Meet Me in St. Louis: The Del Mar Loop

When we booked our tickets to go home to the farm this summer, I was hoping we might be able to rendezvous with my parents, since they live within a day’s drive of Illinois. I dropped my mom a line asking her and dad to meet us in St. Louis, and they did! Never have I felt more successful in re-enacting a movie title, and we had an awesome time. We all did a bit of poking around to find places to see, and we started with the historic Del Mar Loop, so named because of the trolley that used to run through it, you guessed it, on a loop. And yes, that is Nelly, taking his place alongside Chuck Berry and Miles Davis.

I loved this little model of the trolley, which was up and running on a Saturday morning!

And I loved these old posters for the line. At least whoever painted graffiti on the glass kept with the color scheme. It looks kind of like a pretty embellishment here.

The Loop has hundreds of these stars in the sidewalks, filling you in on all the incredible people who came from St. Louis. It was seriously impressive. And yes, Nelly has his own star too, as well he should.

We took a leisurely stroll through the neighborhood, stopping every few feet to read the stars and snap pictures of the old buildings. I loved this Fitz’s truck, parked right behind the bright blue restaurant of the same name.

This is the beautiful Tivoli Theater.

And its adorable ticket booth.

Right next door is the also famous Blueberry Hill. I am not sure what exactly Twangfest is, but it sounds pretty great.

There were cute shops and restaurants as far as the eye could see. I thought this one was especially deserving of a photo. What a brilliant idea!

I wish this little vintage shop had been open when we passed by. It reminded me so much of Flashback in Memphis.

The Del Mar Loop is technically in University City, and this is their marvelous octagonal city hall. It used to be the headquarters of a publication called “Women’s Magazine,” and we saw pictures of it from over a century ago, rising out of the ground, surrounded by emptiness. It is astounding how much the area has grown since then. I love urban history, especially when it is so palpable, and the Loop did not disappoint. It was a beautiful start to a magnificent day of exploring!