Built St. Louis
What's Wrong With This Riverfront?

Cars park on the remains of the old levee, its granite cobblestones gradually eroding and slipping into the river. A lone vending cart hawks t-shirts and other tourist-oriented paraphenalia.

"Steamboats" -- actually diesel-powered barges with passenger decks on top, garnished with cheap ornament, fake, fragile-looking paddle wheels, and non-functional smokestacks -- wait to take passengers on cruises up and down the river.

The presence of these rather plastic-looking "steamboats" does little to recall, let alone recreate, the bustling levee of 125 years ago -- but that's the idea they're selling.

Despite what the banners and slogans may tell you, the river is not "the best way to see St. Louis", or at least not the parts that a tourist is likely to want to see. The Mississippi is a true working river. You'll get a nice view of downtown, but most of what you'll see is industrial sites and huge freight barges.

...Come to think of it, I'm rather in favor of that. Why not take some pride in the industries that still sustain the city's economic pulse?