lorimarysa

For housing, I recommend the Central West End (has a small city feel) or Skinker/Big Bend/Forsyth areas for housing (has a college town vibe). For areas with bars/nightlife, I recommend the Delmar Loop (mix of undergrad/grad and older) and Tower Grove (more people in their 20s/post-college). For food, there is a lot of diverse food across St. Louis. We have a "Chinatown" but it's very small compared to other cities - it's a strip of Asian supermarkets/restaurants along Olive Blvd. You can bike to most colleges (may need to walk your bike on main campus in-between classes) and Forest Park and can find bike racks by major buildings, but roads usually don't have bike lanes. Most people commute by car/metro/on foot if you live close. I never had/needed a bike when I was at WashU and wouldn't recommend it for regular commutes unless you live extremely close, with no major roads in the way. There's a lot of stuff to do over the weekend - some things are seasonal and a lot depends on what you like to do. In the Fall, apple picking at Eckert's is great, in the Winter, there's ice skating at Steinberg, sledding on Art Hill, Garden Glow at the Botanical Gardens, Zoo Lights at the Zoo, Candy Cane Lane, in the Spring/Summer/most weather, there's a lot to do in Forest Park (Zoo, Art Music, History Museum, Science Center - all free). In the city there's also the symphony at Powell Hall and the City Museum. When I was in college, I spent most weekends checking out restaurants in the Delmar Loop/CWE.