#194: Eugene Field House

This was my second time trying to get the cake here. This location was for a long time, an indoor cake. The museum/house is only open on certain days, so anyone who would come here on a Monday or Tuesday would be out of luck. (I came here on a Monday back in May) In mid-July they moved it outside the entrance. Now, it is behind a locked gate. Lucky for me, I was able to get it while it was in front of the building.

Eugene Field was the son of Roswell Field, who represented Dred Scott in the famous court case that divided this nation. Eugene, who was born in the house in 1850, went on to become a children's writer, as well as a columnist for various newspapers. His poems gained national fame, one of them being 'Wynken, Blynken and Nod'. Field moved to various cities during his lifetime, including St. Joseph, Missouri and Denver, Colorado. He died in Chicago in 1895. 

The house is also known as a toy museum. Apparently, Eugene was a mega toy collector in his short life. Unfortunately, none of his toys that he collected no longer exist. Thankfully though, the museum has collected toys in his honor. You'll see plenty of them on display inside the place.

Here's a few shots of what I saw in the house/museum:

A replica of Roswell Field's office.

Random shot of one of the toy rooms

Dollhouse

One of several enlarged posters throughout the museum. This one is a timeline of the Fields' life and house.

And now, the cake. The inspiration for the cake was a lily pond, surrounded by the beatifications of Tower Grove Park. Otherwise, the cake doesn't have anything to do with Eugene Field House/Toy Museum:

Right side of the cake

Left side of the cake

There are many places that are named in Eugene Field's honor. In fact, there is another Eugene Field House (open for tourists) in Denver.

NOW: The cake is still at the Eugene Field House. However, it is in the back yard behind a fence.

Eugene Field House on FB
Wikipedia link
Official website

634 South Broadway, ST. LOUIS, MO, 63102
Cake artist: Corinne Didisheim  (Corinne also decorated the Grants Trail 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

#191: Laclede's Landing

The only cake that is airborne, or not on the ground. I'm not sure what to think of this, but hey, very brilliant I must say! It's held up pretty well. There have been a lot of complaints about people letting their children sit and play on top of the ground cakes recently, and the Laclede's Landing cake is one that does not have to worry about that. Perhaps that's the reason this one is hanging at the moment. This is also the only cake I won't be putting my Ozzie Smith figure on, for obvious reasons. Sure, I'm a bit bummed, but like they say 'You can't have it all...'.

A view from across the street

Hanging from the right view

This is also the only cake where we can see the bottom!

Still, Laclede's Landing deserved a cake. After all, this is only where it all began...as far as the city of St. Louis' founding. The 9-block urban district is named after French fur trader Pierre Laclede, who, yes, landed here from the Mississippi River. This is the only surviving city commercial section from the 19th century. Several cobblestone and brick streets as well as its old buildings highlight the area. You will also see some historical markers as well.

During the warm days of summer, it is said you can smell cinnamon on the 3rd floor!

The city does take pride in its history at Laclede's Landing. Most of the buildings were built in the second-half of the 19th century. Remember, this area was at one time, a manufacturing and shipping hub. Thousands of businesses have came and gone over the years.

Many offices, shops, nightclubs and restaurants make up Laclede's Landing. The famous Old Spaghetti Factory and Show-Me's are popular restaurant chains there. Other well-known local nightlife places include Joey B's on the Landing, Morgan Street Brewery and the Drunken Fish. There's also a piano bar, a magic shop, a wax museum and the Lumiere Place. Rapper Nelly even opened up a learning institution here recently. I have always found this a great area to hang out as far as nightlife. Me and my friends would consider this the place to be on the weekends and special events.


You can take a virtual tour of Laclede's Landing by downloading the app.

NOTE: Laclede's Landing as a whole was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as some of the buildings in the district. I am not sure about the building where the cake is hanging.

Laclede's Landing on FB
Wikipedia link
Official website

710 N. 2nd St., ST. LOUIS, MO, 63102
Cake artist: Dan Jaboor

#190: Loretto-Hilton Theatre/ The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

• Founded in 1966, renovated and expanded in 2002
• Also known as 'The Rep'
• More than 100 productions have been shown at the Rep, including Noises Off and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.
• Takes pride in being one of the first 'regional theater' venues outside of New York

A more, detailed history of the Repertory Theatre can be found here on their website. I'm talking 13 pages!

The Loretto-Hilton Theatre is where it is located.

Top of the cake

Right side of the cake

Back side of the cake

Left side of the cake

Wikipedia link
Official website

130 Edgar Road, ST. LOUIS, MO, 63119
Cake artist: Mark Swain

#189: Opera Theatre Saint Louis

Located just outside the campus of Webster University, comes this world-renowned theater. It is recognized for its innovative ways and their productions. Since 1976, the theater has presented 22 world premieres and 23 American premieres. Among their past productions: Nixon and China, Joruri, The Golden Ticket, and The Death of Klinghoffer. It is also known to be a festival-like experience. Performances are usually accompanied by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Perhaps the most notable thing about the place: its attendance. Look, either you love opera or you hate it. That's just the way I see it. We live in an age where opera houses all over the country (and world) are dying. The public often doesn't spend much time anymore in the theatre. That's not the case here. Opera Theatre Saint Louis is among one of the most profitable, according to the Washington Post. A London newspaper once called the Opera Theatre St. Louis 'one of the places that is worth your flight over the Atlantic'!

On a side note, I was very disappointed that I was not going to be able to get the cake at the Webster University parking garage. A few days before I went over to Webster Groves, frequent group contributor Sal Alatorre posted a few pictures of the cake surrounded by red construction tape. Basically there's a lot of construction being done around the campus, which is really ticking off the cake hunters bigtime. And that includes myself. I really hope they get done soon enough, that way Ozzie can sit on another cake.


Opera Theatre Saint Louis on FB
Wikipedia link
Official website

210 Hazel, WEBSTER GROVES, MO, 63119
Cake artist: The Scenic Artists at Opera Theatre Saint Louis

#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