DETAILS

St. Louis

GETTING THERE: Several airlines fly nonstop from the Washington area to St. Louis; currently the cheapest fare, $262, is on Southwest from BWI. Connecting service starts at about $250, on Northwest from Reagan National.

WHERE TO STAY: If you need baseball tickets, at least three hotels near the stadium offer packages. The Westin St. Louis (811 Spruce St., 866-716-8137, http://www.starwoodhotels.com/ ) has a Cards Baseball Special Friday and Saturday nights: two tickets, a double room and free parking for $149 per room each night. The Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark (1 S. Broadway, 877-845-7354, http://www.hilton.com/ ) has a Grand Slam package with two outfield box seats and a free Fredbird at the park's Build-A-Bear concession for $279 per room, double. Parking is $14. For $189, the Adam's Mark Hotel (315 Chestnut St., 800-444-2326, http://www.adamsmark.com/stlouis ) provides two tickets, a personalized Rawlings bat and a double room for $189 per night; $30 more gets gets you a room at the hotel's club level, hors d'oeuvres and breakfast. Parking is $14.

The best close-in value, the Drury Plaza Hotel (Fourth and Market streets, 800-378-7946, http://www.druryhotels.com/ ), is two blocks from Busch Stadium. Comfortable doubles are $129 with full breakfast. Parking is $15 nightly. The Web site has coupons for St. Louis attractions (under "Drury Deals"). A few blocks farther, the Hampton Inn St. Louis Downtown (333 Washington Ave., 800-426-7866, http://www.hamptoninn.com/ ) has doubles for $159 on game nights with a $10 parking fee.

WHERE TO EAT: You can get breakfast, lunch and dinner at Blueberry Hill (6504 Delmar Blvd., 314-727-4444), whose nine rooms feature jukeboxes, pop culture and coin games. The burgers and toasted ravioli are special. Chuck Berry appears regularly in the Duck Room.

The Near North Side neighborhood is filled with vacant lots and vintage homes begging for renovation. A worthy survivor since 1913, Crown Candy Kitchen (1401 St. Louis Ave., 314-621-9650) serves lunch and dinner from its soda fountain. Don't miss the BLTs, butterscotch malteds and the homemade black walnut ice cream.

Amighetti's bakery/restaurant/gelateria (5141 Wilson Ave., 314-776-2855) is one of about two dozen restaurants in the Hill, the Italian neighborhood where Joe Garagiola and Yogi Berra grew up, complete with boccie ball courts. It's home to a famous layered sandwich, and close to multiple pizza and pasta places.

Postgame, there's one essential stop: Ted Drewes Frozen Custard . Visit the original stand on old Route 66, at 6726 Chippewa St. (314-481-2652).

BASEBALL TICKETS: Scattered tickets are available for Cardinals games in June and August; they're sold out in July, but you can buy seats given up by season ticket holders through the online Prime Seat Club. There also are 2,100 standing-room-only seats available for $13 online or at the ticket office. Details: 314-345-9000, http://www.cardinals.mlb.com/ .

INFORMATION: St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission , 800-916-8938, http://www.explorestlouis.com/ .

-- Bruce Adams and Margaret Engel