by Condé Nast Traveler, Alice Newell-Hanson
You don’t have to fly to Paris or London to see some fine art—we have plenty right in our own backyard. Here are five exhibits, installations, and murals in the U.S. so great, they’re worth making a weekend out of.
The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts – St. Louis, Missouri
THE ART: A stark concrete structure (designed by renown architect Tadao Ando), the Pulitzer sits on an unassuming block a little way out from St Louis’ busy downtown. The building itself is reason enough to visit. Factor in a specially commissioned Richard Serra sculpture and the site-specific Ellsworth Kelly sculpture Black Blue, and the Pulitzer plants St. Louis firmly on the US contemporary art map.
WHERE TO STAY: The Four Seasons, for an unbeatable view of the Gateway Arch.
WHERE TO EAT: For lunch: enter the time warp that is Crown Candy Kitchen (don’t pass on the sundaes). For dinner: Sidney Street Café, the jewel in St. Louis’ culinary crown.
WHILE YOU’RE THERE: Visit the City Museum, a giant surrealist playground designed by the late sculptor Bob Cassilly. It contains a ten-story slide. Enough said.