Even if you’re not Catholic, perhaps you have driven down Lindell and seen one of St. Louis’ most unique edifices, The Cathedral Baslica. Also known as the Saint Louis Cathedral or the New Cathedral, it is a Catholic cathedral in the Central West End that was completed in 1914. In his new book published by Reedy Press, author John Gunther explores this glorious addition to the landscape of St. Louis — its history, architecture, and significance.
Read MoreOperation Food Search is fighting an uphill battle to resolve food insecurity. The statistic is staggering: Nearly one in three children in the city of St. Louis doesn't know where their next meal is coming from. Leading the charge to make a dent in the hunger crisis, Operation Food Search is pushing beyond the traditional food bank model to tackle hunger with both urgency and innovation.
Read MoreA development called Container on Vessel could dramatically change the volume of the area’s river traffic. Instead of shipping products from Asia to Los Angeles or New York and trucking them across the country, products can be unloaded at Gulf ports and put on specially designed vessels and bring them up the Mississippi to St. Louis. The project could take an already thriving port system to the next level. The all-water north-south trade lane that connects the Midwest to the lower Mississippi River from there goes to worldwide destinations.
Read MoreAs 2026 dawns, 5,280 circular Waterford crystal discs will fall from the sky on the ball in Times Square. Like fine Waterford crystal, 2026 rings in the fourteenth year that Sophisticated Living St. Louis has brought you the finest. Get a sampling here of what 2026 has to offer in the pages of the January/February issue of St. Louis’ leading luxury lifestyle magazine.
Read MoreThe recent release of St. Louis Parks, 2nd Edition by NiNi Harris and Esley Hamilton is an exploration of how dedicated green spaces in the St. Louis have flourished and spread throughout the region since its founding. St. Louisans are rich with the gifts they have inherited from their civic ancestors. Foremost among these gifts are the public parks—city parks, county parks, state parks, and the Gateway Arch National Park. Although it is winter, the parks are still thriving with activity. Take a trip here.
Read More‘Tis the season for… GIVING. It’s time to open your pocketbooks and give back to those less fortunate. On December 2nd, St. Louis and the world did just that by celebrating #GivingTuesday 2025, the global day of unity and giving. If you didn't get a chance to help out on Giving Tuesday a similar way to help is through our Sophisticated Giving program. It is a conduit for the year-round spirit of giving in St. Louis and in sister cities where Sophisticated Living is published.If you are a subscriber, your 2026 register will land on your doorstep packaged along with your January/February issue of Sophisticated Giving.
Read MoreHearth & Soul kicked off the holidays with the reveal of its fourth annual holiday window. The debut of a life-size advent calendar happens every year and brings to life a different theme bringing the community together to take part. Reminiscent of the iconic New York style window displays, Peace on Earth came to life sending an important message of the importance of community, unity, and harmony. Daily drawings each day will bring joy throughout the month of December.
Read MoreHearth & Soul St. Louis CEO and Founder Susie Busch-Transou will unveil her fourth annual window on Monday, November 3rd from 5:00-7:00pm. Entitled Peace on Earth, the window is inspired by the universally embraced sentiment during the holidays - symbolizing unity, goodwill, reflection and hope. It reminds us to pause, reflect and experience the season’s deeper meaning.
Read MoreSoon we will be singing Auld Lang Syne as we say farewell to 2025. Throughout 2025, we’ve shared with you the good life, both near and far. We are the region’s leading luxury lifestyle omnichannel publication. From print, to digital, to social media, we make sure that you have your finger on the pulse. Let’s take a look back at 2025 through the lens of our issues of the last 10 months, and say hello to our newly-minted November/December issue, which will be available soon.
Read MoreThe Gateway Outdoor Summit kicks off the Gateway Outdoor Expo + Summit 2025, a weekend celebration designed to inspire, educate, and unite people of all backgrounds in outdoor recreation. While the Summit focuses on industry stakeholders and leaders, the Expo will open to the public November 15th and 16th with 165+ exhibitors, hands-on activities, live entertainment, and presentations in the Basecamp area on the show floor.
Read MoreThe 21st annual Martinis at the Mansion is an evening of celebration, camaraderie, and community support for one of St. Louis’ most treasured green spaces, Tower Grove Park. This year’s event will take place on Friday, October 10, 2025 at 6 p.m., at the stunning Central West End home of Tower Grove Park Board Commissioner Robert Epperson and Jennifer Kingston.
Read MoreOn Friday, May 16, 2025, devastation swept through the City of St. Louis. Alarms were silent, although the deafening sound of the catastrophic tornado roared. The ear-piercing winds shattered lives and buildings. Yet, out of the rubble, voices still ring out. This October, the Union Avenue Opera will “lift every voice and sing.” Voices of Union Avenue Opera will rise in performances of the first-ever “One-Act Festival.” The festival will be held in an alternate part of the church that was spared within the historic Union Avenue Christian Church. Get tickets.
Read MoreBeyond Housing is an organization that's proving comprehensive community development can work. At its helm is Chris Krehmeyer, president-CEO. What Beyond Housing has built represents one of the most all-encompassing community development efforts in the country — a model that refuses to see housing, education, health, economic development and civic infrastructure as distinct and separate challenges. Read here how they have positively impacted St. Louis County and the region.
Read MoreEight members of the St. Louis Circus Harmony troupe just returned from Stuttgart Germany after soaring high when reuniting with their partners there, Circus Circuli! This marks the fourth collaboration between the two youth circuses from the sister cities of St. Louis, Missouri and Stuttgart, Germany.
Read MoreJust in time for fall, Pirates & Pumpkins makes landfall at The St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station. International Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19 marks the opening this special event. The pirate invasion will continue through November 2. The Aquarium is decorated with pirate-themed scenes, including a ghost ship with smoking, booming cannons. Pumpkin carving demonstrations and trick-or-treating happen as it gets closer to Halloween.
Read MoreTwo decades ago, Theresa Carrington’s husband abandoned her with two children to care for. Suddenly, she had half the income and couldn’t make ends meet. Church members came to the rescue. Notes and letters and money came so thick and fast, they “decorated” her living room, then quickly overspilled into what she dubbed the “blessing basket.” Now, out of a time of nothing but heartache, she took her blessings and created a business with women in Africa. Carrington not only has touched the lives of countless people in seven countries around the world, but her nonprofit Ten by Three — formerly called The Blessing Basket Project — has altered those lives dramatically.
Read MoreBook lovers, collectors, and avid readers all anticipate the J’s Used Book Sale – held in January and August each year! The summer event is held Staenberg Family Complex Arts & Education Building Sunday, August 24 through Thursday, August 28, 2025. Thousands of titles are available, including mystery and intrigue, novels, biographies, politics, religion, sports, cookbooks, history, animals, art, science, science fiction, business, women’s issues, foreign languages, gardening, poetry, psychology, self-help, humor…the list goes on.
Read MoreLambert International is slated for a multi-billion-dollar update. Director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge will overseeing it all. Prior to her appointment as director, the vital regional economic engine had seen drastic decreases in the number of flights in and out. Hamm-Niebruegge is a visionary. Under her watch, the airport is set to undergo a vast transformation. She has received approval from the airlines to spend the first $1 billion on the first of two phases. While preserving the airport’s historic Minoru Yamasaki dome windows and the ticket lobby, the two existing terminals will be raised to become one. The western half is slated to open by the end of 2028; the eastern portion by the end of 2031.
Read MoreThe St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) and the Fabulous Fox announced that more than $350,000 has been raised to support the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis’ Disaster Relief Fund, a joint initiative that included a benefit concert on June 29 at the Fabulous Fox and a related online donation effort.
Read MoreOn May 16, 2025, an EF3 tornado with winds up to 152mph hit St. Louis and put newly-elected Mayor Cara Spencer’s leadership skills to the ultimate test. Soon after the hit, Mayor Spencer would realize the extent of the damage quickly. Tree root balls the size of Mini Coopers lined the streets and sidewalks all over the city. Branches jabbed gaping holes into roofs. Cars were crushed. Live power lines crashed onto the streets and sidewalks. Citizens were injured. The tornado lasted five minutes. The recovery will take years. And years.
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