*Travel Info>>>St. Louis Travel Info

How do you like St. Louis?

Travel Info
I'm from Texas and going to the U of North Texas, and will be graduating this next semester. I've applied for Teach for America, and really hope that I get positioned within St. Louis, however, I've never been there. I've just heard good things and thought, why not?

I wanted to hear from you all everything about St. Louis, really. I'm going to be visiting this spring break (somewhere near March 13th, I think) and would like to know of some good places to visit to give me a good look at what the city itself is all about. What would be a good area to get a hotel in?

Oh and of course I have more questions: How's the entertainment in general, like, is it as easy to get bored there, is it easy to meet people? Have you ever been to Texas, and did you like it more than St. Louis? How do you like St. Louis in general, and what info would you give me, someone who's never been there? Can you give me good places to get food too? I believe I will visit and eventually live in urban, downtown SL.

Travel Tips

I grew up in St. Louis and still have family living there. Growing up, downtown St. Louis was a place one visited for sporting events, for occasional bar hoping, and little else. However, the downtown area is experiencing a rebirth, with many younger adults relocating there from the burbs. This is not to say the city is back to its hey day, its not. However, the trends are positive, and the new ballpark and surrounding village (still in development) give hope that the downtown area will become gentrified.

One alternative to downtown is the Central West End (technically within metro St. Louis, but about 10-15 minutes west of downtown, and more of a mix of burbs and city life), which is home to Washington University. If I were a 20ish, single adult living in St. Louis, this would be my choice. It is next to Forest Park (second largest urban park behind Central Park), loaded with night life, restaurants, etc. Another option is Clayton, although it has become all the rage with wealthy baby boomers, who are scooping up real estate hand over fist. As you proceed further west, suburbia is all you will find (followed by the country).

Regarding the weather, St. Louis has four full seasons, with notoriously hot/humid summers and chilly, but not Chicago-like, winters. The fall and spring in St. Louis are beautiful.

The people of St. Louis are traditional mid-westerners: friendly and laid back. The burbs tend to be a bit insular, which outsiders can find frustrating (although this is less of an issue in the younger quasi-urban areas such as the Central West End).

As far as entertainment goes, St. Louis will never be mistaken for Manhattan. However, the city has three pro sports teams (and rabid fans!), a terrific symphony, great concerts/facilities, plays, etc. The bar scene - West End, downtown (the Landing), and the Loop in Unversity City - are all happening.

Coming from Texas, I do not think you will find the St. Louis to be boring, nor will you find it intimidating. It is an easy, manageable place to live.

Good luck! Source(s): personal experience

Other Travel Tips
Too cold,too many tornadoes,too flat,too smal,other than that,it's a cool place.
ive never been there.
i live in the stl metro east. thats right across the river in illinois. i love stl. i think there is a lot to do. sports are big here. the cardinals and rams are great to watch. downtown stl is getting revitalized. the landing, (on the rive by the arch) has a lot of great bars and places to eat, its a great area. the soulard (where stl mardi gras is) and the dogtown (where the st pattys day parade is) neighborhoods are also great places to hang out. the mardi gras parade is the second largest in the us behind new orleans, so this year it probably will be the biggest. on the fourth of july week there is a huge fair (VP fair) under the arch. they have a huge fireworks show a couple of times so that is great. the hospitals in stl are some of the best in the country. the weather is constaltly changing. the saying is if you don't like the weather in stl, wait 5 minutes. the spring and fall seasons are awsome. the summer is really humid and we have had no winter this year. the cardinal baseball team will have a new stadium this year, so that will be great. there are a couple of newespapers in stl that list tons of stuff to do and places to eat, so look for those. hope this helps.
I'm from Texas myself (Amarillo and Paris), and I just love St. Louis. I've always been a city person, and I've found St. Louis is big enough without being so big that you have horrible traffic or too high prices.

I'd recommend just driving around some - see downtown, drive past the arch, and look at Laclede's Landing (right near the arch). There are lots of beautiful buildings downtown, and you can see the new stadium going up, too. I recommend both the Marriot and the Westin hotels downtown.

Also drive around the Central West End, see Forest Park (the largest city park in the U.S., even bigger than N.Y.'s Central Park!) and the art museum there. Forest Park also has great walking trails, golf, and a free zoo. It's a great place to bring a picnic lunch and spend the afternoon.

I've found the people are friendly here, and there's enough to do that I don't get bored. Pick up a guide to St. Louis at your hotel, and you'll find lots of places to eat. St. Louis is filled with great restaurants.
I've been living in St. Louis for almost 2 years. Love it!