I love St. Louis because... (Maplewood, Oakland: apartment, renting, houses)

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Originally Posted by Wherewillitland

so basically ppl like st louis just for its OBSESSION with lame american sports, and because they live there so its technically "home" HAH

Tornadoes, lame landscape, high crime. LAME

So then why are you here?

Tornadoes don't happen that often. And though St. Louis city's landscape isn't exactly mountainous, it's not a far drive to get into the Ozarks, which are beautiful. And the crime rate really depends on where you live. Parts of the city and the vast majority of the metro is just fine.

[aragx6]

Don't feed the troll folks

[Azalea City Man]

... Great radio stations (60's, 70's, 80's blue-collar soul/rock).

... Seeing the Cardinal Red Sea on the metrolink on game days - and I don't even like baseball (I'm a football/basketball guy). But it's an awesome sight. Good fans.

... The Arch

... Neat neighborhoods/areas of town


I can do without the grittiness or the weather.

[jskirwin]

... City Museum, Imo's Pizza, Ted Drewes, the baseball Cardinals.
... Summer storms that sweep through the area and leave the air smelling clean.
... Highways where aggressive drivers are the exception not the rule (unlike the I-95 corridor).
... The smell of honeysuckle in the summer air while driving through West County at night.
... Molly Brown's Fireworks in Pacific (technically not STL but close enough!)
... UMSL - one of the most underrated colleges in the country.
... Toasted ravioli.

[JaySTLouis]

I love St. Louis because it forces you into it.
As in, it entices you to come in and check it out.
I'm a Cardinals fan and appreciate the tradition but it's
so much more to STL than a friggin' baseball team. I love the
raw history and culture that seems to be forgotten by it's own
residents. I love the 4 seasons and the many places to enjoy them.
I love the way you can move from one neighborhood to the next and feel like
you're in two completely different cities. I love the sights, the sounds, the smells,
the scrappy, grittiness of the city. Are there bigger and more hip, trendy cities in America,
of course but none are like STL. You may not like it but there is no other city on Earth like it.
I love it.

[northbayeric]

I never get sick of going back to St. Louis to visit relatives and see all the great stuff I grew up with, and we're hoping to be able to spend a couple of days there in early June 2009.

All the great stuff you can do there, and for free admission--the Zoo, Grant's Farm, the Art Museum, the museum under the Gateway Arch, the Old Courthouse....For not that much money there's the MO Botanical Gardens and many other things. It's also a nice drive on 44 from Fenton through Eureka, past Six Flags, and out to Gray Summit where you can visit the Shaw Nature Reserve and Purina Farms. Hopefully one of these days I can spend some time hiking in Castlewood State Park by the Meramec River--something I've not yet had the chance to do.

And I don't want to forget the Old and New Cathedrals. The cathedral in downtown Sacramento is very nice, but hardly any church anywhere in the country comes even close to the New Cathedral in terms of architecture and artwork. You can spend hours looking at the ornate detail of the mosaics--a larger collection of mosaics than in any other church worldwide--as well as the four separate chapels within the Cathedral. The Kilgen Organ's sound is breathtaking. Whether you're attending a concert or a Sunday Mass, or just want to check the place out, I think the New Cathedral is a total St. Louis treasure; and the Old Cathedral near the riverfront as well in its comparative simplicity.

[aragx6]

I totally agree about the cathedral. I've known people who didn't want to go because they weren't Catholic, but I'm telling you the place is extraordinary, no matter your religion.

[MoNative34]

Provel Cheese! (Imo's) Great on their salads too!!
White Castle
Vintage Vinyl!
Riverboat rides.

The big animated Budwieser neon sign that you could see driving westbound on highway 40 (I'm too old to call it I-64) between downtown and midtown where the highway is in the over/under deal. Is it still there? If In-Bev takes it down, I'm gonna be furious

The retro bridges (Eads, MLK, McKinley, Old Chain of Rocks)

[desperad0stl]

I love St. Louis because only 350,000 live in the actual city
and the millions live in the county and the county dwellers are afraid to go to the city.
I love it because everyone stays in their own box of a neighborhood never daring to cross those boundaries
The constant state of fear is interesting to me

[Central Illinois 1]

Great sports town for baseball and hockey (though, no offense, but the Rams are a little lame and their fans are a little fair weather)
Great neighborhoods and restaurants
Perfect size
Weather is much better than it is in cities further north (think Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, etc.)
Ozarks are nearby
People are generally very friendly (though crime is high in certain neighborhoods and some folks are a little "snooty" about where you live or what high school you went to)
Traffic is usually not that bad
KSHE 95 lives on

Overall STL is a great city and is definitely headed in a positive direction regarding urban renewal/economic development.