ST. LOUIS — A booming food scene, an upcoming soccer team and major renovations are just a few of the reasons St. Louisans are proud of their hometown. But now, the rest of the world knows what’s happening in our city.
TIME Magazine on Tuesday rolled out its list of the World’s Greatest Places of 2021 and St. Louis is among the magazine's top 100 destinations. It joins places in all corners of the world, including the likes of Antarctica, Maldives, Sicily and Singapore.
“Known as the Gateway City, St. Louis boasts a number of noteworthy happenings in 2021, just in time for Missouri’s bicentennial,” the article states.
TIME’s feature on the city focused on “a reinvigorated downtown.” The writer pointed out the new Casa Don Alfonso restaurant from Michelin-star Italian restaurateur Mario Iaccarino, along with City Foundry STL, which just announced its grand opening date on Monday. A pair of “flashy hotel openings” and the city’s new soccer team also were noted.
TIME’s list of 100 greatest places was compiled using nominations from correspondents and contributors with “an eye toward those offering new and exciting experiences.”
“In many ways, our third annual list of the World’s Greatest Places is a tribute to the people and businesses at the forefront of those industries who, amid extraordinary circumstances, found ways to adapt, build and innovate. It shines a light on ingenuity, creativity, revitalization and reopenings in destinations across the world,” TIME said of its selection process.
You can see TIME’s full list of the World’s Greatest Places of 2021 online.
Here is the full write-up for St. Louis’ entry on the list.
"Known as the Gateway City, St. Louis boasts a number of noteworthy happenings in 2021, just in time for Missouri’s bicentennial. On the food front, Casa Don Alfonso, the first stateside outpost of Michelin-star Italian restaurateur Mario Iaccarino, debuted at the Ritz-Carlton St. Louis, featuring traditional dishes from the Mediterranean. The mixed-use City Foundry STL is the area’s first true food hall, serving everything from Argentine empanadas to dosas and Bombay sliders. A duo of flashy hotel openings—Le Méridien St. Louis Downtown, featuring an open-air pool deck, and 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis, offering art-exhibition space in addition to its 173 rooms—are set to expand the city’s hospitality options. Other ongoing transformations include the Brickline Greenway, connecting pedestrians and cyclists to city parks, and Laclede’s Landing, a strip of former warehouses renovated into a trendy restaurant and nightclub district on the Mississippi riverfront. Also coming: the new St. Louis City SC soccer stadium will be home to the city’s first MLS team when it debuts in a revitalized section of downtown, not far from the landmark Gateway Arch National Park." —Katy Spratte Joyce
Photos: St. Louis makes list of 'World's Greatest Places of 2021'
St. Louis featured on national lists:
- Food blog Eater names the 20 'essential' St. Louis restaurants
- St. Louis drivers named 2nd best in the country
- Cake from St. Louis County bakery named best in the state
- 2 St. Louis companies make Fortune 100 list of top places to work in 2021
- How St. Louis ranked in new list of world's most expensive cities