1. The City Museum: Over the course of your Wash. U. days, you’ve probably ventured up that ten-story slide before. And yes, maybe you’ve even brought out your inner hamster while running on the hamster-wheel. But a birthday is the perfect way to rediscover your inner child, even if you have to venture a little farther from campus. With a reservation made ahead for groups of 15 or more, admission is a mere $8 per person, which any starved college student can afford for a birthday extravaganza. Don’t forget, the museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but is open until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays for late night fun.

2. Pin-Up Bowl: Remember all those elementary school birthday bowling parties? Well, check out Pin-Up Bowl on the Loop for a grown-up version of those good ol’ days, as knocking down pins never ceases to amuse. Renting shoes costs $3, and each lane costs $30 Mondays—Thursdays and $40 Fridays-Saturdays. If you’re not turning 21 or older on the big day, the place closes at 9 p.m. For everyone else, you can bowl your hearts out until the wee hour of 3 a.m.

3. St. Louis Zoo: There are penguins. And they aren’t even encased in glass. Though you may need to pinch your nose closed a few times, the zoo is a great and free place to celebrate your birthday. The St. Louis Zoo is ranked one of the top 10 zoos in America and features over 3000 animals. Open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and located a short walk from campus, the zoo is perfect for an all-day affair. You can even bring in picnic baskets and enjoy the sights and sounds of the zoo while saving money on lunch.

4. Hayrides in Forest Park: Do you have 20 friends? Does your birthday fall between the dates of Oct. 1 and Dec. 11? Then grab your posse and make a reservation for a Hayride through Forest Park for a grand total of $120 (a mere $6 per person). Celebrate the crisp fall weather, typical of your birthday season, with your closest friends in tow.

5. Steinberg Ice Skating Rink in Forest Park: If you’re a Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn or Aquarius, then ice-skating with your friends is a fun birthday treat. For $10 to gain admission and rent a pair of skates, you can glide across the ice (or stumble) with the cool winter air hitting your face.

6. The Fox Theatre: Though a little pricier and a little farther away, the Fox Theatre offers a wide selection of shows that you and your friends can attend for a fun night out. Birthdays are all about feeling special, and going to a show presents an extra excuse to get all dolled up. Tickets start at $30, and this year’s Broadway series includes South Pacific from Nov. 9-21; 9 to 5 from Feb. 8-20; Next to Normal from April 12-24; and Jersey Boys from May 11-29.

7. The Melting Pot: If you can’t get enough of fondue, take your friends out for a birthday party filled with dipping delight. If you’re gluten free, the restaurant even has a menu especially for you. For girls, Wednesday nights at this eatery are ladies nights and the “petite feast” is only $29, which can easily be shared with a small group. On Saturday nights, The Melting Pot also features live music. For a special birthday gift, when you sign up to become a member of The Melting Pot’s “Club Fondue” and order their comprehensive entrée, “Big Night Out,” you’ll receive a free chocolate treat!

8. Fitz’s: For great sandwiches and root beer, Fitz’s is your perfect birthday restaurant. An upstairs loft with pool tables, games, and a big screen TV can accommodate groups of up to 60, perfect for a big birthday bash. All you need to do is make a party reservation and you’re that much closer to a fun-filled celebration.

Andong Cheng | Student Life

City Diner at the Fox, best known for its breakfast food, is a coveted place to eat before or after seeing a musical at the Fabulous Fox Theatre.

The waiters and waitresses were all friendly and helpful, making the experience very relaxing. Our meal started with—you guessed it—dessert, which was pleasantly surprising. The vanilla milkshake was very large; half of it was in the glass and the other half in a tin cup—traditional diner style.

I tried the biscuits and gravy that were described on the menu as “two freshly baked in-house, smothered with sausage gravy.” The biscuits were, admittedly, similar to those at South Forty House but much softer in texture, while the gravy had more delicious bites of sausage. The French onion soup was served in a saucer covered by a thick layer of Gruyere cheese, along with a serving of crusty garlic bread. It is nothing like the standardized taste of Panera that we are all used to.

The lunch entrees are huge. The turkey club sandwich was cut into one too many small triangles and came with an abundance of thick fries. The bread on the sandwich was very thin and delicate, held together by colored toothpicks. All I have to say is that you can’t go wrong with a turkey club.

Could the Village make a similar meal to City Diner? I’m inclined to say yes, based on my experiences at both. What the Village or Bear’s Den can’t reproduce, however, is the culture of this diner and the vivacious atmosphere of Grand Street life, just beyond the diner’s walls. If you ever find yourself going to the Fox, I definitely recommend grabbing a bite at City Diner before starting the show. It’ll be an extra treat!

Shrek, who will always be Mike Myer’s ogre, was butchered left and right by the cast and costume, a truly horrifying Scottish accent on one side and a disturbing body on the other. Normally, lovable, fat ogres aren’t nausea-inducing, but Shrek’s stomach just shouldn’t have stretched into his thigh-fat—it just shouldn’t have. Couple that with a head that was two sizes too small, and “Shrek the Costume” was reason enough to run screaming from onion-boy.

Although Shrek and his rigid prosthetic cheeks were off-putting, the rest of the fairy tale creatures’ costumes belonged in a Lady Gaga look-book. The giant dragon puppet was manned by four crewmembers and looked like she had jumped right out of the movie screen. But it was Lord Farquad’s character that stole the show (although a show where the two main characters realize they’re in love after an epic flatulence contest isn’t too hard to steal). With his greasy, narcissistic line delivery, David F. M. Vaughn trolled the stage on his knees to live up to—or I guess down to—the source character’s short stature [cue laughter].

The music wasn’t especially memorable. “Freak Flag,” performed by the fairy tale creatures and led by a shrill Pinocchio, spelled out the musical’s moral: Don’t be afraid to let your freak flag fly. The “Welcome to Duloc” song from the movie was revamped, bedazzled and turned into a five-minute-long musical number. The second act opened with a “42nd Street” inspired musical number featuring Fiona, and, wait for it, tap-dancing rats. In short, there was no “Defying Gravity”—or “La Vie Boheme”—worthy song in the repertoire.

Interestingly enough, when the show finally reached its merciful end, I reached a moment of clarity and realized that “Shrek the Musical” hadn’t ruined “Shrek” the movie. The movie had ruined the musical. It had been doomed from the start. The musical was at its worst when it quoted the movie directly. The well-known lines (Think, “Who doesn’t like parfaits?”) hung awkwardly in the air, cheap knockoffs of the original brand.

“Shrek the Musical” actually worked best when it developed its own dialogue and plot points and shied away from the movie’s central script. Spoofs of “The Lion King,” “Wicked,” “Gypsy” and “Dream Girls”? Hilarious. Lord Farquard as the bastard son of one of Snow White’s dwarfs? Brilliant. Throw in a joke about Ted Drewes? Local humor is fun!

The fact is, “Shrek” the movie came out nine years ago. Most of the children in the audience who weren’t alive when the original was released seemed to enjoy themselves. But for the college student who saw the movie in theaters and has rewatched it about 50 times since then, it’s impossible to separate the play and the movie. With its over-the-top costumes, tap dancing rats and never-ending burp-offs, maybe “Shrek the Musical” was overcompensating for something.

“Shrek The Musical” is playing at the Fox Theatre from Sept. 11 to Sept. 26, so now you know when to avoid that part of town.

Located near Saint Louis University, the theater is accessible by car or by the Grand Metro stop, which is about a 15-minute walk away. There are plenty of restaurants at various price points located on the same block as the Fox, giving you countless dinner and show options.

Aside from offering wonderful performances, the Fox is also an amazingly beautiful building. The entire theater is designed with an Indian sultan feel. There are golden elephants, lushly colored carpets and walls, and ornate decorations everywhere. No matter how much time you spend in the theater, you can always find some new, breathtaking detail.

But while every inch of the building is beautiful, it is not acoustically equal in all sections. Considering my several visits to the theater and the various places I’ve sat, I’d recommend getting seats as close to the center as possible. The music and lines tend to be garbled and more difficult to understand in the seats along the sides. As for viewing ability, there’s really no difference between the Fox and other theaters; the further back you get, the smaller the actors will look to you.

Being in St. Louis does not have to close you off to Broadway, especially if you’re a lover of all things created by Andrew Lloyd Webber or sung by Kristin Chenoweth. The Fox Theatre provides you with quality shows and an overall beautiful experience. Upcoming performances include “In the Heights,” a hilarious, Tony Award-winning musical (Nov. 10-22) and the classic “Little House on the Prairie” (Nov. 24-29). So get tickets to a show this year because we could all use a little more choreography and harmony in our lives.

The opening song of “Narrow Stairs” was the first taste of Death Cab’s new performance tone, as the band swayed to the booming “Bixby Canyon Bridge.” Any mounting fears that the band might mainly play songs from their latest album were quickly alleviated: they followed up with “The New Year” and “Why You’d Want to Live Here.” In the latter, one could hear the anger in Ben Gibbard’s voice as he sang out against the “shallow” city of Los Angeles. Each of the first four songs was from a different one of their four latest and best-known albums (“Narrow Stairs,” “Plans,” “Transatlanticism,” “The Photo Album”). Selections from each release were appropriately balanced.

Just about halfway through the show, Death Cab played a song from what some consider to be a concept album, “We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes.” This fairly obscure number, “Title Track,” which failed to receive much of an audience response, beautifully chronicles a one-night stand that means much more to the song’s protagonist than the partner.

The most engaging aspect of the show was Gibbard’s solo acoustic version of “I Will Follow You Into The Dark,” during which the audience’s sing-along sweetly echoed throughout the theatre. The brilliant, instrumentally-layered “I Will Possess Your Heart” followed, with its intense bass line and loud drums that produced a rock ’n’ roll sound even better than the recorded version. The highlight of the song was both visually and musically sensational, as Gibbard’s piano led an instrumental buildup and multiple spotlights shone down on the band from all angles, creating an ethereal image of a true rock band—an image not previously associated with Death Cab.

The encore songs were huge surprises, as none came from “Plans” or “Narrow Stairs,” the band’s two best-known albums. The first song, “Your Bruise,” was off of their first album “Something About Airplanes,” which is currently being reissued in celebration of its 10-year anniversary. “Your Bruise” slowly unravels to bemoan situations in which individuals allow farsightedness to cloud their perceptions of the present and their emotions that are suppressed as a result.

The final three tracks all came from “Transatlanticism.” They played the more poppy “Title and Registration,” followed by the more cluttered song with ingenious lryics, “Tiny Vessels.” The show closed with an incredibly raw version of “Transatlanticism,” with Gibbard’s piano, shaky vocals and the accompaniment of a slow guitar. The song unexpectedly built up massive energy (even drummer Jason McGerr was standing up while playing) as the lyrics “come on” were repeated in different pitches and timings and climaxed with the guitars and bass.

Death Cab for Cutie is heading in the right direction, by both developing new sounds and styles, yet also paying tribute to where it all began.