Gay couple considering moving to St. Louis from Maryland - questions!

[HowardTeam]

Originally Posted by souperjen24

Thanks very much! I would love some specific zip codes. Do you have a recommended site to look for rentals? I've been trying Zillow/Trulia/Craigslist, but wondering if there's something local I should try?

Also, I see there's a bit of a difference in location between Castlewood Park and St. Charles... seem to be similar distances into the city. Are they pretty much a coin toss?

I wish I could recommend a good central source for rentals but there just isn't one. Our realtor database, the MLS (which feeds Zillow, etc), has some rental options available but certainly not all. Craigslist is probably the next best source. Also contacting rental companies & LLCs directly or partnering with a realtor who can explore various options, including local contacts.

Some of the closer in zip codes most convenient to Wash U & access to nature would be 63301, 63303, 63304, 63146, 63017, 63043, 63141.

[Bluefox]

I live in Kansas City so I can't comment on St. Louis-specific topics but I can tell you there is NO shortage of outdoor/backpacking opportunities that are close to St. Louis. I'm an avid backpacker and I do at least 4-5 trips a year, usually around 3 in the Ozarks. You have plenty of wonderful day hikes and backpack trails within a few hours of STL. Taum Sauk/Johnson Shut Ins is the popular one but there are a number of other lesser knows places that are just as good if not better, they're just more remote. There is a very active backpacking group in STL that does various trips throughout the year, feel free to PM me if you'd like more info. Of course there's nothing as famed as the AT around here but there are a lot of hidden gems in Missouri that even most residents will never see because they are so remote. If you are willing to up your travel time to 6-8 hours that puts the Ouachitas in Arkansas in range as well, which offer some really phenomenal hikes like the Eagle Rock Loop. I met people from as far away as Minneapolis and Austin on that trail.

Being in KC we have the benefit of having the Front Range 8 hours away which makes Colorado trips doable without having to take much time off work. From STL it's more like 12 hours but for me it would still be worth the drive vs. flying so you don't have to worry about dealing with gear/rental cars/etc.

One thing I will add is that backpacking season for most of us begins in March and ends in late May, and then starts up again in mid September and runs through December. I've done one or two January trips during mild weather but I've never done a trip in June-August in Missouri. Way too hot, muggy, and buggy (that's when I go to Colorado). You need to be careful in the spring due to violent weather and rain which can render some water crossings impassable. But if you get sunny/dry weather, nothing beats walking through the blooming foliage and spring ephemerals, except the autumn hikes through brilliantly colored forests.

[STL1980]

My husband and I recently moved to Pasadena Hills near University of Missouri- St. Louis. My husband walks ten minutes to the nearest train station. There a number of gay couples, including us, in the neighborhood. Despite perceptions, the neighborhood is extremely safe. My commute to downtown Clayton is 12 minutes down Hanley. We absolutely love the historic houses, abundance of trees and the parks in the neighborhood. The housing prices are very affordable.

[lightscamerainaction]

I just went through a spur of extreme productivity and typed up a giant list of things-to-do for another poster. Some of the items on my list are outdoor stuff. But since you guys will be new, I might as well just reply with all of it. I kept the outdoor stuff on the top for "relevance" ha!

• Do that float trip down the Black or Huzzah river
  

• Enjoy natural water slides and an emerald green pool at Johnson’s Shut-In State Park
  
• Hike through the scenic Hawn State Park (I love the ten miles loop), the Lewis & Clarks Trail (a little over seven miles), or the Castlewood Park Trails (quite a few and can be crowded on a nice day)
  
• Jump from rock to rock at the Elephant Rock State Park
• Go to the beach (yes it looks just like a real beach) at the Carlyle Lake in Illinois (less than an hour away from STL). The big one is called Dam West Beach
• Ski or tube down the “mountain” at the Hidden Valley (yes I know it's no Denver but you'll have fun at end of a winter day)
  
• Swim in the old quary waterhole at the "Offsets"
• Bike the Katy-Trail from Creve Coeur Lake to St. Charles, or if you are really big bikers, you can bike to Augusta, MO (pretty little wineries nearby). The Katy is a 240 miles bike trail system Katy Trail Missouri Trail Maps, Businesses, Events, Mileage, and more
• If biking is your thing, the Madison County Transit Trail system in Illinois is fantastic. MCT Trails Map
  
• Spend a day in Forest Park (fishing by the east entrance, take a nap by the airplane sculpture on the southern edge, check out an exhibit at the Natural History Museum, take a paddle-boat to the Grand Basin)
  
• Take a scenic drive to Grafton, Illinois right across the river, up the Great Rivers Road, get a bucket of beer from the Loading Dock, or if beer is not your thing, enjoy some wine at Aeries Winery on top of a hill with panoramic view of the valley, then hike a few trails at the Marquette State Park down the road (best viewing season is autumn. The multitude of shades of leaves is stunning)
  
• Climb a few Cahokia Mounds just across the river
• Standup paddleboarding down the Meramec River with the St. Louis SUP Meetup crew (or if that's too adventurous, go to Simpson Lake with them on a summer Friday afternoon)
  
• Ride a two-person bicycle (or just walk or run) on the 5.6 miles trail around Creve Coeur Lake
• Bike through neighborhoods of St. Louis with thousands of people from near and afar at the annual Moonlight Ramble (it starts at midnight)
  

Other Stuff:

• Grab a DD and head to the beautiful wineries in Defiance, MO
• Take an one-hour Sightseeing Cruise down the Mississippi in a steam boat
• Volunteer at the Crown Ridge Tiger Santuary in Ste. Genevieve
• Break out those binoculars at World Bird Santuary in Fenton
• Attend a free public program (drawing, art appreciation, etc) at Pulitzer Art Institute (Heck, just go see that amazing building)
• Attend a gallery opening at the Contemporary Art Museum (even if you don’t like art, you can’t beat the people-watching on opening nights four times a year)
• Pack a picnic to Laumeier Sculpture Garden
• Check out the SLAM Underground every last Friday of the month at the St. Louis Art Museum, enjoy free activities, the DJ, and free entrance to special exhibit
• See a show at the Fox
• See a movie while sinking in a nice couch at the Moolah
• Go see the top-ranked St. Louis Symphony (even if classical music isn’t you thing, the St. Louis Symphony has so many interesting projects (live concerts to accompany classic movies, Cortango events for tango dancers and music-lovers, and the sold-out annual collaboration with Nelly, to name a few)
• Vintage shop-hop on Cherokee Street (east of Jefferson)
• Be a kid again and hit your friends with some big balls at the playground of City Museum
• Sit in the back patio of Venice Cafe and sip a beer while you look at the eclectic decor and listen to a local band
• Get groceries (or just a bloody mary from Julia’s Cafe) at the Soulard Market and grab some BBQ from Bogart’s when you get hungry
• Make your own Microbrew Tour out of a long list of local breweries: Schlafly, Civil Life, Urban Chestnut, Earthbound Brewing, Side Project Brewing, 4Hands, Heavy Riff, Perennial, Square One, Alpha, Modern, Standard, Kirkwood Station….you will topple over long before getting through the ever-expanding list
• Slide down the Art Hill after a heavy snow
• Visit the Bellefontaine Cemetery to see majestic tombs of the Crème de la Crème who lived in STL at turn of the century
• Climb the stairs to the top of the Compton Hill Water Tower for a panoramic view of the city that can’t be beat (Open on some nights for Full Moon viewing)
• Sample til you drop from hundreds of microbrew offerings at the Brewers Heritage Festival

• Watch colorful hot air balloons at the annual Balloon Festival on a beautiful evening at the Forest Park
• Bring a sandwich and a drink to the free outdoor concert at the grand basin for opening of the Symphony season
• See some riskque art and catch the burlesque show at the annual Naughty-Gras Art Bash in Koken Art Factor (prime people-watching)
  
• Catch some beads at the Soulard Mardi Gras Parade (and dress up your pooch for the Pet Parade)
• Eat around the world at the Festival of Nations in Tower Grove Park
• Watch people with serious arm muscles hold up big beers at the Octoberfest at Urban Chestnut
• Watch international movies and unique short film collections at the Whittaker International Film Festival (many of the programming each year are free)
• Hop on a few rickety rides and stuff your face with some cotton candy at WashU’s ThurtenE Carnival
• Get some legit Mexican tacos and watch the bizarre hipster floats at the Cinco de Mayo Parade on Cherokee Street
• Slurp some of the 70,000 oysters that get flown in from both coasts at the Schlafly Stout & Oyster Fest
• Get rowdy with drag-queens at the colorful PrideFest
• Check out the Japanese Festival at the picture-perfect Botanical Garden

[lsjdesigns]

Hi. Were you able to secure a nice neighborhood? I am planning to move there in the spring/summer? Thanks