#235: Endangered Wolf Center

*PUBLIC VOTE WINNER*

• Opened in 1971 as the Wild Canid Survival and Research Center.
• Marlin Perkins, the founder of Endangered Wolf Center, was well known for his love of animals, having been involved with zoos in Chicago and Buffalo (NY), as well as being host of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. He started his career at the St. Louis Zoo in the 1920s and ended as Director Emeritus until his death in 1986.
• Located on the grounds of Washington University's Tyson Research Center.
• Some endangered species of wolves are protected there, most from other countries.
• Tours are welcome, but reservations are required. (I hear it is better to go in October and November, through the grapevine)

Endangered Wolf Center sign, which brings attention to stl250!

The entrance, which is restricted

UPDATE: The cake is reportedly still there as of 1/25/2016

Endangered Wolf Center on FB
Wikipedia link
Official website

6750 Tyson Valley Road, EUREKA, MO, 63025
Cake artist: Maura Pusateri

#204: Historic Daniel Boone Home & Heritage Center

*PUBLIC VOTE WINNER*

The last time I was here, I was either 3 or 4 years old, when my dad took my family on a day-long road trip here and some other historical place (can't remember?!). I didn't have any memories of it, but nonetheless it was a thrill to come back here. I didn't, however, go in the house. I was on a time schedule at the time, but I did walk around a bit and bought stuff from the gift shop. There were men outside in front of the gift shop constructed a new pavilion. I'm not sure when it will open.

The gift shop, which provides access to the walkway to the real house

The four-story Georgian style home was built to overlook the Femme Osage valley. It was built by Daniel's son, Nathan. The house now sits as part of Boonefield Village.

The village of Defiance is an unincorporated community.

A glimpse of the actual home from behind the gift shop

About Daniel Boone:

• Born in Reading, PA in 1734. 
• Later settled in North Carolina and hunted for a living. 
• Migrated westward to present-day Kentucky, where he helped organize the future state starting in 1767.
• He finally moved his family to Missouri, or at the time, called Upper Louisiana, in 1799.
• Died in the home on September 26, 1820.

Left side of the cake

Right side of the cake

Daniel Boone Home on FB (as Lindenwood University Daniel Boone Home)
Wikipedia link

1868 Highway F, DEFIANCE, MO, 63341
Cake artist: John Troy  (he also decorated the Lindenwood University cake)

#193: Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France (Old Cathedral)

Within a walk from the Gateway Arch through the Jefferson Memorial Expansion park is this old church, or rather, cathedral. And it's not just any other cathedral: it is one of the oldest in the United States.

• Given the name Old Cathedral, after Pope John Paul II designated the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis located in Central West End in 1999.
• Built between 1831 and 1834.
• Designated as a basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1961.
• Renovated in 1963.
• While it is one of the city's buildings, it is also the sole surviving building of demolished 40 city blocks. 
• Many Catholic marriages are still performed here.

A view of the Cathedral from the Gateway Arch

At the moment, parts of the building are being covered due to the construction of the expansion of the Arch grounds.

Left side of the cake

Back side of the cake

Right side of the cake

Top of the cake

Wikipedia link


209 Walnut St., ST. LOUIS, MO, 63102
Cake artist: Vince Sciaroni  (He also decorated the Jay International/South Grand cake)

#192: Gateway Arch

 *PUBLIC VOTE WINNER*

When people generally think of St. Louis, the Gateway Arch usually comes to mind. It is without question that is the reason St. Louis continues to live up to its nickname, 'Gateway to the West'!

And now, a little history about St. Louis' most known treasure. It was first conceived in the late 40s by architect Euro Saarinen, who won a contest about designing a monument to commemorate Western pioneers. Even though Saarinen passed away in 1961, his arch idea and layout was still considered to be erected on St. Louis' Jefferson Expansion Memorial Park. Ground broke in February 1963, and on October 28, 1965, it was completed. The project cost $15 million.

The Gateway Arch stands 630 feet high. It also has foundations that are sunk 60 feet into the ground! It is said that the Arch can withstand high winds and earthquakes, should they ever happen.
More facts:

• The tallest arch in the world.
• The tallest man-made monument in the United States
• Missouri's tallest accessible building
• The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) has ruled that any aviator flying through the Arch would be fined and have their licenses taken away. At least ten have disobeyed the order. 

Several million (usually an average 4 mil) visitors from around the world visit the Gateway Arch per year. The entrances (both north and south) stoop down underground. There, visitors can tour the Jefferson Memorial Expansion museum, and get their tickets to the top of the Arch. Photo ops are also available. An internal tram system transports the people to the top, usually at 5 minutes.

Entrance to the tram from the bottom. Make sure you're not claustrophobic

And here's the sign once you get to the top!

Just people enjoying and looking at the views from the top

The amazing views from the top. You know I can't leave these out!:

It's very hard to believe that next year (2015) will be the 50th anniversary of the Arch's dedication. Though it seems a lot longer, it has only been half-a-century this landmark has existed. Just about everyone has seen the Arch in TV shows and movies. Next year, the city will be celebrating in style as the arch grounds are currently being renovated to make the attraction more tourist-friendly. Visit cityarchriver.com for more details. 

Back side of the cake

Right side of the cake

Left side of the cake

Wikipedia link
Official website

100 Washington Ave., ST. LOUIS, MO, 63102
Cake artist: Andy Cross

#188: Serendipity Homemade Ice Cream

 *PUBLIC VOTE WINNER*

Next stop on my quest for the Webster Groves cakes comes this mom-and-pop ice cream place I've heard so much about in the last month. Unfortunately because of my lactose intolerance issues, I can only eat a limited amount of dairy. I was also on a time schedule at the time, as I wanted to get the next three cakes in the suburban community. As it turns out I was disappointed in two ways.

First and foremost, I'm not here to tear down anyone's walls or give them a bad name. But, the workers were not that friendly. I asked the young teenager working behind the counter if they had anything besides sweets and he was like 'No, just ice cream, dude!'.  I was like, oh. Then he was trying to tell me they have salty ice cream. He was serious, didn't seem like he was joking. Also, the place didn't look that welcoming. I thought the room where the cake is was the entrance! I stood there looking like an idiot trying to open the locked door! People and their kids were staring at me through the window and my light bulb came on. Maybe their entrance is somewhere else? And it was, on the right.

The other thing I was kind of ticked about was the placement of this cake. Look, I'm already not a fan of indoor cakes. But I can understand both ways. At least this place was open a lot later than the other indoor cake places. The only bad thing was this was way too close to the dining area. I felt like I was being rude to the mother and her two kids when I was standing there taking pictures. Of course, I explained myself and they understood. But then there were people walking by from the door and didn't see what I was doing. I did see somewhere on the 'Cakeway to the West' Facebook group thread that Serendipity was considering moving this outside because customers were complaining about cake-hunters. I hope this is true, so no one else will go through what I did.

Right side of the cake

Left side of the cake

Anyway, maybe I'll come back down the road. They got at least 30 flavors (sound familiar?)!

Serendipity Homemade Ice Cream on FB
Official website

8130 Big Bend Blvd., WEBSTER GROVES, MO, 63119
Cake artist: Marianne Baer

#187: The College School

 *PUBLIC VOTE WINNER*

Since I last posted #186 a few days ago, the last 3 cakes were put out. In other words, all 250 of the cakes have been placed! There have been many people who have been cake-hunting longer than me. Going back to January when some of the cakes were first placed, the hunt was on for those who knew about it. Remember, this was during cold weather and snow was probably still on the ground! I can't imagine ever going cake-hunting in that kind of weather. In fact, I don't even want to think about the cold (especially that gruesome winter we just had) since its still July! There are a few people who have reached the #250 goal, and congratulations to them!

Sorry for repeatedly criticizing names, but The College School? Hmmm. Didn't take them THAT long to think of that one. In my short Webster Groves cake run, this one was my first stop as it was on the right side of the road, heading down Big Bend. Founded in 1963, this educational institution seems to take pride in separating itself from public schools. You'll learn more about the school at the bottom....

College School buses

Front of The College School building

And now, the sides of the cake:

Right side of the cake

Back and left side of the cake

And a sign:

What does the sign say?

"We are an independent preschool-8th grade school that engages children in joyful, meaningful and creative learning through an adventurous, theme-based experimental curriculum.

The College School is part of a larger community of educators dedicated to creating new and vital visions of learning and teaching. Through a rigorous academic curriculum, we travel on our buses to numerous "classrooms" across the region that include the many parks of St. Louis, the businesses on The Hill or The Loop, and the cultural institutions of Forest Park.

Our hands-on, project-based philosophy prepares students to be lifelong learners and "citizens of today," who make real impacts on our school, our communities, and our great city of St. Louis."

And there you have it.

The College School on FB
Official website

7825 Big Bend Blvd., WEBSTER GROVES, MO, 63119
Cake artist: Mary Jo Wilmes

#178: YMCA of Greater St. Louis

 *PUBLIC VOTE WINNER*

It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A! You can get yourself clean, you can have a good meal, or you can do whatever you feel. Well, in the Village People's case, that is. But yeah, there are plenty of things to do if you're a member of the YMCA - swimming, weightlifting, kids activities, you get the idea.

The lobby of the place. See the cake on the right?

Despite of what it says on the list, meaning the one on STL250's cake list, the name kind of is misleading. YMCA of Greater St. Louis is actually 17 different locations around the St. Louis area. These do not include any in the Metro-East area, like the two Edwardsville ones. The one where the cake is located is the Edward Jones Family YMCA in Maryland Heights. The Edward Jones company donated a huge portion for the construction for the facility.

As I was driving from Creve Coeur Lake on south of Marine Avenue, I was trying to locate the cake closest to the intersection of Page and I-270. I wasn't sure what it was, but I remembered at the time a YMCA location (besides the one at Granite) was on the list. As it turns out, it was the one I saw near the corner of McKelvey and Marine Ave. Point is, for those who haven't gotten this cake yet, be aware as the name on the list is misleading. And definitely go during open hours as this is an indoor cake.

Top of the cake

Right side of the cake

Left side of the cake

Back and left view of the cake

Edward Jones Family YMCA on FB
Official website (Edward Jones location)

12521 Marine Ave., MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO, 63146
Cake artist: Keith Cotton

UPDATE (8/24/2016): The whereabouts of this cake is unknown. It was placed at a South County YMCA in 2015; I don't know if its still there.