greenspace

There are several really great, large parks in STL. Its one of my favorite things about this city. The largest one is Forest Park (500 acres larger than Central Park!). That's where you go when you want to go to the zoo (free), art museum (free), history museum (free), ice skating rink (free), science center (free, but still not worth it, according to A.) or Shakespeare in the Park (free, and definitely worth it). The park also has two golf courses, and a large riverine habitat restoration project (side-by-side, irony?).
We took our friends there when they came to visit from Brooklyn. Josh has decided that every city park should have a bowl, like that above the boat basin. I'd have to agree.


We are lucky enough to live just two blocks from Tower Grove Park. Its smaller than Forest Park, but I like it even better. Started by Henry Shaw in the 1860's, it still has cute pavilions scattered about, and a nice mix of fields for playing and groves of trees for meandering. A series of ponds in the center of the park have been planted with a variety of water lilies. One species has gigantic saucer-shaped leaves as wide across as a dining table. I want to float on one so badly and I think that if I were ever left there alone I just might try.



UPDATE....
By a weird twist of mind-melding, Kitty Genius, an artist/blogger from STL also just posted about Forest Park. She actually has good pics of the boat basin. I've never met her, I just stalk her blog, b/c i love her pics of bearded men--they remind me of Maine for some reason, and of my friend Catherine--not because she's bearded, but because she has an of-another-era, salty, sea-faring, air about her.