New Arrival/Curiosity (St. Louis, Clayton, Richmond Heights: top neighborhood, for rent, condos)

[graphotism]

Hello All!
I see you have a nice active section of the forum. Well done.

I relocated to St. Louis this week for a job. I would like to get some opinions on the most appropriate area for living in context to information I will provide. I am looking to rent, not buy. My previous research has pointed towards both the CWE and Clayton but I would like some feedback from others if possible

My work is out in Town & Country but I really don't mind a commute. I have a car which I highly enjoy driving so I really don't care about the commute.

Budget: 0-1700 monthly
Status: Professional/Single/No children
Pets: Dog
Car: Do have
Domicile Size Requirements: 1 Bedroom

Preferences; A close by place I can walk my dog, Citylife, Art Galleries, Jazz Venues, Martini Bars

Thanks in advance for your assistance. I am going to go find some other threads which I might also contribute to.

Regards!

[billiken]

I lived in both areas and enjoyed both. You won't have trouble budget-wise.

I figured I'd throw out some favorites related to your preferences:

Jazz: Jazz at the Bistro (midtown), BB's Jazz & Blues (downtown by Busch Stadium), Broadway Oyster Bar (downtown), Blues City Deli (primarily a sandwich shop in Benton Park, but they also have live acts come through)

Martini bars: Absolutli Goosed (Tower Grove), Subzero Vodka Bar (CWE). A few co-workers of mine not from the area have good things to say about Blue Sky Tower Grill (Richmond Heights), but I haven't been, and the location is kind of...odd. Fountain on Locust (Midtown) does ice cream martinis--we always used to stop here after a show at the Fox Theatre.

Sorry, I know nothing about art galleries :\

CWE is close to Forest Park, which is great, and I believe they also havea dog park in the neighborhood. Clayton has Shaw park.

[marigolds6]

Also realize that with either the CWE or Clayton, the other area is a metrolink ride away.

[graphotism]

Thanks billiken and marigold!

[meredithhr]

I am not really familiar with Clayton. CWE has the most martini themed bars (sub zero, Taste) although there certainly are good ones all over the city. Personally, I would go with renting one of the nice townhouse / condos in DeBaliviere- particularly by Pershing. It puts you closer to Forest Park, the architecture is still interesting, and you'll get slightly more space for your budget.

Art Gallery: Mad Art Gallery in Benton Park.

CWE and Clayton are both nice places to live.

If you are looking for additional neighborhoods to consider, Benton Park has a bit of a younger, slightly more hipster vibe. It's very likely you could also find a house for rent at your price point, which you may not be able to do in your other areas. Tower Grove South (especially streets like Utah, Hartford- the closer to the park, the better) would be another example where you'd have proximity to martini bar- Absolutli Goosed, a great park, and possibly a small yard for your dog).

Another thing you can check out is that the Botanical Garden has free concerts on Wedn nights in the summer.

Hope your move to STL goes really well!

[graphotism]

Thanks for the helpful feedback!

[AJohnston_STL]

I don't spend a lot of time in Clayton at all, but the common complaint I hear is that it mostly closes down at 5pm. The Central West End is bustling. I think it's a single person's dream. I have spent quite a few nights there watching movies at the Chase, going to get sushi at the Drunken Fish, etc. Plenty to do there.

[graphotism]

Thanks for the input! I started coming to that conclusion myself over the last few days, but feedback from people who are more familiar is helpful. It seems very nice there but I am indeed looking for something a little bit more lively. I've just about got the whole thing sorted so I can stop neighborhood shopping and start seeing more of what the city (proper) is all about for the short time I will be staying.

[AJohnston_STL]

Originally Posted by graphotism

Thanks for the input! I started coming to that conclusion myself over the last few days, but feedback from people who are more familiar is helpful. It seems very nice there but I am indeed looking for something a little bit more lively. I've just about got the whole thing sorted so I can stop neighborhood shopping and start seeing more of what the city (proper) is all about for the short time I will be staying.

Actually made it down there for the first time in a while the other night (Saturday). Went to "The Cup", a cupcake place, around 9pm with my 2 kids and wife. Obviously we were the only people with kids there since its the CWE on a Saturday night, but it was a busy place. Probably 15-20 people enjoyed cupcakes and coffee in the 30 minutes or so that we were there. Check it out, good stuff!

[sbapasto]

I agree with everyone. If you are looking for an active social scene, the CWE is probably the best and your budget will be no issue. You are also a short drive from the fun activities downtown like lacledes station where all the bars are and for a little bit of a more upscale atmosphere, there are some wine bars and cigar bars that you might like. Meeting people is not difficult in St Louis if you want to meet others.

In the day, Forest Park is great to hang out ans the Art Museum is wonderful too if youre into that kind of thing. ANd you cant miss the St Louis Zoo. I think its the best in the country.