Pietrangelo's All-Star guide to St. Louis

Alex Pietrangelo has called St. Louis home for more than a decade. The defenseman has played 737 games over 12 seasons for the St. Louis Blues since they selected him No. 4 in the 2008 NHL Draft. The captain accepted the Stanley Cup last season when the Blues won their first championship since entering the NHL in 1967-68.
He will compete for the Central Division at the 2020 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend at Enterprise Center with four other Blues: coach Craig Berube, goalie Jordan Binnington and forwards Ryan O'Reilly and David Perron. The 2020 NHL All-Star Skills presented by New Amsterdam Vodka is Friday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS). The 2020 Honda NHL All-Star Game is Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS).
We asked the 30-year-old to recommend where to go and what to eat for visitors to St. Louis.

You've got to see the Gateway Arch. I know it's obvious, but it's pretty cool when you actually get up to it and see what it actually is. I didn't think much of it until I actually got in there and looked at it up close probably 10 years ago.
When you get up there, it's a lot bigger than you expect. At 630 feet, it's the tallest man-made monument in the United States, towering over downtown and the Mississippi River.

They've done a good job around the whole area. They've reinvented it, really spending time and money to make that a nice spot to go. There is an American history museum with an emphasis on St. Louis' role in westward expansion, and it includes the building of the Arch.
You've got to see Busch Stadium too. Everyone knows who the St. Louis Cardinals are and what they've done for this city, winning 13 World Series, and now they have Ballpark Village, a dining and entertainment district by the ballpark.
The Cardinals are really trying to make that a special area. When baseball's not going on, they have our games going on. During our games, people are always in there watching.
Whenever my wife, Jayne, and I have people in town, especially in the summer, we make an effort to go down there. I've eaten at a different restaurant, I think, every time I've gone. I've done a few appearances there. It's a fun place to be. It's got a great environment, especially on the weekend.
Now that Jayne and I have 18-month-old triplets -- Oliver, Theo and Evelyn -- life is a little hectic.
We went to a birthday party recently at the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station. My back is still broken from chasing the kids around. They were loving it.
The Aquarium, if you've got kids, is unbelievable. They have everything, every type of fish. They have sharks. They have a train ride. There's a water table that my kids played on for probably 40 minutes, so they can interact with it instead of just walking through. They even have a rare blue lobster named Lord Stanley.

I'll go back. I'm going to be back there, trust me. We're trying to find every way possible to keep our kids busy.
Union Station's changed a lot since I got here. The historic train station just underwent a $187 million renovation. There's the St. Louis Wheel, a new 200-foot observation wheel that lights up at night. There's a carousel, a miniature golf course, an indoor ropes course.
That's where the 2020 NHL Fan Fair will be Thursday through Sunday. You can take a picture with the Stanley Cup, visit a Hockey Hall of Fame exhibit featuring Blues history, meet players, play games and more.
If you've got kids and you're coming into town, honestly, it's a good place to go, because the kids will love it.
When we go out to eat with three young kids, we usually go to McDonald's and Chick-fil-A. They're machines.

But when Jayne and I venture out of downtown, the Hill's always a good spot. Charlie Gitto's is a staple. Any time you can find homemade Italian restaurants, you're always going to go there. We've eaten there so many times over the years.
If you want to go for a nice steak, we usually will go to the Capital Grille or 801 Chophouse in Clayton.
My favorite spot is probably Olive and Oak in Webster Groves. It's more of a trendy spot, but it has good cocktails and a different menu. They change the menu, so it's different things every time. Good burgers. If I want to go out for dinner with my wife and some friends, we'll go there.
You know, I've been here a long time, and people in the Midwest are good people. I think any time you look at Winter Classic, Stanley Cup Final, World Series, people, you know, they take pride in their city.
We take a lot of pride in the city. My wife's from here, so I get to know a lot of people, and again, there are really good people here. Anything you need, they'll make sure they take care of it for you.