A Night at the Tivoli

The Tivoli theatre is one of St. Louis finest and well-respected landmarks in the city. Located in the center of the Delmar Loop in University City, tourists and townspeople alike can come out and enjoy the history. The Tivoli is known for its steadfast devotion to independent and foreign films that give its patrons an unforgettable experience. The owners of the Tivoli often feature cult classic films as well as a few choice mainstream movies.

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À la mode

While it features a suicidal uncle, a cocaine-using grandpa and a depressed teenager, the 2006 Sundance darling, “Little Miss Sunshine,” shows just how much a family can grow on the road.

“Little Miss Sunshine” begins with the Hoover family taking in Sheryl’s (Toni Collette) brother, who had attempted suicide after losing his job. After seven-year-old Olive (Abigail Breslin) learns she earned a spot in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant in California, the family is forced to load up the Volkswagen van and leave Albuquerque, N.M. for Redondo Beach, Caif. Along the journey the family fights and argues the whole way as the father (Greg Kinnear) learns he won’t be receiving his much anticipated book deal. When the family is only hours away from the pageant Edwin Hoover (Alan Arkin), Olive’s grandpa and pageant coach, dies after an overdose on cocaine.

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K'naan

K’naan, born in Somalia, eventually made his way to America to pursue a career in music. However, he had a short stay in Toronto, Canada, where there was a large Somali community. There, he began to learn English. I first heard some of his music a few years ago, but then he came back into the spotlight during the 2010 World Cup when a remix of his song, “Wavin’ Flag,” was chosen to be the theme song for the tournament. Many of K’naan’s songs speak of looking for better days and equality amongst people, but also bring light to the hardships of the people in Somalia. His overall tone seems to be a mix between reggae and hip hop, but undoubtedly tends to fall into the category of world music. Check him out!

Here's a link to K'naan's song, "Wavin' Flag" --http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTJSt4wP2ME&feature=fvwrel

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Bonding With The Busted String Band

A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the Busted String Band was born. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t that long ago, and while Kirksville is in the middle of nowhere, it’s not technically in another galaxy. The Busted String Band is well-known in these parts, as well as areas in Iowa and Illinois. Walking into the band’s practice space, I was greeted with firm handshakes, an array of stringed instruments and the mouth-watering aroma of Taco Bell.

“You need some ‘dilla?” stated one of the guys, handing his buddy a warm quesadilla.

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The Highs and Merlots

With shots of beautiful southern California, vineyards and never-ending dusty roads being traversed via convertible, “Sideways” is a great movie for travelers and wine lovers alike. The award-winning 2004 comedy is a perfect watch to forget about these freezing Kirksville temperatures and dreary winter days.

Wine aficionado and struggling writer Miles (Paul Giamatti) and his soon-to-be-married best friend, Jack (Thomas Haden Church) have one last weekend together before Jack gets married. Although both men were looking forward to a week away from San Diego, we quickly find out it is for two very different reasons. Miles hopes for a relaxing week filled with wine tastings and golf, while Jack hopes for one last guys weekend filled with drinking and women before he ties the knot.

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Blueberry Hill

Blueberry_Hill

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A night on the town!

54th Street

54th Street Bar and Grill is one of the best new restaurants in the north county area of St. Louis. When I refer to the “north county, “I’m specifically referring to Florissant, Mo, which is a suburb of St. Louis. This place serves enough food that will leave you satisfied and raving to all of your friends and family. Whether you come for drinks and appetizers or would like to have a quiet dinner, 54th Street is the place for you.

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Keep Calm And Carry On

Well, folks, I’m definitely back in Kirksville, Mo. I know this because my brain is sending me constant memos to put on yet another layer of clothing, as if five layers weren’t enough. I had a splendid, not-so-perpetual break filled with rock concerts and fashion shows in Milan — you know, the usual. Okay, just kidding! You may be happy to uncover the not so edgy events of my break, thus making your time off seem much, much cooler than mine.

My dear mother got my little sister and me a Wii for Christmas. Shortly thereafter, I pleaded with her to just “go ahead and throw in Netflix, why don’t cha?” As a result, I spent about 20 of the 24 hours in the day (every day, that is) completing the “Avatar: The Last Airbender” series as well as starting up the TV show “Parenthood.” Despite how lazy the prior paragraph makes me sound, I did find a great source of exercise over break. One that didn’t require me to leave the house. Behold — Just Dance 2. My mother and I would scurry down the hall to whisk away Wii controllers. We would then proceed to shake, spin and swing to the video game’s totally heroic music, blasting away the holiday calories! I learned that my dancing skills (while still rough) have a plethora of potential, and I even mastered the moves to “The Power.” You know the song. Don’t pretend you don’t. “I got the power!” Yes, this became my anthem.

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Welcome to Sweetie Pie's!!

Located at 4270 Manchester St. Louis, MO 63110

During  Winter Break I decided to explore my hometown, St. Louis, in search of the best places to eat as well as spend time with family and friends. I made a pact to myself and my future audience to not review any place that was not STL-specific. After several convincing recommendations, I decided to check out a place that I also saw on the Oprah Winfrey Network called Sweetie Pie’s Kitchen. Sweetie Pie’s Kitchen is a comforting soul food restaurant in the very heart of what is known as “The Grove” or the Tower Grove neighborhood. Walking into this place was reminiscent of Sunday dinners that my family is known for having every other week at my aunt’s home. The smell of hot food served to the customers in a “buffet style” fashion is one of the most endearing qualities that I felt about the diner, until I actually tried the food. In my opinion, tasting the fried chicken in a soul food restaurant is one of best indicators of a true soul food experience, and this was one that I will not soon forget. I ordered a fried chicken wing dinner that came with two sides, of which I chose fried corn and macaroni and cheese. The food here is phenomenal and the portions are more than satisfying. I would advise those that come to this restaurant to be prepared to eat as they’ve never eaten before. Mother and son business partners Robbie Montgomery and Tim Norman founded Sweetie Pie’s Kitchen. Although I didn’t get a chance to actually meet them, their presence is well known within the St. Louis community as well as nationally on the television show “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s.” I would recommend this place as a MUST SEE adventure to any tourist visiting the city of St. Louis. This is a perfect place for the individual as well as families to enjoy excellent food, unforgettable customer service, as well as many lasting memories to share with others.

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Holiday Road

Nothing says summer vacation like being loaded up in the car with the entire family and hitting the open road for a cross-country road trip. It’s a time-tested summer tradition that gives kids and adults alike a look at the American countryside that they couldn’t get any way else.  So it only seems fitting that the one of America’s most famous comedic families, the Griswolds, make their very own cross-country trek in “National Lampoon’s Vacation.”

The first installment of the four-part series features Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and his family on their journey from Chicago to California to reach the coveted destination of Walley World. Excited to finally have time to spend with his two children and wife, Clark plans out every little detail of the trip only to have it all go horribly wrong. From accidently killing his aunt’s dog to crashing his brand new car in the Grand Canyon, everything that can go wrong does on this vacation. They are overjoyed to eventually make it to Walley World, only to find out that the park is closed for renovations. But the Griswolds don’t let that stop them, and they still make the trip well worth the hell they went through.

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