Midwest - St Louis question...

DD and boyfriend are going to a concert in St Charles, but want to spend the day/night in St Louis. Is Kirkwood or Clayton the place to stay if they want shops, eateries, nightlife?? I went to a Cardinals game once, and if I remember correctly we stayed at the Westin (nice) but not much going on at night.

Any advice/info/suggestions would be great!!

J.

Unfortunately with St. Louis, you can pretty much only choose one or two of the criteria (shopping/eating/clubbing) when selecting an area to stay at. You never said what kind of shopping, dining and nightlife they were looking for.

Central West End - probably the best candidate for the trifecta; eclectic shopping, good restaurants, and pubs and wine bars galore.

Clayton - decent selection of (mostly) upper-tier restaurants, nightlife is restricted to your typical, yuppie bar scene, and shopping (unless they like expensive boutiques) is two miles down the road at the Galleria Mall.

Westport - collection of restaurants and typical, middle-class bar scene.

They are both 20, so outdoor dining, cafe's, coffee shops.... no bars that are exclusivley bars.

Little stores/shops. Nice walkable area.

Anyone familiar with the Back Bay area of Boston. Newbury Street, thats what they are looking for.

for the concert, then a stay there may be a good thing. There are a plethora of small shops along Main Street in old town St. Charles with nice restaurants that feature outside dining. It is about two miles in length and runs along the Missouri River with a nice park - a great walking area! There are many options for lodging, including the Ameristar Casino, the St Charles Convention Center, as well as the other lower budget hotels. Overall, it would be the easiest on the budget. I would opt here first.

Will they have their own car? If so, the Central West End would be an option even though it is a 25 minute drive form St. Charles. There is a new Hotel Indigo and the cafe scene is very good. Not too many other hotel options in the area. The Majestic (Greek), Coco Loco Brasil ($$), Little Saigon, Llywellyn's Pub, and Planet Sub are some of our favorites. Small shops are not as many but they do exist. Know that the CWE is safe but is no different than any other city scene at night. It can be "dicey" at night so travelers need to be cautious and smart.

Clayton is a great place but mainly a daytime vibe due to the corporate and government offices. The restaurants at night are great but most are $$$. The Galleria shopping mall is nearby with all one would expect from an upscale mall (ho-hum).

You have my two pennies...

If you stay at the Lumiere or the Four Seasons (which has very attractive rates), you will be near Laceledes landing and lots of bars. the casino area is very nice as well. Enjoy, St Louis is a wonderful city

Thanks so much so far for the info! I really appreciate it.

J.

Neither Kirkwood nor Clayton are places for a 20-year old to stay.

Another place to consider is the Loop in U City. It's near the universities so caters to the 20ish crowd with a variety of walkable cafés, etc. There is only one hotel there; The Moonrise. It's a funky joint.