St. Louis

[warwickland]

SLU could definitely take note of the postive developments happening in midtown in areas beyond their reach, like on locust.

[chaglang]

Absolutely. A friend of mine is going to take me on a tour of all the positive developments between the SLU campus and downtown. He's very excited about what's going on. I think it's going to center on Urban Chestnut's Octoberfest next year.

I have to give SLU some credit for anchoring that part of Grand for so long. When I was there, they were buying and reusing existing buildings. Lindell would be much worse off were it not for them. That's why their demolition spree is so saddening and baffling. I thought they "got it". I was wrong.

[warwickland]

now that lord biondi is gone, hopefully we see more considerate real estate practices by SLU. the neighborhood has already taken a bit of a leap since even a year ago. i think that generally, SLU "gets it."

[chaglang]

I hope so, because they've become an enormous landholder there. Much moreso than when I got there for my freshman year. And the fact that they did all this at the corner of Grand and Lindell speaks well of them. They get that. It's their land use that has always troubled me. Without looking at a satellite image, I believe that the main spine of campus (West Pine) was denser in 1991 than it is now.

[warwickland]

Without looking at a satellite image, I believe that the main spine of campus (West Pine) was denser in 1991 than it is now.

That's almost certainly correct. Biondi was confused/clueless, but SLU appears committed to urban redevelopment and Sith Lord Biondi is thankfully gone.

[grovester]

I will be spending a night in St. Louis next week and am completely ignorant of the city, except for how to drive through it.

Looking for a hotel in a walkable area with bars/restaurants.

Where should I stay?

[brewcrew1000]

I would not stay downtown, I find downtown very boring. I would consider the central west end. The Chase Park Plaza is in a somewhat walkable area right across from forest park

[nickyrosstheboss]

I agree with the above. I got a hotel downtown and spent all my time everywhere else.

[WSPanic]

In August, I stayed downtown at the hotel connected to the City Museum (The Last Hotel in St. Louis) - I thought it was really nice for a night. Rates weren't terrible. Other than fact that someone did a hit/run on my car parked next to the hotel, it was a cool location for an evening. Stayed out by The Fox Theater for the other night we were there - since we were seeing a show at The Fox. There are a few nice hotels in that neighborhood too.

[earthling]

I will be spending a night in St. Louis next week and am completely ignorant of the city, except for how to drive through it.

Looking for a hotel in a walkable area with bars/restaurants.

Where should I stay?

Based on your posts I'd suspect you'd like CWE/Loop area more than downtown but easy enough to get around via LRT or Uber. Metro offers weekly fare pass under $30.

[rxlexi]

I will be spending a night in St. Louis next week and am completely ignorant of the city, except for how to drive through it.

Looking for a hotel in a walkable area with bars/restaurants.

Where should I stay?

I agree with the suggestions for Central West End or Delmar Loop area hotels. You will be central to everything in some of the most walkable, amenity-filled neighborhoods in the region. The Moonrise Hotel on the Loop is popular, locally owned, and has a cool rooftop patio - can walk to Metrolink rail easily behind the hotel if that's valuable to you.

CWE has several options - anywhere near the central parts of that hood will be a great stay (Chase was mentioned). Cheshire Inn on SW corner of Forest Park is neat too - again very centrally located and a unique vibe, even though it is right next to the highway (walkable to a cool little hidden retail node in DeMun, however, which I would recommend). The Angad Arts Hotel near Fox Theater in their arts district (Grand Center) is new and supposedly quite nice, but I've not been and wouldn't recommend the neighborhood for a first time stay.

Essentially, stay inside the Innerbelt (I-170) loop and you'll have easy access to the central City, with more or fewer walkable amenities depending on the hood. It's a great city, with a lot new stuff going on if you look - have fun!

[grovester]

Thanks for that timely post, as we just returned and did indeed stay at the Moonrise Hotel on Delmar.

Great strip, reminded me a bit of Mass St. in Lawrence.

I was really impressed with what I saw of St. Louis and look forward to another visit. Forest Park is a gem.

[kman]

Indy mom review of the new St. Louis Aquarium....great venue for young families.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGX0G5i ... tion=share

[normalthings]

Indy mom review of the new St. Louis Aquarium....great venue for young families.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGX0G5i ... tion=share

not a great attraction for any other demographic imho

[Chris Stritzel]

Indy mom review of the new St. Louis Aquarium....great venue for young families.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGX0G5i ... tion=share

not a great attraction for any other demographic imho

It will do well with grade school groups and tourists with young kids. It's a small place and not many locals will go to the aquarium. It's a neat thing to have but, like the Arch, I advise tourists to avoid it.

[rxlexi]

It will do well with grade school groups and tourists with young kids. It's a small place and not many locals will go to the aquarium. It's a neat thing to have but, like the Arch, I advise tourists to avoid it.

This is an interesting comment. Why do you advise tourists to avoid the Arch? Especially after the major recent investment in museum and arch grounds, which I haven't experienced yet (aside from the parklet across the freeway) but am excited to check out. For me, just the fabulous mid-century architecture and urban space around it are worth the trip.

I'd agree the trip up the Arch and view are perhaps underwhelming, but certainly an "only in STL" kind of experience...

[Chris Stritzel]

It will do well with grade school groups and tourists with young kids. It's a small place and not many locals will go to the aquarium. It's a neat thing to have but, like the Arch, I advise tourists to avoid it.

This is an interesting comment. Why do you advise tourists to avoid the Arch? Especially after the major recent investment in museum and arch grounds, which I haven't experienced yet (aside from the parklet across the freeway) but am excited to check out. For me, just the fabulous mid-century architecture and urban space around it are worth the trip.

I'd agree the trip up the Arch and view are perhaps underwhelming, but certainly an "only in STL" kind of experience...

I worked at the Arch, after the renovation, and that gave me a different perspective on things. The view from the top is really underwhelming. You get a more authentic view if you go up tp the building lounge on the 42nd Floor of Metropolitan Square. The perspective of the city from that is, imo, a lot nicer. The Arch museum is relatively small but an improvement over what they had. Honestly, the museum is the only part that's really worth anything there. It details the history of STL, and the riverfront, pretty well and has a neat model of the riverfront in it's heyday.

Moving on, the ride to the top of the Arch is strange. The "elevator" is really small. Many people know this but until you're in it, you don't know how small it really is. At the top, the stairs from the elevators to the actual top are not even, so you have to be careful. If you must go up to the top, go up around lunch time on a Monday. It's dead and you'll be able to look out the windows without having to push past people. One cool thing that I experienced is that when tit's windy outside, and you stand still in the middle of the "observation room", you can feel the Arch sway.

It's $12-$16 to go to the top of the Arch but free entry into the museum and gift shop portions. In the end, it's a tourist attraction that adds something interesting to out otherwise boring skyline.

The Gateway Arch National Park is quite nice. There's several trails that you can walk along and it's quite relaxing. I've seen people have picnics on nice days, so that's something nice you can do. The Riverfront (Leonor K. Sullivan Blvd) isn't anything special. They intended on activating it but it's nothing more than a blank wall, a stairway, and some trails along with access ways to Helicopter Tours and the Riverboats. There's a statute commemorating Lewis and Clark's arrival to St. Louis and occasionally there is a small food stand set up.

So to recap, the museum is good and free and I advise people go see that. If you want to take a nice walk and have a picnic, do so. If you wish to go up, you can just don't have your expectations set so high and be expecting to spend quite a bit that can be have for free at Met Square.

[Roanoker]

I'm in my 70s now, but I remember fondly of all those birthdays I spent as a young child on the Admiral. My parents worked, married and lived in St. Louis until they moved to Kansas City in 1939, where I was born several years later. We visited St. Louis a lot, and experiences were always pleasant. I especially liked the Admiral, with its four(?), fun-filled decks. I also enjoyed visiting the Jewel Box, a lovely glass enclosure filled with exotic flowers and plants. We also spent a lot of time at Forest Park and the zoo. St. Louis always felt like an Eastern city to me. I remember when the Arch was built, and there was uncertainty that the the two sides would actually meet correctly at the top. Apparently, somebody figured out how to make it happen.

[Chris Stritzel]

I remember when the Arch was built, and there was uncertainty that the the two sides would actually meet correctly at the top. Apparently, somebody figured out how to make it happen.

Arch fun fact: did you know that when they were ready to hoist the last piece into place, the two legs of the Arch were actually too close together, so they hydraulic jacked them apart. The day was hot too, so they had water hoses keeping the Arch cool to the best they could. They then successfully lifted the last piece into place.

[im2kull]

Just getting back from a weekend trip to St Louis. If you haven't been recently, I highly suggest going for the unforgettable experience that is red light runners. It is fascinating to see firsthand. St Louis must have more stolen cars than Kansas City (a task I thought was impossible) and literally every time you see an intersection you will see a number of cars driving through from every direction.. for the duration of the red light. It's worse than a third world country. In fact, if you make the mistake of stopping at a light in the city, you will be harassed by hoards of drivers who detour around you to make their way through red light after red light at 70 mph. It is unbelievable!

As bad as things were in this video, I assume it has gotten even worse given my experiences this weekend.
https://youtu.be/ucGUbF8Qqlw?si=R0Dhp8rb1Ht6sHWU