As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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DD has a med school interview coming up in St. Louis, one of the few places she has applied that we haven't been. I am working on us going out on a Saturday for her Monday interview. She is looking to Sunday so she doesn't have to take a day off from work (she has three jobs and is extremely reliable).
I am looking for two things-something so great she wants to take a day off and something for me to do while she is at the interview.
The zoo and art museum are both admission-free and in Forest Park, the large central STL park. The art museum is a very nice one that is well worth an hour or more if you are an art lover, particularly for its recently opened expansion featuring modern art. It, however, is closed on Monday. Highly recommend the restaurant, Panorama. Wonderful food!
Also, the Missouri Botanical Garden is lovely although currently looking a bit worse for wear as fall color is only just beginning to show. Its admission fee is $8/adult, offering plenty of exercise in lovely surroundings as the garden is sizable. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend the garden's restaurants. Both have unimaginative fare, uneven quality and much too high prices.
As is the case with most Midwest cities, you'll have far more mobility and flexibility if you rent a car or use cabs than if you try to get around via public transit which is not as inclusive as desirable.
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There are so many things here to do - and most free or pretty inexpensive. I agree with Michael on what area you'll be in most to help narrow it down.
We're heading to the zoo this weekend and love it!
Thanks. I always rent a car (even at Disney). I need the flexibility.
She is going to St. Louis University. I haven't gotten so far as to find out where in St. Louis. I know my DDin law interviewed for a residency in St. Louis and was concerned about the neighborhood.
I love the idea of a museum, especially for the day she will be at the med school.
She has only applied to a couple of school that are not in the northeast so I'd like to check out those cities with her.
The area around SLU is getting nicer, at least I think so. We were just there over the weekend as their sports arena held Disney on Ice. The Fox Theatre is close by as well as Powell Symphony Hall. The museums (art, history, science) are all in Forest Park and are a short drive away.
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As Kelly said the area around SLU is getting better, but it still isn't great. I know first hand as I catch a bus down that way. You just have to stay aware of your surroundings and your fine.
Something that isn't far from there is the Missouri Botanical Gardens. In my opinion, the Japanese garden is worth the admission price. Not sure how interested in are in cathedrals, but Cathedral Basilica is not far from SLU also. Very beautiful church, as one of the largest collections of mosaics in the world.
As fa as eating around there. Just down on Lindell Blvd off of Grand is a BBQ place called Pappy's. Very good! They have been featured in all kinds of food programs. Also not far from that SLU is an area called The Hill. You can get all kinds of different Italian meals there. From mid range pricing to upscale food.
Hope you have a good time here. I'm sure we can give you more ideas if you think of things you might want to do.
Thanks again. This will be my first trip since I've been on a restricted diet. I seldom eat out but have done well with seafood (my favorite, alhough probably not a St/ louis specialty). I have to try to keep my sodium in the 1500 mg a day range so I will probably pick up yogurt and fruit at the grocery store as well as some low sodium turkey.
I love museums, botanical gardens and just exploring. DD is an excellent amateur photographer and loves to take pictures.
Is the St. Louis Arch worth a trip? Good photo ops?
The Arch is worth a trip, but sadly it is shut down right now due to the government shutdown.
There are a lot of photos opportunities in Forest Park, which isn't far from SLU. Botanical Gardens would be a great spot for photos. They are getting read to have a Corpse Flower bloom at any time now.
If you like sculpture, there is a sculpture park out in the suburbs that is very nice, again a lot of photo ops.
Missouri History museum is in Forest Park as is the Art museum, the Zoo and the Science center. All of them are free to go to, some things within each have pay things. You can find enough to do with just the free side of everything.
Actually, you can find some rather nice seafood in upscale places in the metro area. The better restaurants fly in fresh seafood daily.
I don't know those around SLU well but suggest if you have a smartphone that you get the Urbanspoon app if you don't already have it. It's great for finding restaurants more likely to meet special dietary needs. You can also access the site online, of course.
For food shopping, I suggest Straub's on N. Kingshighway a short distance north of the northeast corner of Forest Park. It's a lovely gourmet market in business for a century with a terrific array of cheeses. There are a number of bistro-style restaurants near it as well. And if you're a booklover, a short walk north to the corner of McPherson and Euclid will take you to a great independent bookstore, Left Bank Books, which opens at 10:00.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Last edited by Her Dotness; 10-05-2013 at 03:05 AM..
When we went to St. Louis two summers ago- we went to their local Six Flags, which while it was fun- it wouldn't suggest it for your limited time and party make up...
We also went to the Arch, which I would highly recommend! We enjoyed it very much and I would consider that a "must see" for a first visit to St.Louis...
There's plenty to do as folks have said in Forest Park. Don't forget that Anheuser-Busch offers tours of the brewery (call ahead for times as they vary by season).
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