St. Louis or Houston? Places To Go, People To See

We sure had fun last July, sharing some history from Houston and St. Louis. Who knew at the time that Hurricane Harvey was on its way? Today, we’d like to reinforce that we remain as proud as ever of our respective hometowns, where there are still plenty of places to go and things to do when you come visit. Of course, we hope your first stop will be at our local Hill Investment Group office, so we can join you for a personalized tour.

Foodies (Where to even begin?!)

• Houston – Etoile Cuisine et Bar, Café Annie, Tiny Boxwoods, Kiran’s, Pondi Cheri, Local Foods, Southwell’s Burgers, beef BBQ at Roegels, El Tiempo (Matt’s favorite), fajitas at Lupe Tortilla, and many, many, many more.
• St. Louis – Tony’s, Bar Les Freres, Paul Manno’s, Winslow’s Home, Claverach Farms, Truffles, Stone Soup Cottage … let’s not forget BBQ – Sugarfire, Pappys, and Vernon’s.

Outdoor Theater

• St. Louis – The St. Louis Municipal Opera (The Muny) – America’s oldest and largest outdoor theatre. The Muny turns 100 years old in 2018, while its president and CEO Dennis Reagan (our very own John Reagan’s dad!) celebrates his 50^th year as a member of the Muny team.
• Houston – The Miller Outdoor Theatre – open year-round due to Houston’s usually mild climate, our treasured venue experienced only minimal damage from Hurricane Harvey.

Parks and Recreation

• Houston – Besides the Miller Outdoor Theatre, Hermann Park is home to the Houston Zoo, several museums, a golf course and plenty of space for hiking, biking or just chilling out.
• St. Louis – Host to the 1904 World’s Fair (with several original structures still intact), Forest Park is the original “Meet me in St. Louis” venue and among the country’s largest urban parks, hosting the Muny, the Saint Louis Zoo, the Saint Louis Art Museum, and so much more.

The Green Scene

• St. Louis – St. Louis is home to the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Established in 1859 as one of the nation’s oldest botanical gardens, it offers stunning public displays, as well as a world-class research library of rare botanical books and specimens.
• Houston – While at Hermann Park, you can take in the formal McGovern Centennial Gardens and an exotic Japanese Garden before skipping over to Memorial Park for a run, a round of golf and a burger at Beck’s Prime.

For the Young or Young at Heart

• Houston – What kid (or inner child) doesn’t get a large charge out of space rockets? Space Center Houston should be just the ticket for the entire family to have a blast in our fair city.
• St. Louis – The name may seem plain, but St. Louis’ City Museum was just voted #1 among Trip.Com’s 2017 Family Tribe Top Attractions. All recycled, all interactive, all imaginative – there’s nowhere else quite like it. (PS: Houston Zoo was voted #5; not too shabby either.)

Batter Up! (St. Louis and Houston)

So, we’ve already mentioned that my HIG colleagues may sometimes sit on opposite sides of the field when the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals face off. But we thought it would be nice to wrap today’s installment by pointing out that our two favorite teams share common ground as well. Most notably, Astros’ current GM Jeff Luhnow came to the team by way of the Cardinals’ administration. And lucky for us, Luhnow is a friend and a fan of Matt Hall’s Odds On, regardless of where he calls home … not unlike all of us here at HIG!

Hill Investment Group’s investment philosophy is based on the fundamental belief that, over the long view, global capitalism will succeed. HIG also loves continuing education – for our clients, our future clients, and ourselves. We’ve also got a demonstrated commitment to giving back.

When the Saint Louis Fashion Incubator launched in late 2016, we found another natural place to combine all three of these core beliefs. Through this non-profit incubator initiative, HIG has partnered with others to make a significant financial and mentoring commitment to six talented young designers who have come to St. Louis from across the U.S. Their two-year fellowships here are preparing them for full commercial debuts upon graduation. 

Relationships are important too, which is how HIG came to lead a perhaps surprising charge in fashion and design. It came about in part when our Houston team introduced us to the husband/wife fashion aficionados, Sid and Ann Mashburn. We’re excited to co-host the Mashburns when they visit St. Louis in mid-October to share their decades of fashion world experience. From “brick and mortar” stores to an online, Skype-based business offering made-to-measure clothing, Sid and Ann have been there, done that, and will be sharing their leadership experience with our incubator designers … and a few others while they’re here.

Just as we’re proud of our entrepreneurial and philanthropic involvement here at HIG, we enjoy inspiring other business owners and friends to share their time, talent, and treasures to spread their own unique vision and values. Cheers to the Mashburns for joining us!

Carl Richards is a friend of our firm and has been for years, even before he became The New York Times “Sketch Guy.” This may well be one of Carl’s earliest drawings connecting money and emotion, but it’s still one of our all-time favorites.