Where I live now - Tower Grove:
If you want to sample exotic tastes of the world, visit the South Grand area of St. Louis. Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese restaurants join wine and vodka bars, ethnic groceries, boutiques, vintage clothing stores and Asian import centers along Grand Avenue south of I-44. Annual neighborhood events include a Chinese New Year celebration in February, an April house tour, the Festival of Nations in June and a holiday walk in November. Tower Grove Park, an elegant 19th-century Victorian walking park, features whimsical pavilions, statuary, fountains and mock classical “ruins.” The sensational Missouri Botanical Garden welcomes visitors and researchers to one of the top three botanical gardens in the world, renowned for its research, education, landscaping and, of course, flowers. New attractions include the whimsical Children’s Garden, a garden dedicated to George Washington Carver and Ottoman Garden.
Where I lived when I first moved here - the Central West End:
Perched on the eastern edge of Forest Park, St. Louis’ chic Central West End beams with charming sidewalk cafés, exciting galleries, fascinating antique shops, trendy boutiques and cozy pubs. It’s a little European, a little New York and totally St. Louis. The CWE provides the perfect place to relax and people-watch after exploring the park’s popular visitor attractions. Adjacent to the commercial district, tree-lined streets with stately turn-of-the-century homes distinguish the area. The breathtaking Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, housing the world’s largest collection of mosaic art, anchors this exciting neighborhood. Annual events include a popular house tour in the spring, the Central West End Art Fair & Taste Festival in June, a Greek Festival on Labor Day weekend and Halloween festivities in October.
Other nice neighborhoods:
Clayton
Clayton is home to St. Louis County government and a collection of boutiques, galleries and restaurants known throughout the region. At every corner in the bustling district, you’ll find exquisite shopping, fine restaurants, elegant hotels and renowned art galleries. The Saint Louis Art Fair, rated tops in the nation, attracts more than 150,000 people to Clayton’s streets each September. Other special events include the Taste of Clayton food festival and the U.S. Bank St. Louis Jazz Festival in June, Gallery Nights receptions in the area’s art galleries six times a year, a seasonal farmers market, plus Musical Nights in Oak Knoll Park during the summer and The Big Read literary festival in the fall.
The Hill
Celebrity chef Mario Batali calls The Hill one of the top “Little Italy” neighborhoods in the country and praises the area’s exquisite northern Italian cuisine. Saveur magazine describes The Hill, a must-stop on a culinary tour through St. Louis, as “America’s other Little Italy.” Called “the most pleasantly fragrant neighborhood in St. Louis” by Midwest Living magazine, The Hill’s great Italian restaurants, bakeries and import stores make it one of the region’s great ethnic neighborhoods. Settled in the early 1900s by Italian immigrants, The Hill and its residents carry on their traditions in this lively neighborhood just minutes from downtown. Even the neighborhood’s fireplugs are painted green, white and red in tribute to Italy’s tricolors. Baseball personalities Yogi Berra, Joe Garagiola and Jack Buck lived on The Hill’s Elizabeth Avenue, which now bears the name “Hall of Fame Place” in their honor. While you’re visiting the neighborhood’s restaurants and specialty stores, learn how to play a game of bocce – Italian lawn bowling. A professional bike race in September and Columbus Day festivities in October highlight the neighborhood’s annual events.
Webster Groves & Kirkwood
Known as “The Queen of the Suburbs,” the Webster Groves community features mammoth century-old homes, interesting shops and specialty restaurants just 15 minutes from downtown. Visit the 1857 Hawken House, built by inventors of the rifle that mountain men and explorers took to the western frontier. More than 300 of the community’s homes are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The world headquarters of Webster University and the Loretto-Hilton Theatre – where productions by the acclaimed Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and the internationally known Opera Theatre of Saint Louis are staged each year – also call Webster Groves home. Kirkwood, a neighborhood with authentic small town flavor, was the first planned suburb west of the Mississippi. Today the area offers visitors a variety of experiences – from The Magic House, St. Louis Children’s Museum to the quiet solitude of nature on hiking trails in the Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center. At beautiful Laumeier Sculpture Park visitors stroll through more than 100 acres of art in an outdoor setting. Mudd’s Grove, a charming three-story house, now home to the Kirkwood Historical Society, gives visitors a glimpse of the past.
Lafayette Square
The Lafayette Square neighborhood is among St. Louis’ most picturesque areas and one of its hottest redevelopment sites, with new condos and townhomes sprinkled among the historic homes. Named after the Revolutionary War hero who visited St. Louis in 1825, the square surrounds beautiful Lafayette Park, an oasis of greenery within the urban landscape. The park, which dates from 1836, is the first public park west of the Mississippi River. The stately 1870s and 1880s “painted ladies” that frame the square have been called the finest and largest collection of Victorian-era architecture in the country. The area also has won the title of one of the “Prettiest Painted Places” in America. Drive around the 30-acre park to sample the neighborhood’s architecture and check out the area’s elegant bed & breakfast inns where visitors enjoy Victorian luxury just a mile from the Gateway Arch. Acclaimed new restaurants and Park Avenue Plaza anchor the neighborhood. The annual House & Garden Tour and a Victorian Art Festival are held in June and parlor tours take place during the holiday season.
University City/Delmar Loop
Looking for a different side of St. Louis? Visit The Loop restaurant, shopping, arts and entertainment district northwest of Forest Park. Named for an old streetcar turnaround, the burgeoning neighborhood straddles the St. Louis City/County line and features 140 one-of-a-kind shops and 45 ethnic and American restaurants. Activities include watching a movie at the Tivoli (a grandly restored theater specializing in international and limited-release films), shopping for everything from vintage clothes and jewelry to hip shoes and home goods, bowling a few games in the retro Pin-Up Bowl (where rapper Nelly rolls with the best of them) or enjoying a concert at The Pageant, a state-of-the-art performance venue. St. Louis also honors her most famous citizens with brass stars and biographies on The Loop’s St. Louis Walk of Fame. Recognize luminaries such as Miles Davis, Josephine Baker, Kevin Klein, Redd Foxx or dozens of other St. Louis-connected stars as you stroll along Delmar Boulevard. Blueberry Hill, where Chuck Berry and other St. Louis stars perform regularly in the intimate Duck Room, offers a tasty maze of pop culture memorabilia and friendly locals. Browse the international craft and art galleries along the sidewalks or just take in the street life from one of many outdoor cafés. Annual events include The Loop Ice Carnival in January, Love in The Loop each February, the Walk of Fame induction ceremony in May, The Loop in Motion music festival in October and a holiday walk in December.
Maplewood
This charming neighborhood not far from Forest Park and The Hill has emerged as one of the area’s newest boutique and antique shopping destinations. Maplewood’s creative shops are sandwiched among a variety of restaurants and coffee houses perfect for relaxing after a day at the attractions or an afternoon in the stores. The neighborhood also offers the vintage Saratoga Lanes – the oldest bowling alley west of the Mississippi River, and tours of the Schlafly Bottleworks that explain the history of beer brewing in St. Louis.
Soulard
Just five minutes south of the Arch, experience the world-famous St. Louis Blues in Soulard – the neighborhood known across the country for offering America’s greatest roots music. The lively neighborhood, named for Antoine Soulard – a Frenchman who surveyed colonial St. Louis for the King of Spain – is noted for its collection of 19th-century red-brick homes. Today, structures built by early brewery workers have been turned into music clubs, shops and restaurants, many of which offer outdoor dining in elaborate courtyards. The historic churches of Soulard, built by St. Louis’ immigrant communities, also welcome visitors throughout the year. The Soulard neighborhood marks its French heritage with a Bastille Day celebration each July and a huge annual Mardi Gras fête. Revelers also flock to the neighborhood in the fall for Octoberfest. Soulard Farmers Market, operating continuously since 1779, is the neighborhood’s centerpiece, open Wednesdays through Saturdays.