considering moving from California to St. Louis - am I crazy? (University City: cheap house, neighborhood)

[gotigers123]

Originally Posted by ktCakes

Supermarket produce is the same as everywhere...bland. I remember going to Florida in winter and not being able to find Florida oranges at the local supermarket but was buying them in St. Louis a week earlier.

Luckily there is a large "locavore" movement in St. Louis, so there are lots of new farmer's markets around. Of course, we are a three season growing area and you'll have to adjust to learning to cook and eat that way if you only eat local fresh produce. But, summers and falls are quite abundant.

@Dinsdale...did it ever occur to you that California has the taste quirks?

The Bay Area has the best food scene in the country after New York. I don't think the food in St. Louis is quirky though.

I will say though that I enjoy provel "cheese" and Imo's.

And I really miss good bbq. Anyone want to ship out some Poppy's ribs?

[zach_33]

Originally Posted by STL4eva

You are absolutely insane to move to Missourah from Cali. Prepare to dumb yourself down by about 50 years. This is why we moved to Phoenix.

i don't mean to be rude, but dude... you are whacked

[ktCakes]

ah. you're back with your wonderful insights. Then why do you go by, "STL4eva" when all you do is bash St. Louis?

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Especially ironic that his name is "STL4eva" and he apparently hates the place.

[stlcitygirl]

Originally Posted by STLCardsBlues1989

Especially ironic that his name is "STL4eva" and he apparently hates the place.

and borderline illiterate

[May Garsson]

Thinking of moving from the bay. Peeps like to freak me out w/stories about chiggers and snakes in Saint Louis nieghborhoods. Any experience w/ suchness?

[ktCakes]

Well, yes. If you walk through knee high grass you are bound to pick up some chiggers. And when gardening you may run into a little green striped snake. They may give you a start when you see one quickly slithering away but garter snakes are completely harmless.

In my very urban Tower Grove park we have a couple of coyote and some foxes that have taken up residence and you'll see an occasional deer run through.

Now out in the county if you go hiking or creek walking, you may run into more dangerous snakes. But rarely. I wouldn't say that we are crawling with snakes. I have maybe one encounter a year.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

"suchness?"

Anyway, I had a snake in my room one time, but I had a hole in my wall (a small one) and I live in the country. So I'd say in the city you probably won't have any snakes. It would be helpful to have a rudimentary idea of which snakes are good and which are bad. Some, like king snakes and garden snakes, are harmless. The one that was in my room was a rat snake, harmless.

You get chiggers from walking through tall grass with bare legs. As long as you don't do that, you should be fine. I used to get them on occasion. But I was walking through tall grass with bare legs. If you plan to take a nature hike, wear plenty of bug spray and you may want to wear pants as well as supportive walking shoes. You will still get a tick on occasion, but you can usually prevent them just by being prepared.

I can't say you'll never get chiggers or encounter a snake, but I wouldn't say it's likely. You're also less likely to encounter them in the city, I would think. We do have rattlesnakes, copperheads, cotton mouths, and small scorpions and tarantulas. Usually, you won't find them in the city. If you go into the wilderness you may encounter them. But you are in their territory. So just try to respect the wildlife and it will usually respect you. And don't poke a rattlesnake with a stick. Bad idea.

[billiken]

None. Never even heard of chiggers. I don't think you've got much to worry about.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

They're no fun.

Snakes aren't the vicious killers some make them out to be. Some are aggressive. But most just want to be left alone. Anyway, I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you plan to go into the woods, just wear appropriate clothing, as well as bug spray, and try to pick up some basic knowledge of snakes. It will go a long way. Of course, I'm no snake expert.