The 100 Best Affordable Vacations Read Online Free
Author: Jane Wooldridge
concerned, you haven’t tried St. Louis–style barbecue until you try the barbecued pork steaks, says Donna Andrews, spokesperson for the city’s visitors bureau.
Among the city’s famed ‘cue joints are Pappy’s Smoke House (3106 Olive St., 314-535-4340), known for its dry-rubbed, slow-smoked pork ribs; Roper’s Ribs (6929 W. Florissant Ave., 314-381-6200), seasoned with a secret blend of spices and smoked over hickory; and Smoki O’s (1545 N. Broadway, 314-621-8180), where the menu includes rib tips, crispy snoot (that would be pig and nostrils), and barbecue spaghetti.
The annual Rib America Festival (314-622-4550, www.ribamerica.com ) featuring cook-offs and entertainment takes place in late May at the Soldier’s Memorial in downtown; tickets cost $5.
St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission, 800-325-7962, www.explorestlouis.com .
follow the mission trail
CALIFORNIA
Always go forward, never turn back.
— FATHER JUNIPERO SERRA (1713–1784), FOUNDER OF THE CALIFORNIA MISSIONS
10 | Father Junipero Serra was a man with a mission.
During the 1700s, the Spanish friar was assigned the daunting task of establishing Spain’s foothold in the California frontier by creating a chain of missions, one day’s horseback ride apart, up the Pacific coast.
For native Californians today, missions are something encountered in fourth grade, when all students, it seems, are assigned to write a report on them, draw one of them, and fashion a statue of Father Serra out of clay. After that, many think nothing more of them, even though the settlements started the state’s major cities like San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco.
But for a traveler, visiting missions offers an excuse for a road trip, a chance to explore history, and a journey to what were—and for many still are—spiritual outposts.
For Lynn Korleski Richardson, it was a bit of all three that inspired her pilgrimage. Several years ago, she and her husband packed up an RV and their dog to go on a quest to visit all 21 missions, from San Diego de Alcala in the south to San Francisco Solano in Sonoma in the north.
“It was a really great way to see California,” she says.
It’s hard to generalize about the missions. Three are state parks—La Purisima, San Francisco de Solano, and Santa Cruz—and while some are restored to their former glory—Carmel and Santa Inés, for example—others are ruins. Most have a statue of Father Serra, and there’s usually a millstone sitting around too. Richardson’s biggest surprise was the San Fernando Mission near Los Angeles, site of Bob Hope’s grave. When his wife asked where he wanted to be buried, Richardson says, he answered: “Surprise me.”
Richardson’s mission mission took more than two weeks, but if you have time to just visit one, head to Old Mission Santa Barbara (2201 Laguna St., 805-682-4713, www.santabarbaramission.org ), in the city of the same name. It’s called the “queen of the missions” and one look explains why. Battered by earthquakes and fire, the twin-towered building has been reconstructed and restored several times since its founding in 1786. The mission is maintained by the Franciscan Order, and its water system is still used by the city of Santa Barbara. Its facade mixes Spanish style with Roman design—legend says it was inspired by a picture in a book on classical architecture.
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CALIFORNIA MISSIONS
1769 : Mission San Diego de Alcala, San Diego
1770 : Mission San Carlos Borroméo de Carmelo, Carmel
1771 : Mission San Antonio de Padua, Fort Hunter-Liggett
1771 : Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, San Gabriel
1772 : Mission San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo
1776 : Mission San Francisco de Asís, San Francisco
1776 : Mission San Juan Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano
1777 : Mission Santa Clara de Asís, Santa Clara
1782 : Mission San Buenaventura, Ventura
1786 : Mission Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara
1787 : Mission La Purisíma
Among the city’s famed ‘cue joints are Pappy’s Smoke House (3106 Olive St., 314-535-4340), known for its dry-rubbed, slow-smoked pork ribs; Roper’s Ribs (6929 W. Florissant Ave., 314-381-6200), seasoned with a secret blend of spices and smoked over hickory; and Smoki O’s (1545 N. Broadway, 314-621-8180), where the menu includes rib tips, crispy snoot (that would be pig and nostrils), and barbecue spaghetti.
The annual Rib America Festival (314-622-4550, www.ribamerica.com ) featuring cook-offs and entertainment takes place in late May at the Soldier’s Memorial in downtown; tickets cost $5.
St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission, 800-325-7962, www.explorestlouis.com .
follow the mission trail
CALIFORNIA
Always go forward, never turn back.
— FATHER JUNIPERO SERRA (1713–1784), FOUNDER OF THE CALIFORNIA MISSIONS
10 | Father Junipero Serra was a man with a mission.
During the 1700s, the Spanish friar was assigned the daunting task of establishing Spain’s foothold in the California frontier by creating a chain of missions, one day’s horseback ride apart, up the Pacific coast.
For native Californians today, missions are something encountered in fourth grade, when all students, it seems, are assigned to write a report on them, draw one of them, and fashion a statue of Father Serra out of clay. After that, many think nothing more of them, even though the settlements started the state’s major cities like San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco.
But for a traveler, visiting missions offers an excuse for a road trip, a chance to explore history, and a journey to what were—and for many still are—spiritual outposts.
For Lynn Korleski Richardson, it was a bit of all three that inspired her pilgrimage. Several years ago, she and her husband packed up an RV and their dog to go on a quest to visit all 21 missions, from San Diego de Alcala in the south to San Francisco Solano in Sonoma in the north.
“It was a really great way to see California,” she says.
It’s hard to generalize about the missions. Three are state parks—La Purisima, San Francisco de Solano, and Santa Cruz—and while some are restored to their former glory—Carmel and Santa Inés, for example—others are ruins. Most have a statue of Father Serra, and there’s usually a millstone sitting around too. Richardson’s biggest surprise was the San Fernando Mission near Los Angeles, site of Bob Hope’s grave. When his wife asked where he wanted to be buried, Richardson says, he answered: “Surprise me.”
Richardson’s mission mission took more than two weeks, but if you have time to just visit one, head to Old Mission Santa Barbara (2201 Laguna St., 805-682-4713, www.santabarbaramission.org ), in the city of the same name. It’s called the “queen of the missions” and one look explains why. Battered by earthquakes and fire, the twin-towered building has been reconstructed and restored several times since its founding in 1786. The mission is maintained by the Franciscan Order, and its water system is still used by the city of Santa Barbara. Its facade mixes Spanish style with Roman design—legend says it was inspired by a picture in a book on classical architecture.
----
CALIFORNIA MISSIONS
1769 : Mission San Diego de Alcala, San Diego
1770 : Mission San Carlos Borroméo de Carmelo, Carmel
1771 : Mission San Antonio de Padua, Fort Hunter-Liggett
1771 : Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, San Gabriel
1772 : Mission San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo
1776 : Mission San Francisco de Asís, San Francisco
1776 : Mission San Juan Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano
1777 : Mission Santa Clara de Asís, Santa Clara
1782 : Mission San Buenaventura, Ventura
1786 : Mission Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara
1787 : Mission La Purisíma
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