it starts just north of the Arch and extends 10 miles north until the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, where you then have the option of crossing over the bridge and continuing in Illinois.

There is a lot of interesting, historic industrial infrastructure along that trail and I hope to make it back before the weather gets too cold, although I hear the trail's washed out at Mile 7 so making it to the bridge isn't an option at the moment.

10/01/09

Another shot of the arch on a dramatic, cloudy day!