It's really easy to get down on a city like St Louis. It's not a place you often hear people talking about - at least not in a positive way. It doesn't stand out as a cultural highlight or rank highly on the list of most people's travel list. But that's what adds to its charm.

St Louis is the sort of city that requires its visitor to work a little.

Don't bother googling '10 best things to do in St Louis' or turn to Yelp for a list of our best restaurants. It's not that easy. The same things will come up every time. Check out the City Museum, hit up Pappy's Smokehouse, go up to the top of the Arch. These are all great and I'd recommend anyone to do them but it's the less obvious things about St Louis that really make it a treasure.

Take the St Louis Art Museum (SLAM) for example.

It is overflowing with world class paintings that, in no way, look like they belong in the Midwest. If you are interested in the big guns then Picasso, Monet and Chagall should float your boat. If you'd like something more off-beat then there are Warhols, Segal and Lichtensteins to tickle your fancy. Go down stairs and you'll find ancient artifacts. Or just wander around the main hall and oggle at the larger than life flower displays set against ceilings that reach up higher than the sky.

There is truly something for everyone.

Even those that are uninterested in art can take refuge outside under the 56 foot stainless steel tree that casually sits in the grounds next the museum. So inconspicuous is it that every time we take people to the SLAM I have to point it out lest it go unnoticed.

Much like the museum itself and St Louis as a whole, unless someone takes the time to point out how awesome it is, it might get overlooked. And that, I'm afraid, would be a terrible shame.