Good place to live w/ decent commute to downtown (St. Louis: rental car, extended stay) - Missouri (MO) - City-Data Forum

priceline · 03-11-2011, 09:05 PM

I am going to be there for 7 weeks on a short term assignment in Downtown. I heard staying in downtown is not safe. Any options to live close by good neighborhoods?

My requirements are:
not expensive, safe, public transportation (preferred), hotel with kitchen or short term lease of an apartment.

me, wife with 1 yr old kid.

flynavyj · 03-12-2011, 07:06 AM

I wouldn't say that staying downtown is unsafe. Especially with cardinal season coming up, it'll be at it's busiest point of the year. The real issue with St. Louis is that it's often a commuter town, the majority of the population lives in the county, and as a result downtown can seem a little dead outside of business hours.

Will your company be paying for your stay? If so i would assume there's a budget you have to stick with. Unless you get out about 25 + miles from the city, it's not a bad commute to work downtown as long as you have a car. IF i was trying to stay at a hotel that had a kitchen and good accommodations, i might look into a residence inn. And we have those all over the metro, the downtown location isn't bad, but there wouldn't be much if anything in walking distance of it.

There's also a residence in by the galleria, in Brentwood. It's a nice area, and would afford you a 15 minute commute to work (general downtown area). Would also provide you with shopping within walking distance, quick access to the metrolink (light rail system), food, shopping, etc...So, if i was trying to balance one or the other, i'd probably look there!

moorlander · 03-12-2011, 07:55 AM

Downtown is what it is but I don't think you'll find any/many people on here telling you that neighborhood is too dangerous or unsafe. I don't personally live downtown, but nearly all of my friends do and they love it.

Are you a city person? Can you picture your family living the "walk to everything" lifestyle for a few months? If yes, then check online for a nice loft or apartment downtown or in the Central West End. You could probably find a great deal on a sublease if you look on Craigslist.

The Residents Inn StL Galleria is in a great area and near the Richmond Heights metrolink station. Everything you could need is within a 5min drive.

What's your budget.

stlcitygirl · 03-12-2011, 08:31 AM

Live Downtown! I would feel more safe there than my own neighborhood.

flynavyj · 03-12-2011, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stlcitygirl

Live Downtown! I would feel more safe there than my own neighborhood.

That's cause your neighborhood's in the hood!

totally joking, i just really wanted to say that.

stlcitygirl · 03-12-2011, 09:02 AM

^nice burn!
-The Richmond Heights/Brentwood location is a very good suggestion.

1greatcity · 03-12-2011, 09:51 PM

Why bother living far away from work and having to worry about a long commute every day? I live AND work in the city, so I don't have much of a commute...about four miles each way, and NO INTERSTATE travel! It's nice to be get home from work at a reasonable time, knowing that many of my co-workers are still sitting in traffic.

The city is loaded with great neighborhoods with both nice apartments and decent hotels. There's everything from the popular areas like the Central West End to hidden gems like Clifton Heights. All areas of the city have access to public transportation.
Downtown does in fact have a higher crime rate than some other areas of the city, BUT, those numbers are skewed by the fact that downtown has a daytime population of over 90,000. PLus, there are a substantial number of people downtown evenings, for everything from Sporting events to nightclubbing and casino gambling. That many visitors in one small area will naturally drive up the crime rate. That said... It doesn't seem like the 10,000 or so permanent downtown residents find it all that dangerous to live there (many of whom have high-rent lofts).

priceline · 03-13-2011, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flynavyj

There's also a residence in by the galleria, in Brentwood. It's a nice area, and would afford you a 15 minute commute to work (general downtown area). Would also provide you with shopping within walking distance, quick access to the metrolink (light rail system), food, shopping, etc...So, if i was trying to balance one or the other, i'd probably look there!

Thank you guys, I will take a look at this hotel. I don't think the hotel is paid by employer, so I have to pay by myself. We don't go out with kid in the nights, so probably it is okay. Yes, it makes sense to live close to work for short time like this. Any other suggestions like reasonably priced furnished apartments for sublease? I sent couple of emails to corporate apartments, yet to hear from them. How about extended stay hotels?

priceline · 03-13-2011, 06:55 PM

I just checked the address, my work location is not exactly in the downtown; 5651 Phantom Drive, St Louis, MO, 63042

flynavyj · 03-13-2011, 07:52 PM

Phantom Drive? That's named after the F4 (old Mcdonnel Douglas Bird). We were going to have you about as far away from that location as you can be, lol. I'll re-evaluate and see what i can come up with.

So, after taking another look i didn't notice any hotels i'd highly recommend around that location. There's an extended stay america, but that would be hell for 8 weeks. And given that I used to stay at them all the time when i was in the airlines, they typically smelled like curry, had dirty floors, and lacked amenities like a hair dryer or courtesy shampoo. There were also Candle wood Suites and a Homewood Suites both in Bridgeton/Earth City area. I had a friend stay at one of the two of those, in fact my airline used them to put pilots up in when they were in training. Which once again makes me think they must be incredibly incredibly cheap, that or they just got a wicked deal on them. I visited a friend who was staying there, and the room seemed nice, but it too would be cramped for 8 weeks. You might scour craigslist and look for furnished housing throughout Hazelwood, Bridgeton, Maryland Heights, and St. Charles. If you're planning on having a rental car during this time period you should be set, but if you're going without a vehicle you might have a hard time getting around because the only transportation will be bus service.

PS, in St. Charles there's a Country Inn & Suites. It has very close proximity to downtown/old town st. charles. It'd give you guys something to do, as there's tons of shopping, and eating up and down the strip. It's also pretty scenic with the riverfront, and the building is pretty new (last 10 years or so). If i was planning on staying "close" the airport/boeing that'd probably be high on my list as it'll give you guys much of what you're looking for. Safe, Food, "Close proximity to work", shopping, etc....