Will be moving here in June...anyone live here currently? Was looking for any tips/advice on how people like it there/what to expect. Thanks.

Residency? Which hospital?

Yep...Barnes-Jewish

Did you go to SLU?

[This message has been edited by 41greyst (edited 3/20/2011 12:47a).]

Affirmative. I completed undergrad and medical school at St. Louis University.

Feel free to fire away with any questions about living and working in St. Louis. This first one is a freebie.

Rule #1 about living in St. Louis: Never venture north of Delmar after sunset.

Thanks!

Anything I should know about living in Central West End? If you are familiar with the area, do you have any suggestions on places to live?

How bad is traffic over there? Is the Metrolink useful or do most people drive everywhere?

A lot of residents lived in the CWE as it's generally safe, bohemian, and contains singles and nightlife. The downsides are those of any popular urban neighborhood: it's pretty expensive (for St. Louis standards), there are no supermarkets (except Straub's, and that's not really a supermarket) or easy access to household essentials, and parking is a total cluster.

It is possible to live close enough to the hospital in the CWE to walk or bike to work. I never lived in the CWE, so I can't suggest places.

Other popular (and cheaper) neighborhoods where I and my friends lived were Tower Grove (working class south city neighborhood that is slowly becoming gay and hipster), University City/Skinker DeBalverie (south of Delmar of course; it is close to the Wash U undergrad campus with easy access to the hospital and it was even possible for residents to buy homes there if they found a good deal), Shrewsbury/Webster Groves (I lived out here because it was cheaper and more suburban with a very easy commute into the city on I-44), and the downtown Washington Street corridor (quickly gentrifying loft district with tons of nightlife and a quick reverse commute to the hospital).

You are super lucky to be moving to St. Louis at the tail end of the I-64 retrofitting. The project was completely necessary, but it wrecked St. Louis traffic.

Most residents in St. Louis drove cars because it's simply easier to do so. I don't know what residency you're starting, but who wants to deal with public transportation after a night of call? Then you have to consider that home-call may require you to come into the hospital in the middle of the night and that some rotations may be at outlying hospitals or clinics and it is just easier to have a car.

I did know residents that used metrolink, biked, or walked to the hospital on predictable rotations while saving the car for less predictable rotations, but they were primarily P-ROAD residents with more predictable schedules and even they complained because they were still paying for parking in case they need to drive in on a call day.

Metrolink is fine for getting to the airport and getting downtown for a baseball game, but it's not extensive or reliable enough to supplant a car. It's the equivalent of Houston's lightrail. But as I said, I did know residents who lived within walking distance of a station who used it as the primary means of getting to work. The CWE station (as I'm sure you know) is ridiculously close to Barnes.

BillikenAg...thanks...this is really good information and I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to respond! Just curious what specialty are you in and what's your affiliation with A&M?

I figured as much about the Metrolink. Seems like a nice option for certain destinations and that's about it. I took it from the airport to CWE stop and it was great for that for sure.

I'll be looking into the locations you mentioned. I'm guessing that I'll be leaning towards CWE area since it's so convenient for getting to the hospital. I'm going into internal medicine, so I figured it'd be nice to be close to the hospital. I never realized how spoiled I am in Temple, TX with regards to cheap rent and accessibility to groceries, etc!

Overall, did you like living in St. Louis? Also, how bad does the winter weather get over there?

Thanks again for the info...look forward to keeping in contact!

I'm a pathologist. I married a 3rd generation Aggie who is now a heme/onc fellow.

The CWE is a nice neighborhood, and nothing is more important in residency than proximity to the hospital. Proximity to the hospital was my family's number one criteria in searching for our home during residency, and the fact that my wife could be in bed 10 minutes after signing out her patients post call was a major boon. But I'm not familiar with your situation--a family, monetary constraints, or the desire to buy a home don't mesh with the CWE.

It's been a while (so things may have changed), but Barnes and SLU medicine residents used to rotate at the VA as their only outside hospital. The VA is an abysmal hospital located on the edge of a bad part of town (it's north of Delmar), and I would recommend that you have a car if only to drive to and from that hellhole (they have a protected lot with 24 hour security).

I loved St. Louis and would move back there in a second. It's a unique city with a small town feel, fascinating history, unique neighborhoods, and an ease of living that just makes everyday life more enjoyable. I loved drinking beer and playing Bocce at Milo's, picking up a dozen donuts at World Fair for Saturday morning rounds, the smell of the AB brewery on the drive into work as they were cooking up that day's mash, blowing off steam at Fast Eddie's, and summer nights at the Muny or at Busch Stadium. The people are generally blue-collar and friendly, you can get anywhere in the metro area inside of a half hour, traffic is non-existent (except for I-64), and the cost of living is low. Prepare yourself for the inability to procure decent mexican or barbecue, but don't worry, there's plenty of great food otherwise, and Ted Drewe's on the hood of your car is pretty close to heaven.

Winter is not too bad. The average winter will see 4-5 major snows (>6" ). Rarely does snow stick for more than a week; it fouls commutes but doesn't shut the city down. Winter temps rarely get into the teens, and single digit/negative temps were vanishingly rare.

[This message has been edited by billikenag (edited 3/20/2011 11:32p).]

Rule #2 about living in St. Louis: Never venture to East St Louis.




I spent a yr in Collinsville, NE Metro area. I enjoyed the Collinsville, Edwardsville area. The running/biking trails are awesome!

I'm from St. Louis (lived there twice) and it's a heck of a nice place to visit.

Well...got a place in the CWE...will be moving in June. Thanks for everyone's help!

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I live in Columbia, but I'm in STL for the weekend. Went out in CWE last night, cool place to go for dinner and drinks. Wouldn't mind living here one day!