<p>Hello
I haven’t been on these boards literally in years! And only have a couple CC friends on facebook so I apologize for the long absence. </p>
<p>Anyway, my husband has accepted a new job near St. Louis, MO. Acutally it’s across the river on the IL side. His job starts Oct 1st. </p>
<p>We have lived in WA state (and for a few years in ID) most of our lives so this will be totally new. Not excited about the heat and humidity that awaits us…</p>
<p>I was in STL once for just a couple days when I was about 14. So I remember going up in the arch and that’s about all I recall. </p>
<p>Who can give us advice about things to do there, places to visit, shopping, restaurants, etc? </p>
<p>All our kids are grown so it will just be DH and me :)</p>
<p>H and I lived in St. Louis before kids (a long time ago), but our best friends (they were in our wedding) are still there and we get together every year (they come to our home or we go to St. Louis). So here are my suggestions. </p>
<p>Places to live: if you want an urban vibe–Central West End (in the city) or University City (areas near Wash U). If you want to be close to the city with a less urban vibe: Clayton. Suburban mansions: Ladue or Town and Country.</p>
<p>Stuff to do: Missouri Botanical Garden, Forest Park (golf course, The Muny–outdoor performance venue, Jewel Box, St. Louis Zoo, plus great walking/running trails around the park), St. Louis Art Museum, Laumeier Sculpture Garden, The Hill (Italian section–great food and bakeries and Volpi meat market), Soulard Market (produce market with lots of other stuff). All of those are fun outings. </p>
<p>Entertainment: Opera Theater of St. Louis, Fox Theater, Busch Stadium–all great. Two restaurants that have been there forever and IMO quite good: Tony’s (fine dining) and O’Connell’s Pub (best burgers around). Shopping areas: Lots of smaller stores/boutiques in Clayton and the Central West End. Bissinger’s Chocolates are amazing–there’s a shop in the Central West End. Plaza Frontenac is a large shopping center with Saks and Neiman Marcus and all the others.</p>
<p>Two things I forgot: Gateway Arch (everyone who comes to visit will want to go see it) and Ted Drewes–a frozen custard stand that can be addictive. The speciality is something called a concrete. Even my foodie husband (who has a dim view of soft-serve ice cream) likes these. My husband hated living in St. Louis; I liked it, except for heat/humidity in the summer.</p>
<p>Do you have grand kids? If so, when they come to visit you MUST take them to the City Museum. Our kids LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that place. For you, tour Grant’s Farm, free beer at the end :D.</p>
<p>My parents live in the STL area and it’s a nice place for retiree aged folks I think. The summers are WAY HOT though so that isn’t fun. We’ve visited many, many times and really enjoy the area. It’s easy driving distance to so many different places too.</p>
<p>We live in St. Louis - it really is a great city, with lots to do! Bromfield gave a lot of good advice There are also a lot of summer music opportunities, such as Parties in the Park, and outdoor shows by local bands at some farmers’ markets, etc. Unfortunately, everyone is right…summers can be really hot and humid. Good luck, and welcome to St. Louis!</p>
<p>lived in St. Louis for a few years, and still visit occasionally. I love St. Louis and always wanted to move back there. So many fun (and many free) things to do–many already mentioned–zoo, museums, sculpture garden, science center (for kids), the arch. Plenty of theater and sports. Botanical gardens is one of my favorite places on earth. Brewery tour. New cathedral (all mosaics on the the inside.) There are a lot of pretty places just outside St. Louis, too. Missouri wine country along the Missouri river west of St. Louis is quaint and scenic, especially in the fall. A little farther out there are some interesting state parks (I remember Onondaga Cave, Elephant Rocks, Johnson’s Shut-ins. . .) if you like that sort of thing.</p>
<p>I never could figure out the appeal of frozen custard, though. It just melts instantly. . .</p>
<p>You’re probably not used to thunderstorms and tornado season–have fun with those!</p>
<p>I grew up in a small town on the Illinois side of the river. </p>
<p>I am an outdoors girl so some things in the area that weren’t mentioned:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The Katy Trail - a rails to trails bicycle route along the Missouri River. Starts in St. Charles and goes across the state and near the wineries of Missouri.</p></li>
<li><p>Kayaking or canoeing on the Current River near Licking, Missouri. This is really fun and a great way to keep cool in the summer. The trout fishing is good too. </p></li>
<li><p>Missouri has great caves. I love Onondaga State Park and its cave.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>We are about a 4.5 hour drive from St. Louis, and have visited several times. One place we’ve been that is not as well known as some of the others is the Cahokia Mounds State Historical Site. In 1250 AD, Cahokia was a larger city than London! The UN designated it a World Heritage Site. It’s about 15 minutes east of St. Louis.</p>
<p>For vacationing, a lot of folks in the region go to the Lake of the Ozarks, which is 130 miles south in the middle of the state.</p>
<p>college_query–we went to the Cahokia mounds the last time we visited the STL area. They are AMAZING. I always marvel at what early civilizations were able to accomplish without major earth moving vehicles.</p>
<p>If anyone is planning on going, FYI, do NOT just put Cahokia into your GPS :D. You need to designate the Indian Mounds specifically…</p>
<p>I grew up on the other side of the river. I enjoy St. Louis. </p>
<p>My parents worry a lot about crime and from news reports, it sounds as if their worries aren’t entirely unfounded. I’ve heard that they’ve laid off quite a few cops due to financial issues. Find a realtor you can trust when choosing your neighborhood.</p>
<p>Just came back home to New England following a two week stay in Southern Illinois visiting family. Do you know where you will live? I really liked Lebanon. It was a delightful small town with a nice main street. It is the home of McKendree University which is home to the Hett Center for the Arts. Check out the upcoming season schedule.</p>
<p>We can’t sell our house in WA (still bad market) so a couple of our sons and 2 other roommates will be renting it from us.
We’ll be renting a place in Maryville. DH will work in 2 offices: one in Maryville and the other in Belleville.
Thanks for those suggestions everyone! Didn’t know about the caves and the Cahokia place.
Now I just need to find a job there!</p>
There are also a lot of summer music opportunities, such as Parties in the Park, and outdoor shows by local bands at some farmers’ markets, etc. Unfortunately, everyone is right…summers can be really hot and humid. Good luck, and welcome to St. Louis!</p>