I visited WashU, and they mentioned the Loop; unfortunately I didn’t have much time there that day, but my family did go to the city (following the bridge out of campus and onto the residential lane that leads into the urban section… I realize this is not a very vivid description). We ate at a Salt + Smoke (which was great), but besides a few other adjacent restaurants, I didn’t see much (granted we didn’t explore or stay very long). My question was about the Loop: what is it, and how does it compare to other urban areas around the country? Is it a place you can go to walk around or is it a single lane with a few restaurants or is it a literal loop filled with various services? When we went to Salt + Smoke the area around it was somewhat littered (the restaurant was nice but on the sidewalks outside) and there was lots of graffiti, not limited to alley walls, but words written over info kiosks and signs, making them illegible. Is most of St. Louis / the Loop like that? Is the Loop somewhere where you feel safe walking around? St. Louis is not known for its low crime rate… in the two days I was there I saw two robbed cars (one was right next to where we parked at the Arch…)
I don’t expect that college students will spent extraordinary amounts of time running about the city, as WashU is known for its rigorous classes, but any word on what its like there?
The loop is not really “the city,” if by “the city”, you meanSt. Louis. St. Louis is directly east and maybe 10 miles away from campus, and has lots of amenities of its own.
The Loop is part of University City, which is not quite a mile north of washu’s Danforth campus. It is a strip about 1/2 mile to 3/4 mile long that runs east to west, with lots of restaurants, entertainment and services. It is maybe best described as funky or quirky. This link lists some of the things you will find there: https://visittheloop.com/. It is urban and sometimes can seem a bit dirty. But The main part between Big Bend on the west and almost to Skinker on the east is safe during the day, and the western section of Delmar is frequented and safe even fairly late by WashU students. Blueberry Hill is a popular Thursday night spot for students. Lots of WashU students live just north and just south of Delmar in that area and the university pays attention to safety there. The further east you go on Delmar, the more careful you have to be as it gets later.
Clayton and Richmond Heights, which are west of WashU is probably more what you would consider upscale. Lots more shopping (a large mall and some mainstream big box type stores), hotels, commerce, and restaurants in that area. If you had a chance to explore the areas right around campus (some of which are nice old residential homes and some of which is a ginormous park), I think you’d get a more balanced feel for the area and be more comfortable there.
@TrapNumen , my daughter returned last week from Wash U. She was there for 3 weeks for the Pre-Med Institute pre-college program. She absolutely loved the Loop. She is so excited about this school now, and I know that she got to see some of the city and the Loop. In the little free time that she had, she went to a mall with friends (assuming this is in the city) and went to the Loop to eat out. She saw the arch, the Contemporary Art Museum, some of Forest Park. While I was not with her on this trip, I can tell you that my daughter has visited many schools, and she can be very picky and discriminating when on campuses. Because she is now talking about applying ED there, I know what she was exposed to was top notch. I do not know where Salt + Smoke is. I wish I did.