Saint Louis photo ops, shops?

Looks like I will be heading to St. Louis this weekend. Our big stop is the zoo. Can anyone tell me about the zoo? Is it in a good, safe area of town for my film gear? Or should I bring a digital?

Anyplace else worth seeing and shooting in the arch city?

Are there any photo shops selling used 35mm gear?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and suggestions...

Museum of Transportation

One of my favorite places in St. Louis is the Museum of Tranportation. http://transportmuseumassociation.org/

I also recommend the public gardens. And if you like bridges take 367 to 67 north and just before the bridge to Alton, Il there is a turnoff and you can photograph the bridge and other side of the river from the large parking lot.

Good Afternoon, Wolfeye,

I hope this doesn't end up being a duplicate post. I just bumped the wrong key and apparently lost a multi-paragraph response to your questions.

The St. Louis Zoo is terrific. It is located in the southwestern corner of Forest Park at the western edge of the city. The park itself is generally regarded as safe, at least in daylight hours. The zoo, with its large number of family visitors, is even safer--and it's free. Parking in the zoo lot, however, is not free. The last time I was there (several years ago), I recall thinking that the parking fee was high. Perhaps there is a web site with specific information. There is also free parking on park roads near the zoo, but the spaces close to the zoo and the nearby Art Museum tend to fill up early.

I agree with the recommendation of the National Museum of Transport which is well west of the city itself, out just past Interstate 270. The Arch grounds and Laclede's Landing downtown offer plenty of opportunities. The Missouri Botanical Garden (Shaw's Garden) is a great place for photography. There is a modest admission charge there, but parking is free. I've heard that there may now be a tripod permit required. Unfortunately, some of the city near Shaw's Garden has deteriorated in recent decades and isn't particularly safe, but the garden and its parking lot are enclosed areas.

Schiller's on Manchester to the southwest of the city limits has some used equipment, mostly 35mm stuff. They have vastly reduced their inventory of film/darkroom supplies and equipment, but they still carry a decent selection of 35mm and MF film.

You didn't ask, but I'd recommend Allied Photocolor for film processing. Allied is located on Forest Park Boulevard near Sarah. That's about halfway between downtown and Forest Park and just a bit north of Highway 40 (Interstate 64). Allied is worth a visit just to see the large display prints and transparencies in the reception area.

Be warned that several miles of Interstate 64 are completely closed while being rebuilt. The section affected is a few miles west of the city. There are also, of course, related traffic problems on other streets in the area, especially during rush hours.

Feel free to PM with any additional questions.

Konical

Thanks for the info! I will mention the transportation museum to the comittee <g> and see how it flies.

The Laumeier Sculpture Park is also great. It's outdoors so no restrictions on photography. It's off I-44 Exit 277B. Always a great place for abstract shots.

Schiller's and Allied Photocolor are excellent choices. Diane Maher recommended them to me when I travelled to St. Louis to photograph the Albert Paley steel sculpture at the entrance to the zoo (You can't miss it. It is very impressive.).

Regarding the zoo, I spent a week photographing the sculpture with LF equipment during the day and into the evening until midnight on some nights. I was literally in full view of everyone going into the park right at the main intersection. Sometimes I tempted fate by leaving the camera set up while I went to my car (thirty feet away) for equipment. I experienced no trouble at all. In general, I had the feeling that St. Louis was quite benign, although I'm told that it has the highest crime rate of any city in the nation.

The Missouri Botanical Garden has its annual Japanese Festival this weekend. It is a popular event and as such is usually very crowded. However, some great photo ops can be found there.