Young, single, professional...where do I go? (St. Louis, St. Charles: neighborhoods, movie theater)

[atl_to_stl]

LOL, I'm so sorry! I swear...I feel like every time I looked up at your sn it was either an 8 or a 3...it's been a killer day at work.

[joe stixpuck]

I second checking out the Mexican restaurants on Cherokee. La Vallesana is great and inexpensive, as are most of the places in that area, which has the highest concentration of the more authentic Hispanic eats in town. The area is only a few miles south of where you're living.

As someone else already mentioned, Yelp is a great site for checking into local dining, and you can find info and reviews on Jazz spots also. Perfect site for anyone new to a city...like city-data it's a great resource.

Hope you enjoy St. Louis and all it has to offer! Plenty to do near your location, and it shouldn't be a problem for a young, successful gal such as yourself to find some great dating prospects.

[AJohnston_STL]

You have to go to Cherokee Street; my recommendation is GARDUNO's. They play the music a little loud (salsa music? or is that just what white people call all Mexican music? serious question), but the food is authentic and very good. My wife and I have eaten there many times in a full restaurant (it's pretty small, probably 15 tables) and have been the only non-Mexicans. I think it's pretty safe to say it's authentic

[STLCardsBlues1989]

My Dad grew up a block north of Cherokee street, though it was window shopping and not really Mexican then. I'd like to take Grandma back there someday to see it.

It's not that far, but everybody's so busy all the time and Grandma's not in spectacular health.

[AJohnston_STL]

Ah, and The Loop. The Loop is a Saturday, walk the strip, check out a few stores, eat at a good restaurant kind of place. It's not really a Friday night "Let's get out and party" kind of place. The patrons are mostly Wash U students who are just starting their night there with food and drinks. On Saturdays or Sundays its just nice to grab lunch at Blueberry Hill, Fitz's, Pam's Chicago Style Hot Dog (good gyros), etc, and check out some local shops like Vintage Vinyl (big used record store, also has CDs and DVDs, many used DVDs that are very cheap). My wife and I like to take our son there just to get out of the house do the above mentioned things. As a young female looking to get out and have fun, I'd go on a weekend and leave the partying to Washington Avenue downtown or Laclede's Landing.

I'm not a south county fan really. I don't necessarily have a problem with it as far as cultural things and what not, but it is extremely suburban in my opinion. I like Fairview Heights (in Illinois, the metro-east), but south county is much more congested as far as retail goes (seems like everything is on top of everything) and traffic is pretty rough.

For shopping, I'd probably go to The St. Louis Mills in Hazelwood or The Galleria in Brentwood.

[atl_to_stl]

Thanks, these are all good ideas. I've been spending a good deal of time at The Galleria and I've driven around Clayton, definitely like that area. I'm also interested in doing some volunteer work/mentoring program for kids here in the city. I have to be honest, there are a lot of areas here that need some serious help but I'm not one to complain about it unless I plan to be part of the solution.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by atl_to_stl

Thanks, these are all good ideas. I've been spending a good deal of time at The Galleria and I've driven around Clayton, definitely like that area. I'm also interested in doing some volunteer work/mentoring program for kids here in the city. I have to be honest, there are a lot of areas here that need some serious help but I'm not one to complain about it unless I plan to be part of the solution.

This is very true. I hope you are able to find an organization that really speaks to you.

Did you volunteer in Atlanta too? Their poverty rates are almost identical to St. Louis'. What kind of volunteer work would interest you?

[atl_to_stl]

I try to do some work in every city I'm in. I travel for work and get to move around to different cities every six months or so. Although Atlanta may have a similar poverty rate, there is a very strong black middle class that keep the entire metro area going strong. I have never been to a city that seems as "deserted" as St. Louis, nor have I been so moved to get involved and make a difference. Over the past three years I've lived in cities like Atlanta, Cleveland, Chicago, Philly, etc. and as I ride around and drive to work everyday (I work in the north side of town), I just wonder what happened?

[aragx6]

I definitely hope you get a chance to see all of St. Louis while you are here. Only seeing North City would be like only seeing Chicago's West Side.

[atl_to_stl]

Well, I only work in North St. Louis, remember I live in the Loft District, so I guess you could say I see both ends of the spectrum on a daily basis.