aramatp

My husband and I will be traveling to St. Louis next month. I'd like some advice on where to stay and great places to eat! I am pregnant and will be 6 months then...although I'm very active and athletic and don't mind walking to places. So...looks like the pubs/bars are out this time! I'd like to be downtown or close to it...but I'd like to keep the hotel price down around 110 or so, if possible. We like to sightsee, walk, go to restaurants, etc. I might like a hotel that has a kitchenette in it so I can have food first thing in the morning when I wake up. Also, got a recommendation for a great mall, I love to shop??!!

annesherrod

First question....Will you have a car???
I don't know what hotels to suggest near down town. There is a Westin right next to Busch Stadium. I think you can get good deals. I believe it brand new. Clayton which is mid town has wonderful restuaurants, tons of them. what do you like? There is also art galleries and cute shops too.
The St. Louis galleria is right down the road - 5 min. It is right off hwy 40. You will take this hwy for most ofyour destinations.
The more upper end mall is called Plaza Frontenac -Neimans, Saks and a lot of other unique to St. Louis stores.
If you like italian food, there is an area called the Hill. Tons of authentic, good restaurants.
I can give you specific reccomendations if you like..
Do stop by Forest Park. It is a jewel. The zoo, art museum, hisory museum, Boat house where you rent little boats and cruise through the canals... are all a must do.
If you like to peolpe watch, there is a fun area called the Loop, near Clayton. It is very funky, trendy, and retro all at the same time. very unusual shops, the Washington U. students hang out here. Also very good restaurants..
Let me knwo if you want specific names of restaurants. I'd be happy to do it.

salgal

If you stay downtown, you will need a car. To be honest, there isn't that much downtown. The best sights are better seen by driving to with a car.
Forest Park has a great zoo, walking around the Clayton area is nice and there are plenty of restaurants in that area. Recomend going to the "hill" for some great Italian food- Zia's, Cunetto's are always good. Get some frozen custard at Ted Drewe's Chippewa location in south St. Louis.
Clayton area is more central to activities. THere is a Sheraton there, not sure how much rooms run.

Clifton

I'm sad to say that as much I do think is positive about St. Louis, I agree that there isn't so much downtown in the evening. Very commercial and while the arch and Union Station are convenient, downtown can feel pretty abandoned at night. The Westin, however, is a great boutique-ish sort of hotel and would recommend it highly as well.

Also would agree wholeheartedly with Anne that the U-City loop is a great area, as is the Central West End (near Euclid and Forest Park Ave). Best of cuisines in St. Louis, I feel is Italian and the best Italian is in the area of "The Hill". Look for Kingshighway and Southwest as a rough proximity for this area. Tons of family run places are here.

enjoylife

Hello!

I would recommend bidding on Priceline. I got the Grand Hyatt Union Station for about $48 a night. It is a very nice hotel which is conveniently connected to a small mall that has shops and restaurants. Check www.biddingfortravel.com before bidding on Priceline.

As far as things to do, I recommend the following:

1. Buy the combined ticket to ride to the top of the arch and see the movie of how it was built.

2. Go to Forest Park and check out the zoo, art museum, history museum, science museum, and jewel box (green house.)

3. Head to Ted Drewes for some frozen custard ("cement"). I recommend the new flavor which combines almonds and caramel with the frozen custard.

4. There is a sculpture garden where you could sit and have a picnic or walk around, depending on how you feel in your sixth month.

Have a wonderful time!

aramatp

Thanks All! Yes, we are going to get a car at the airport. We live in Southern MD and are flying to STL from Baltimore. It's looking like maybe we should stay away from downtown area from what everyone is saying. We don't mind driving down there and parking during the day...as long as we get a decent hotel somewhere in a good area. We love all kinds of food, I like semi-fancy restaurants too...yeah, know $20+ a plate or so. But we like pizza and frozen custard somes awesome! I read about the restaurants on the hill...so far I have Trattoria Marcella and/or Canettos on my list...any other recommendations would be welcome!
Funny...I registered on biddingfortravel.com last night, but haven't had a chance to figure out how it works yet. Wasn't sure if it was a good idea to just pick an area and then not know what hotel we'd get until after. If you can give me more pointers on this service, I'd love to know more.

EricaS

I agree that downtown is very dead at night, and sometimes even weekends. It's not bad to stay there, just kind of boring, unless the Cards are in town.

I recommend the Chase Hotel in the Central West End. It's in a fun area, lots of great places to eat (Culpepper's for cheap, good wings and sandwiches; Balaban's for trendy, good food; Karl Bissingers, the best chocolate I've ever had; and many more) and the Chase has a movie theater and a couple good restaurants in it. The CWE also has amazing architecture and it's on the doorstep of Forest Park.

The CWE is just down the street from the Hill. Take Kingshighway south to a right on Shaw. Cunetto's and Trattoria Marcella could not be more different. Marcella's (on the edge of the Hill on Watson Road) is delicious, beautiful, hip, and fun. I love it. Cunetto's requires a very long wait (no reservations taken) for mediocre, over-priced food. Honestly, it was very lame. You couldn't pay me to go back there. But, people in StL rave about. So maybe you'll like it. I've never met a true "foodie" who liked Cunetto's though. Another good option on the Hill is Lorenzo's Trattoria. It's a bit more modern Italian food than the others. Oh, and Modesto is another great place on the Hill. It's Spanish tapas, but very fun and delicious.

As for malls, the Galleria is the biggest, Plaza Frontenac is the toniest, Union Station has the most touristy souvenirs. There are outlet malls way out in the county somewhere, but I don't know where.

Shea

We are going to St Louis Sep 28 - Oct 3 & have reservations downtown at the Hampton Inn located at Laclede's Landing. We thought that would be a good location since we wanted to visit The Arch, Old Courthouse, Basilica of St Louis, and a game at Busch Stadium. It looks like a MetroLink train runs frequently right from Laclede's Landing to the St Louis Union Station, Forest Park, & the Delmar Loop Station. Did we make a wrong decision?

moondoggie

Avoid the downtown area at night. Do the Zoo--it is one of the very best in the country and it's free! To cool off, go visit the penguins and puffins. Just take it slow if walking makes you crazy. Ride the Zooline Railroad.
And when you go to Ted Drewes (and baby, you should!), you'll be ordering a 'concrete', not cement!

EricaS

I think you made a good decision. You'll be near a lot of great attractions at the Hampton Inn. The MetroLink is great for getting to Union Station and Forest Park - but the Park is huge and getting around, once you've gotten off the train, is a task. If you can drive there, it's better. There are places on the street in the Park to park your car, the Art Museum and History Museum have free lots, and the Zoo has a couple huge lots for a fee. (You can park at the Art Museum, and walk down the hill to the zoo.)

The Link to Delmar is easy and convenient, but be careful at night. It's not the safest area. Just follow the normal rules: walk with a purpose, act like you know where you're going, stay in populated areas/streets, hold on to your purse.

That said, I've been to the Loop and Laclede's Landing (near your hotel) literally hundreds of times and never had one incident.

By the way, I'm glad you're going to the Basilica (most people here call it the New Cathedral). I'm not a huge fan of Byzantine architecture but it is mighty impressive. Too many people miss it.

Go to the City Museum!!

tmh

ST Charles is a nice little town a bit west of the city. In addition to the quaintness of the place, it has a historical significance. This is where Lewis & Clark met up before they took off searching for the NW passage.

In May, they had a re-enactment in St Charles as this is the 200th anniversary. I don't know of any additional activites but imagine there are monuments and such marking the places.