ON THE ROAD

If in St. Louis, go to Tucker's in the Soulard neighborhood for steak. You won't be disappointed.

 

Pi Pizza on Delmar in St. Louis. It's deep dish that might be better than in Chicago. President Obama had some while on a campaign stop in STL. A couple months later, settled in the White House, he had the head chef (or whatever the head honcho is at a pizza joint) flown to DC to make him and his family some pizza. Strong recommendation right there.

 

If you're going through Nashville, your trip won't be complete without a trip to Tootsie's Wild Orchid Lounge. As a good friend here once told me: it's a dump, but it's a world-class dump.

My wife and I were there one night, when Willie walked in, kicked the house band off the stage and jammed for about an hour.

Avoid Jack's Barbecue. Overrated.

There's also a place called Lime, down Broadway near campus. It's a Caribbean-Mexican fusion joint. REALLY fresh drinks and a pretty awesome tequila list.

 

Any must-see in Miami? A decent place for breakfast? I have a room, not planning on a car -- is it true the public transportation is decent?
Thanks for any advice!

 

I like Robert's next door better. Tootsie's is always jam packed, and I hate crowds, but it is the best spot if you want to see the big names.

 

Too lazy to go back through. Any suggestions this weekend for Jacksonville? Please?

 

How about a nice place to take the wife in Chattanooga?

 

Taking one epic roadtrip with the lady across country. Hoping you fine folks can help me out with some suggestions (I've looked through a bulk of the pages, so I have some ideas from past posts). We are trying to do this as economically as possible in terms of food and entertainment. We enjoy sight-seeing at historical stuff, museums and landmarks, so any help there would be cool. Thanks for your help in advance, fellow SJers:

Indianapolis
- Something to do for a few hours during the day
- A good place for lunch

St. Louis
- Anything else worth doing other than the Arch?

Kansas City
- Might go to a Royals game, but other suggestions of fun stuff to do would be appreciated.
- Good restaurants? any must-go-to places?

Des Moines, Iowa
- Just stopping through for a hot minute, maybe for dinner. Any suggestions?

Omaha, Neb.
-Probably just staying the night there, but is there anything worth seeing?

Colorado Springs
- Fun things to do/see?
- Good restaurants/bars?

Denver
- Anything to see/do near Coors Field?

Cheyenne, Wyo.
- Just stopping through for a second. Anything worth stopping to see?

Salt Lake City
- Anything to do there?

Santa Fe
- Nice place to eat for a special occasion?
- Things to do?

Oklahoma City
- Any fun things to do/see?
- Good restaurants

Memphis
- Any fun things to do/see?
- Good restaurants

 

Dinner on the Hill. Bowling museum.

Gamble at Cripple Creek.

What kind of bars? I have a very good friend there who'll send some recommendations.

Bricktown is the bar district, and there are plenty there to choose from. Although you may not like country music, Toby Keith's restaurant is a pretty decent experience (god, I can't believe I just recommended that).

Inky will do better here than I, but I'll give it a whirl till he drops by.

You gotta see Beale Street. At night. Watch the Beale Street Flippers and tip them. Make sure you get a Big Ass Beer To Go. Drop into one of the alleys (across from Club 152 is my favorite ... there's a spider on the wall) for some good live music. The best cover band I've ever heard was the house band at BB King's place.

I've always been a fan of Rum Boogie Cafe, too. I once had a catfish sandwich there so good it almost brought me to tears. Always good music, too.

Silky O'Sullivan's has goats outside. Standard piano bar, but they do it better, IMO.

Watch the ducks at the Peabody, but don't shop at the adjacent mall.

AutoZone Park is a helluva place to watch a minor league game. St. Louis AAA club there, obviously.

If you want to be a tourist, go to Rendezvous. It's a dump, but it's a world-class dump, as a friend once told me about a Nashville joint. In my opinion, there are about 10 better barbecue places. But, they're not famous, and Rendezvous is. My favorite is Central BBQ, over by the Liberty Bowl. Get a pitcher of New Castle and sit outside if it isn't too hot.

The Pig On Beale is just as good as Rendezvous, IMO.

The Gibson guitar factory is a good way to kill a few hours. Right behind Beale Street.

For something a little different, visit Mud Island, a huge replica of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Get an old retired lady to give you the tour. It's actually pretty neat.

Hope this helps.

Like I said, Inky is the Memphis rep. He can fill in any gaps in my plan, I'm sure.

 

Go to the City Market (across the street from the City-County Building) for lunch. And spend a few hours at the NCAA Hall of Champions. Both are within 5 minutes of the interstate and about 10 blocks apart.

 

You'd be silly to not give Oklahoma Joe's a try.

 

Are any of the Beale St. places kid friendly? (during the day, obviously)