Walkable? (St. Louis, Ballwin, Manchester: apartments, rentals, lofts)

[scott1607]

It looks like I will be moving to St. Louis in about six months. I'll be working downtown on Spruce Street and as far as rentals, the Lafayette Square area looks nice. I want to be close to work and I was wondering how pedestrian friendly these areas are.

[aragx6]

Both downtown and Lafayette Square are very pedestrian friendly, but the area between the two is somewhat less so. I mean there are sidewalks all over, but not a ton of pedestrians walking around as a whole. Were you looking to walk to work? I wasn't exactly certain from your initial post. It would, regardless, be a really easy bike ride.

I really like Lafayette Square. The architecture is gorgeous, Lafayette Park is an awesome little urban park and there's some great restaurants, but it's definitely a small-ish neighborhood and skews a touch older -- mind sharing your age?

If you want to be close to work you can also look at downtown (the Washington Ave area has seen a ton of development in the last 15 years and has a ton of great loft conversions, restaurants, bars and a grocery store) and Soulard (which has some great corner bars and adorable red brick architecture).

And given that your job is on Spruce, you could live in the Central West End, one of St. Louis' most walkable neighborhoods, and take the metrolink into work every day.

[scott1607]

Thanks for the info. I was concerned about the walkability because I'm living now in Tampa, which is the least pedestrian friendly city in the US. They have sidewalks, but people look at you like you're crazy if you actually use them!

I'm 42, so I'll be more than comfortable with the old folks! I wanted to walk or bike to work and be able to come home for lunch so I can walk my dog. That will probably be my biggest hurdle in finding a place to live, since he's a big guy at 55lbs. I currently drive home at lunch, get in a quick walk and then get back to the office. It would be nice to be able to do the same in St. Louis.

[mike0421]

If you are coming from Tampa and are looking for pedestrian friendly neighborhoods, you will think you died and went to heaven when you arrive here. There are no Dale Mabry Highways in this city. Well, maybe Manchester Rd, but that's Ballwin and Ellisville's monster to tame.

[BoomBoxing]

Great suggestions above. I really think Lafayette Square and Soulard would be excellent choices. You could easily walk to work and biking would take only a few minutes. Of course there are a good number of apartments and lofts downtown that would be great too. I think the Park Pacific apartment building downtown was renovated recently and it's very close to Spruce. You could definitely head home to let your pup out during your lunch break.

[aragx6]

Yup, based on your follow-up I definitely stick with my downtown, LS, or Soulard suggestions. I suspect you'll like them all if you want something more walkable than what you have now! (Tampa has always struck me as shiny, but strangely depressing)

Depending on your budget, Soulard might be the easiest to find with some semblance of a yard -- even if it's a shared one -- for your dog, if that's of concern.

Definitely feel free to ask more questions as you have them! We're happy to help.

[mike0421]

I live near Lindell Boulevard, and near the Cathedral Basillica is another desirable option. I was walking on the stretch between Schnuck's and Euclid, and saw 3 separate "for rent" signs on the lawns. These might even fly under the CL radar.

[jencarroll01]

So funny, I am also 42 and am in Tampa. We will be moving this August with our kids and our dog (!) so that I can attend school at Barnes. We're actually in Wesley Chapel, and initially were really sold on the CWE. There are a few great buildings there that we visited and really liked - Towne House Apartments, President/Park Royal, and Residences and Forest Park. All take dogs, and each had different pros and cons. We couldn't find one with everything we wanted (central air, hardwoods, in unit laundry), but they all are very nice in their own right. Some other buildings definitely had that undergrad feel that was great 25 years ago but not what we are looking for now. Hope this helps.

[scott1607]

Hey, thank you everybody for the friendly and informative advice. Those are great leads and it looks like I'll have a lot of options -- well, options because I've learned the hard way when a location says they accept dogs, it's usually tiny yappy dogs and not big mutts... but I'm sure we'll find something nice!

@aragx6 -- your observation about Tampa being shiny but depressing is spot on! I've enjoyed the weather and nature here but the city seems to be one long string of fast food joint, church, strip joint, fast food joint, church, strip joint, repeat ad nauseum. I look forward to getting back a city with more options! Hopefully I'll be out of here before the Republican convention comes to town! I don't think the roads here are going to be able to handle the traffic!

[mike0421]

Downtown Tampa:
Florida 60 / South Dale Mabry Highway / State Highway 685 / West Kennedy Boulevard, Tampa, Florida, United States - Google Maps

Downtown St. Louis:
washington avenue and tucker boulevard, st. louis mo - Google Maps


Game over.