No matter what you've heard, bc I KNOW majority of you have never visited on your own terms, East…read moreSt. Louis is a gem. Granted, there's parts of it that's a shell of itself, but what urban area isn't. My BF's family is from EStL and surrounding areas, so I visit frequently. Contrary to what people think, it's actually not much going on on that side. The South End, Alorton and Bond Ave. are relatively quiet. I've read articles and been apart of conversation about renovations and gentrification concerning the metro east. I really hope it happens, bc a lot of estl residents have to go 30 minutes out their way for quality produce and pharmacies. They deserve opportunity and convenience just like the citizens of the metropolitan area of stl. There's so much character across the bridge. Many historic buildings, mansions and homes just need some preservation and tlc. Downtown East St. Louis, especially, could once again be the prize of town. I just hope the lot of you, like I have, can block out the negativity and look beyond the perception.

My friend and I decided to be "adventurous" and drive to Illinois, which is merely over the…read moreMississippi. Sweet Jesus, what a GEM. I'm giving this place 4 stars because we earned street cred from the locals when we casually mentioned that we spent some time in ESTL. -1 star because I spent most of the time praying that the car wouldn't break down and we wouldn't get shot/raped/killed.

One of the coolest historic river front Mainstreets closely tied to the expansion of the USA west…read more St. Charles is where Lewis and Clark last camped before their epic discovery of the Louisiana Purchase. Well preserved buildings and lively entertainment and tourism district.

Great place to find archived information about our beloved county! St. Charles was the first state…read morecapital of Missouri and the starting place of the Lewis & Clark expedition!

Wow, my first time in this cute little town. I was hoping to hear the carolers but when we were…read morethere, we must have missed them. They also was some type of cookie event that you buy tickets in advance to join. It seems pretty neat but we did not know about that and the tickets were already sold out. The farm animals were great and you can pet them if you want. Seeing Santa and taking pictures with Santa is good. Neat little town to make a stop before Christmas.

What an adorable little town! We came in for probably the same reason 50% of people visit, the…read moreStrawberry festival, and had such a good time. The downtown has such an adorable set up and feels very welcoming. We'll have to come back and visit all the boutiques on a normal day!

An underground station on the Blue Line of the Saint Louis Metrolink, Skinker is located at the…read morenorthwest corner of Forest Park. If you're coming from the Shrewsbury end of the Blue Line, this is a convenient stop for accessing Delmar Loop without going to Forest Park station and waiting for a Red Line train. It's just a few blocks. Skinker takes its name from Skinker Boulevard which in turn is named for Adam L. Skinker, a prominent early 20th-century Saint Louis civic figure and real‑estate developer. He was involved in subdivision development and land assembly on the western edge of the city at a time when Saint Louis was expanding toward Forest Park and the county line. The station is located between Forest Park-DeBaliviere (inbound) and University City-Big Bend (outbound). The trains run down the center of the station, which means the doors will open on the right side of the train. There is a mezzanine level with a bridge inside the station for transferring from one side to the other. The station is located in the Skinker Tunnel which itself is well below the ground with both stairs and elevator to reach the surface level. Beyond the station in both directions, the train returns to teh surface. The station seemed decently lit this afternoon. There are ticket vending kiosks and while no one was checking tickets today, I'm sure that they do that occasionally. Don't get caught! [Review 418 of 2026 - 502 in Missouri - 25601 overall]

It is just an ordinary narrow box with dull advertising posters/boxes on grimy tiled walls. But the…read moreartwork at the west entrance does add some aesthetic value to this infrastructure. The tunnel bridge over the tracks serves as a pedestrian underpass that connects the university to the other side of the road, which is Very convenient. It is not the most decrepit or dirtiest station in STL but I've seen mold on the wall, especially on rainy days. I often couldn't refrain from wondering how deep these inhaled spores can reach in our trachea and bronchial tubes before being trapped in mucus though.

It's a small library in a strip mall that has seen better days, more customers, and more tenants…read more That's exactly why we want a library here. Marketplace is one of the westmost City SLPL branches. There isn't a public restroom and I didn't notice space to study. What I saw and liked were friendly staff and a bright, efficient library. Plenty of reading and viewing materials here for an impulse checkout, and of course you can pick up holds sent from anywhere else in the system. Parking is a breeze and is bound to be so any day except St. Patrick's Day/parade days.

I had no idea there was a library tucked into this waning strip mall. I was looking for a…read moreparticular DVD and saw online that it was available at this branch. It's a small, bright space, very well organized with tons of books on display. There was a lady working near the DVDs and she greeted me. I only meant to check out the one DVD but picked up an armload of books by the time I reached the check out desk. The guy working the circulation desk was very friendly. I was on my way in just a couple minutes. It's good to know there's a library here, serving all different parts of the St. Louis community.

This is my happy place!…read more Turned in my books due back at the self-serve kiosk in the vestibule and then popped in to check out more! Staff is available if you need help but if you like to do things on your own, you can totally do that. I check out the new releases, the semi new releases and the head upstairs to check out the magazines and cookbooks. Back downstairs to self checkout and I am on my way with my bag of fun reads!

We honestly love this library so much! It's conveniently located across from Grant's Farm and has…read moreample parking. They have an auto book return at the front (the kids love it), tons and tons of events for adults and children always going on. The staff is very nice and helpful. There are self checkout counters which are super easy to use. The kids area is where we spend the most time. There's a closed off area with big windows - they seem to rotate the big toy in the middle every few weeks (big blocks, doll house, giant connect 4, connect blocks, etc.). They have wonderful selection of books. There's also magnatiles, coloring area, etc. so fun! Great for all days! Also they're open until 8pm M-Th!

Cliff Cave is not my normal library, but I stopped in on Saturday morning on the way home from an…read moreappointment. It's located off Telegraph Road. It was pretty busy and lots of people parking in front on the entry way to do book returns, I guess. The library was bright and clean inside. I just went and looked for a book, found what I needed, and did self-checkout. On my way out I noticed a table with diapers, spices, and paw paws. I wasn't sure what it was about, but I went back to the desk and asked the lady at the counter. The spices and the paw paws were free for the taking. I am not really familiar with Garam Masala, and it was a little packet stapled to pages with history, information, and recipes. So cool! I had also never tasted a paw paw before so I took one of those, too. Their sign indicated they were best eaten same day so I tried it when I got home, it was really good. I will have to see if my regular library has something like this.

This is a smaller location, but there is plenty of amenities to keep patrons busy. The employees…read moreare friendly and helpful. There are plenty of computers to book for one or more hours, cubicles to sit and work at, also quiet rooms if you need privacy. There are rooms one can book for meetings or gatherings, complete with whiteboards, projectors, and hdmi cords for viewing. There are other libraries that have multiple floors with kids sections and tech rooms. This location has everything on one floor.

Ellisville is an amazing little extension of Chesterfield. It has so much to offer in its small…read moreradius. You'll find everything from farmer's markets, larger grocers, Golds Gym, Life Time Fitness (my sanctuary), Dewey's Pizza, Peak Nutrition, tons of retail stores, restaurants, bar/grills, fun activities, Mercy Hospital affiliates and amazing small business services for your every need.