St. Louis, Missouri: Gateway to the West, Home of Cheese Crackers, and Very Defensive Baseball Fans

Welcome to St. Louis, Missouri, a city so proud of itself that it built a 630-foot stainless steel monument to the fact that people used to leave. Pull up a chair (or a toasted ravioli) and let's talk about what's great, what's questionable, and what RoastMyTown.com had to say about the Gateway City.

The Gateway Arch: A Very Tall Hello (and Goodbye)

Let's start with the big shiny thing. The Gateway Arch is a 630-foot-tall monument in St. Louis, Missouri, and it's the world's tallest arch. It's also 75 feet taller than the Washington Monument, which is the sort of fact St. Louisans will deploy at parties without being asked.

The roasters called it "claustrophobia-inducing," and honestly? They have a point. The arch is hollow to fit a tram system, with each leg holding eight capsules that seat five passengers. Picture a space-age egg carton hauling you skyward. The ride takes about four minutes up and three minutes down. At the top, the 16 observation windows are just 7 by 27 inches, because larger ones couldn't withstand the pressure. You ride a pod for four minutes to peek through what amounts to a mail slot.

Still, it's undeniably cool. It was designed as a monument to westward expansion, and the surrounding park was renamed Gateway Arch National Park in 2018. Fun fact: there are 1,076 stairs inside, but visitors can't use them; they're reserved for emergencies and maintenance. So if the tram stalls, your cardio gets very real.

The roast also pointed out that the city proper has just 301,578 people. That's true: the 2020 population was 301,578, though the metro area packs in over 2.8 million. St. Louis is basically a small city wearing a very large metropolitan trench coat.

Imo's Pizza and the Provel Question

Now we must discuss the cheese. Imo's Pizza is St. Louis's signature style: a cracker-thin crust, square-cut "party cut" slices, and Provel, a processed blend of cheddar, Swiss, and provolone with a mildly smoky taste. Locals defend it with the fervor of a medieval crusade. Out-of-towners have called it "the worst pizza I have ever ordered." Both sides are loud, and neither is moving.

Our honest travel advice: try it once, with an open mind and a cold beverage. Provel doesn't so much melt as surrender, and the crust has the structural integrity of a saltine. Is it pizza? Is it a cheese cracker with ambition? That's between you and your conscience. Then chase it with toasted ravioli, the deep-fried local appetizer that, to be fair, is unambiguously delicious. St. Louis may not have won the pizza debate, but it absolutely cleans up in the "things that are breaded" category.

The Delmar Divide: The Part That Isn't a Joke

We'd be bad travel writers if we skipped the uncomfortable bit. The "Delmar Divide" is the informal name for the racial and economic split along Delmar Boulevard, which runs east-west across the city. Historically, the north side has been predominantly Black and the south side predominantly white, and the gap shows up in everything from school enrollment to investment.

The city knows it. St. Louis adopted "OurPlan," a supplement to its Comprehensive Plan for six historically disinvested northern neighborhoods surrounding NGA. The city has also earned a Certified Welcoming designation from Welcoming America, which says it supports immigrant residents' participation in civic life. A cute name doesn't fix a divide, but plans, funding, and follow-through might. Visitors can help by actually crossing Delmar: eat, shop, and explore on both sides.

Cardinals Fans: Humble Like a Bird of Prey

No St. Louis post is complete without the Cardinals. Busch Stadium is the home ballpark, and the club has had some sub-.500 seasons lately, and yet the fans at the ballpark still carry themselves like it's 2011. (They'll also remind you about 2013, the one that got away.)

The roast called Cardinals fans "indignantly, genuinely, parochially proud," and we can't improve on that. But here's the thing: it's endearing. This is a town that has absorbed a lot of punches, from losing the Rams to the Delmar Divide to a tornado, and still shows up with a red jersey and a hot take. Meanwhile, the city has had some fun lately: it hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. Not bad for a "flyover."

The Verdict

St. Louis, Missouri is a city of contradictions: a monument to leaving that's become a reason to arrive, a pizza that divides families, a baseball team that guilt-trips the entire Midwest. It has world-class free attractions, a proud neighborhood culture, and real problems it's wrestling with in public. Come for the Arch, stay for the toasted ravioli, and bring an open mind for the Provel.

Think we were too nice? See the full roast of St. Louis on RoastMyTown.com.