Big changes are afoot at Union Station. Owner Lodging Hospitality Management is reconcepting the property with Groundswell Design Group of Philadelphia to include a giant Ferris wheel, light shows, a fire show on the lake, 3-D animation above the lake and 48 train-themed hotel rooms. Owner Bob O’Loughlin promises it will be one of the region’s premiere entertainment destinations. (Pictured above)
Bravo to Barbara and Andy Taylor, who have made a $21 million donation to the Saint Louis Art Museum to endow the directorship. The position will be renamed the Barbara B. Taylor Director of the Saint Louis Art Museum, in honor of the former board president, and will ensure that St. Louis can attract top-tier leadership in perpetuity.
Love is in the air at the Zoo, too. A recent batch of babies there includes a King Penguin chick and three critically endangered Edwards’ Pheasants (pictured). Two of the latter hatched New Year’s Day and are the first of this species for our zoo. The birds are native to the rainforests of Vietnam, however there is no record of the bird since 2000, so zoo staffers are very proud parents!
Learn about Forest Park in 140 characters or less during FP Forever’s new Twitter campaign. This unique celebration of the park’s 140th birthday shares minutiae about the beloved park, including the history of various statues, the bandstand at Pagoda Circle and much more. Check out @ForestPark140 to be informed, inspired and enamored!
Romantic Valentine’s dinner offerings are not uncommon, but one prepared by a husband-wife chef team is. On Feb. 14, chefs Damien and Simone Faure will present Soiree d’Amour, complete with all the flourishes that evoke the charms of gay Paree. It will be at The Ritz, where Damien is executive chef and Simone did a stint as pastry chef before opening Patisserie Chouquette in The Grove.
