My Love/Hate Relationship with St. Louis, Missouri
I was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Right before my oldest brother hit school age, the government used Eminent Domain to take our home and my mother carted us off the suburbs. I grew up in the suburbs, never quite fitting in. I went through my punk stage, dying my hair red, wearing far too many bracelets, and even a dog collar. With my brown skin and “rebellious” fashion choices, I was not a welcome sight to the suburban parents. I moved back to the city as soon as I could. After college, I moved far away from St. Louis as soon as I could, all the way to Argentina. Now, after nearly two years abroad, I’m back in St. Louis. Is it because I love it?
Let’s be real. I do not love St. Louis.
In all reality, the main reason I came back to St. Louis is because my mother’s heart may have exploded into a thousand pieces if I, after not seeing her for a year and a half, decided to fly back to the US and pass her right on by on the way to another city. Before I launch into my explanation of why I am not in love with my hometown, I want to make something clear:
St. Louis is an amazing place to visit, but a mediocre place to live
That being said, these are the issues of a resident. Potential visitors: pay attention to the loves, because they greatly benefit tourists!
LOVE: Ridiculously cheap housing (and basically everything else)
After years in Buenos Aires, paying absurd amounts of money for my apartment, lunches out, and just completely abstaining for buying clothes for over a year, St. Louis was like a magical land of budget prices. You can rent a 1,000 square foot apartment for $500 a month. An expensive, fancy dinner might be around $35 bucks a person. You can shop at outlets and get awesome, fairly good quality clothes for $10 a top. St. Louis is a “big” city with nearly 3 million people, but somehow the prices just keep staying low, and I love it.
Cheap clothes!
HATE: Worst city layout ever
In St. Louis, you have to take 2-3 different highways everywhere you go. Our public transportation is the saddest thing I’ve ever seen. It’s just a few infrequent bus lines and 1 train called the MetroLink that basically is just a glorified shuttle to the airport and downtown area. St. Louis city planners seem opposed to residential and commercial areas mixing, meaning you can’t walk anywhere. In Buenos Aires, I loved that there was a fruit stand right next to my apartment building, and a bakery down the street. In St. Louis, you have to get in your care for everything.
LOVE: Free things!
Not only do we have tons of awesomely cheap things, we have a whole bunch of things that are totally free! Outdoor theater performances in Forest Park, the largest urban park in the US? Free. One of the nicest zoos in the nation? Free. Art museums, History museums, and visits to major tourist attractions like Busch Stadium? You guessed it – free! I may not take advantage of this stuff on a regular basis as a resident, but this is a serious plus for anyone who is visiting.
Forest Park
HATE: Midwestern racism
I’m an ethnic mutt, Japanese and Native American mostly (yes, you read that correctly) so I have brownish skin. I blend well in many destinations, which is usually a plus, but in St. Louis, it basically means I get a lot of inaccurate racial slurs. St. Louis has a lot of different cultures living within the city – but everyone seems to have their own area. The Bosnians live in the Bevo Mill Area. The Mexicans live around South Grand. The Asians live further down Grand. The white people hide in the suburbs or richer areas. It’s ridiculous. Many St. Louisians are what I call “quiet racists,” meaning they usually don’t even know they are racists. The kind of people who whisper the word “black” and always claim to have one friend of a certain race to prove they are accepting. That being said, quiet racists are generally pleasant people, they just tend to ask people like me awkward questions like “what are you, exactly?” or “When did your family move to this country?”
HATE: No jobs for the educated
This is a really big issue in St. Louis. We have three great universities, and several smaller colleges. The result is large quantities of bartenders and waitresses with bachelors or even masters degrees. It’s just depressing. All of my best friends from college moved away so they could get real-world jobs. St. Louis is just not big enough for all the qualified people living here. If you’re not a kid or having kids, St. Louis can really crush your spirit.
But you know what? You should totally visit
Ted Drewes Frozen Custard – a St. Louis original!
I don’t love living in St. Louis, but I will always love visiting it. It’s cheap enough to splurge on basically whatever you want, especially if you fill your trip with a bunch of the free stuff going on throughout the city. Plus, we have a lot of original food. Sure, it’s all unhealthy, but this is the Midwest, what did you expect? Visit St. Louis. Go for a stroll in one of our many beautiful parks. Eat some of our local food creations. Stretch your money without feeling like you are scrimping. As long as you rent a car or have someone to drive you around, you’ll have a great time for a low price. You can love St. Louis for the duration of your trip, just don’t spoil that love by moving here.
