25 Weird St. Louis Facts to Impress Your Next Date

By Riverfront Times Staff on Fri, May 11, 2018 at 5:31 pm

Have some guests coming in town that you'd like to show around a bit? Don't just tell them about the Arch and the Cardinals; they deserve a bit more St. Louis flavor. As you drive your guests around town you can drop these facts on them and they'll think that you're an expert on your city instead of someone who just stays in and orders Imo's every night.

Wanna seem like a St. Louis pro? Drop these lines on your next date and they'll think that you're an expert on your city instead of someone who just stays in and orders Imo's every night.

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"We invented the greatest foodstuff known to man."

Anthonino's, 2132 Edwards St.
"The restaurant that used to be in this location invented toasted ravioli. It's basically ravioli only tossed in a deep fryer. HOW GENIUS IS THAT?"

Photo courtesy of Eric Frazier

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"Here's where The Exorcist exorcism went down."

8435 Roanoke Dr.
"Remember The Exorcist? This was the real house where some kid got possessed, and the priests at Saint Louis University really did expel the demons."

Photo courtesy of Google Maps

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"We eat brains sandwiches in this town."

Schottzie’s Bar & Grill, 11428 Concord Village Ave.
"This place sells sandwiches that are fried chunks of animal brains between two huge slices of rye bread with a side of red onion and Grey Poupon. For real."

Photo courtesy of Zack Garrison

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"Our resident genius was turning an abandoned cement factory into an amusement park called Cementland. Then he died."

Riverview Drive at Scranton Ave.
"This artist named Bob Cassilly built the City Museum, which I already took you to visit because I'm an exemplary St. Louisan. This was his unfinished masterwork. He died in what police said was a bulldozer accident. His wife thinks he was murdered."

Photo courtesy of v

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"Chuck Berry lived in St. Louis. Even after he was famous."

3137 Whittier St.
"This is the house Chuck Berry was living in when he recorded 'Maybelline,' 'Rock and Roll Music,' 'Sweet Little Sixteen' and 'Johnny B. Goode.'"

Photo courtesy of Chris Naffziger

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"Chuck turned out to be a predator, sigh."

Southern Air Restaurant, 1102 E. Pitman, Wentzville
"Here's where Chuck Berry recorded women using the bathroom. Suffice it to say they did not consent. It's now part of Lindenwood University."

Photo courtesy of Google Maps

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"Our governor got busted for some sick sex shit."

4522 Maryland Avenue
"This is Eric Greitens' house before he became governor. The basement is where he promised he'd teach a woman how to do a pullup and instead basically destroyed his political career."

Photo courtesy of Estately

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"The whole world came to St. Louis, once."

Forest Park, 5595 Grand Dr.
"Here's where they had the 1904 World's Fair. It's been 114 years but we're still proud. There was a ferris wheel there and they say that it's buried somewhere in the park. Crazy old dudes with metal detectors are forever looking for it."

Photo courtesy of NAME

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"St. Louis city and St. Louis County have 92 different municipal governments, woohoo!"

Interstate 170: You know, the Inner Belt
"If there's one thing we're good at, it's incorporating. In the next 45 seconds we will drive through five cities: Overland, Charlack, Sycamore Hills, St. John and Bel-Ridge. Swear to God."

Photo courtesy of Brady Hsu / Flickr

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"Some lucky St. Louis kids actually had Jon Hamm as a teacher."

John Burroughs School, 755 S. Price Rd., Ladue
"Here is where Jon Hamm used to teach -- and Ellie Kemper was his student."

Photo courtesy of Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock

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"We've got ghosts."

The Lemp Mansion, 3322 Demenil Place
"The Lemp Mansion is the most haunted shit in town. Like a billionty people killed themselves here."

Photo courtesy of Garin Fons / Flickr

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"Even our movie theaters are historically significant."

Moolah Cinema and Lounge, 3821 Lindell Blvd.
"This is some badass old Freemason building and now it's a sick theatre and hang spot."

Photo courtesy of Paul Sableman

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"Nelly? He's one of us."

4673 Labadie Ave.
"Just east of this corner is where Nelly filmed those street scenes in the video for 'Country Grammar.'"

Photo courtesy of Google Maps

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"We also put our own spin on Chinese food."

Park Chop Suey, 1321 Chouteau Ave.
"They say this place invented the St. Paul Sandwich. It's an egg foo young patty on white bread with mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato and onion."

Photo courtesy of Google Maps

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"We had a famous public housing project turned dystopian nightmare."

The former site of Pruitt Igoe, 2300 Cass Ave.
"Did you watch The Pruitt Igoe Myth on Netflix? There used to be 33 different public housing towers here, but the government neglected them and it turned into a nightmare. They ended up blowing them up on live TV. This is where that was."

Photo courtesy of pruittigoenow.org

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"We proved Kings of Leons were pussies, and Axl was a douche."

Hollywood Casino Ampitheater, 14141 Riverport Dr.
"A bunch of smart St. Louis pigeons attacked Kings of Leon here and they literally abandoned the stage. Also, we once rioted after an aborted Guns n Roses show and the police charged Axl Rose with inciting us."

Photo courtesy of RFT

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"Not all our food is fried variations that we unaccountably boast about."

Sidney Street Cafe, 2000 Sidney St.
"This place just won the James Beard for Best Chef: Midwest."

Photo courtesy of Jon Gitchoff

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"Our oldest farmers market is older than the Bill of Rights."

Soulard Farmers Market, 730 Carroll St.
"Soulard Market was started in 1779 and it still rules!"

Photo courtesy of Holly Ravazzolo

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"Stagger Lee got murdered here."

Morgan Street by the riverfront
"Remember that song about Stagger Lee? Well, any song about Stagger Lee? This is Morgan Street, where it all went down."

Photo courtesy of Google Maps

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"We don't have mountains, but we have man-made mounds."

Sugarloaf Mound, 4420 Ohio Ave.
"This house was built on a mound that was built by Native Americans in, like, 600 A.D. There used to be a bunch of them and St. Louis was called 'Mound City.'"

Photo courtesy of Google Maps

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