174/365: Happiness Is A Warm Gun

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John Lennon said so, so it must be true. When was the last time you looked down the barrel of a tank? (I hope for all our sakes that this is a purely rhetorical question.) You can do it this week in Ballpark Village, next to Busch Stadium, the local baseball venue. This theme will continue here and on St. Louis Daily Photo with an explanation on Saturday.

Speaking of which, the Arch's metal is a point of emphasis on St. Louis Daily Photo.

144/365: St. Louis' Finest

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I have a lot of respect for the St. Louis Police Department. Urban cops have a hard job. The ones I've run into have been helpful and courteous. Reports of corruption are very rare here. Locals don't have a reason to fear them - unless there is a good reason to do so.

Slap hands with a burger pusher on St. Louis Daily Photo.

121/365: Thunderdome

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This is the inside of the Edward Jones Dome, where the robotics playoffs were held. It is the home of the St. Louis Rams football team. This view would be from behind the end zone. You could dock several dirigibles in here. The idea of so much open but covered space would have been inconceivable a few decades ago.

The robot wars themselves are on St. Louis Daily Photo.

91/365: Fast Ball

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At the pre-game party in Kiener Plaza before the Cardinals home opener yesterday. This young man could have major league talent.

St. Louis Daily Photo is flying today.

62/365: Idiotarod Weirdos

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There were some people at the Idiotarod in costumes and themes that I just couldn't figure out, like the guy above. Sure, he has a pool float around his middle but what's with the cycling suit advertising a strangely named beer?

The people below were easier to understand: murderous clowns. They all are, really.

Thursday Arch Series with an Egyptian touch on St. Louis Daily Photo today.

14/365: Skyline

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When I think of a city skyline I see images of New York, Chicago or, more recently, places like Shanghai. Well, we have one of our own, It's dominated by the Arch, of course, but there's more to it than that. This picture was taken from the top of the old water tower in Compton Hill Reservoir Park at Grand and I 44.

1/365: Welcome To Downtown St. Louis 365

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I need a new project, as my mother used to say, like I need a hole in the head. But there are all these 365 photo blogs floating around these days and I have such a big inventory of downtown pictures I thought I'd give it a shot. I've worked in downtown St. Louis for 36 years (sigh), seen changes for better and worse and gotten to know it very well. It contains both beauty and urban grit. Let's have a look.

Some of these images will not be new. Many will have appeared on my St. Louis Daily Photo Blog, now nearly four years old. From time to time, we'll also examine what happens to my haunting grounds in 2011. It's a year-long look at the place I know the best.