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OT: Midtown Development


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The Good Pie was the only pizza place in mid-town that I can think of (not counting chains).

Vito's? Maybe the original non-St. Louis style pizza restaurant in the city.

PW Pizza is very, very good and not far from Midtown, on Chouteau between 18th and Jefferson.

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The Good Pie was the only pizza place in mid-town that I can think of (not counting chains).

Vito's? Maybe the original non-St. Louis style pizza restaurant in the city.

PW Pizza is very, very good and not far from Midtown, on Chouteau between 18th and Jefferson.

PW's Pizza is indeed excellent. Located in that murky netherworld where Downtown and Midtown meet. Not far from SLU at all.
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Actually kitty cornered to Mississippi stone gate entry to Lafayette Square the best example of re gentrified, historic homes- mostly second empire in the city- over 600 residences some selling for close to a million bucks and 6,000 sq feet.

Several books feature the painted ladies of the 1840-1860's

Hardly Murky

About 25 blocks East of Compton down Chouteau

1111 Mississippi, Sqwires at 18th and Park ave among half dozen better food choices- more upscale than

200 bars in Soulard further East

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Good Pie = huge loss for campus area. Really inviting space and some really good pie, the name was true! Sorry to see them leave.

I heard so much about PW and we went a week or so ago, with several friends; we all agreed it was pretty mediocre and highly overrated. The space is excellent but the pizza medium at best. Salads were excellent, though. But we were disappointed in the pies at PW.

On the top floor of that same building, btw = Vin de Set has a very pleasant outside seating area with one of the best views of downtown-- great place for a drink or dinner early evening, great view.

Speaking of Laf. Square: I'll mention Square One Brewery, they have some very good beers down there.

I really wish midtown area had some really great pizza, but I just don't see it. Maybe living for a while in Italy spoiled me for life. Same with sushi -- living in Tokyo made me spoiled, so we rarely eat it here except home-made.

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I really like Vito's pizza. I was at SLU when it opened and the pizza was great, the owner was super kind but everything else was a mess. The prices were different daily and the servers were utterly confused. Vito would watch lifetime movies in theback dining room which made me chuckle. At the time, really only Talaynas had a more east coasty pizza, so Vito's was my lifeboat. It was my first exposure to Schlafley's for which I am forever grateful.

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I really like Vito's pizza. I was at SLU when it opened and the pizza was great, the owner was super kind but everything else was a mess. The prices were different daily and the servers were utterly confused. Vito would watch lifetime movies in theback dining room which made me chuckle. At the time, really only Talaynas had a more east coasty pizza, so Vito's was my lifeboat. It was my first exposure to Schlafley's for which I am forever grateful.

Sounds like we were at SLU at the same time. I miss the old basement space where Vito's was originally located.

If you're looking for East Coast pizza, you may want to check out Ferraro's in Soulard. Pretty tasty.

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The Partnership for Downtown St. Louis has commissioned a study on the feasibility of running a streetcar line from downtown through Midtown to the Central West End. The proposed line would run down Olive/Lindell - would be huge for SLU if it ever happens:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/127487813/DRAFT-St-Louis-North-Side-Downtown-Midtown-CWE-Streetcar-Feasibility-Study-2013

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Would this cancel any possibility of shifting Metrolink slightly north?

The streetcar is controversial issue #1 right now in Cincy. The exiting mayor wants to get it approved (again, and for good) before he goes and has secured some federal funding to help out. However, bids just came in and all three are above original projections and will probably be even higher when all is said and done. Overall, I'd say people here are hostile toward public transit expansion. I'd expect a similarly tough road in St. Louis.

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Would this cancel any possibility of shifting Metrolink slightly north?

The streetcar is controversial issue #1 right now in Cincy. The exiting mayor wants to get it approved (again, and for good) before he goes and has secured some federal funding to help out. However, bids just came in and all three are above original projections and will probably be even higher when all is said and done. Overall, I'd say people here are hostile toward public transit expansion. I'd expect a similarly tough road in St. Louis.

In D.C., we've had a street car program going for years now. Most of it built... but no street cars. Now the VA suburbs want to build them too (which is a bad idea b/c they won't be used very much for a billion-dollar price tag.)

Didn't Cincinnati have a pretty robust street car line and a Subway (that was partially built but never used) that were destroyed? It's kind of funny that car companies (who are accused of killing the street car) are now being bailed out and those old systems that were once destroyed are also being built again. How times change.

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I'm all for more light-rail in this region and running new lines through your highest density areas is important, but it would seem to me that this just replicates our existing light-rail line. Residents in the CWE and Midtown already have transit access to downtown. I'd much rather see new at-grade lines connecting DT to north and south city along Gravois and/or Florissant/Natural Bridge. Provides transit to areas that need public transportation and provides great economic development opportunities for two major city corridors.

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In D.C., we've had a street car program going for years now. Most of it built... but no street cars. Now the VA suburbs want to build them too (which is a bad idea b/c they won't be used very much for a billion-dollar price tag.)

Didn't Cincinnati have a pretty robust street car line and a Subway (that was partially built but never used) that were destroyed? It's kind of funny that car companies (who are accused of killing the street car) are now being bailed out and those old systems that were once destroyed are also being built again. How times change.

Cincinnati has one of the all-time depressing mass transit stories. In the 1920s, the city constructed about 8 miles of subway tunnel and miles more track in a few different directions out of the tunnels, which were primarily downtown. The tunnels basically replaced the canals that surrounded downtown on what is now Central Parkway. Then funding slowed and the Depression hit, so it dried up altogether. A few miles remain and unfortunately a large portion now houses a water main that was built in the 50s. If people here are balking at the cost of building a streetcar, there's pretty much no chance they'll go for something more expensive to restart and expand the underground system.

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The Partnership for Downtown St. Louis has commissioned a study on the feasibility of running a streetcar line from downtown through Midtown to the Central West End. The proposed line would run down Olive/Lindell - would be huge for SLU if it ever happens:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/127487813/DRAFT-St-Louis-North-Side-Downtown-Midtown-CWE-Streetcar-Feasibility-Study-2013

Doesnt the metrolink essentially already do this. Seems like a waste of money, keeping the metrolink safe and clean would accomphish the same thing

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Doesnt the metrolink essentially already do this. Seems like a waste of money, keeping the metrolink safe and clean would accomphish the same thing

Yes and no. The Grand Center and CWE MetroLink stops really aren't all that convenient. The Grand Center stop seems more important as a connection spot for bus lines, and the CWE stop basically just serves BJC. Whereas MetroLink is geared toward commuters, the streetcar line is supposed to serve a different ridership. I'm not all that familiar with the thinking behind the streetcar line, but that's my guess.

There's also a proposed line that would extend north from downtown - up 14th Street to Crown Candy.

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This does not just duplicate the Metrolink service. There are, what, 5 stations along the East-West route? Stadium, Civic Center, Union Station, Grand, and CWE. I'm at SLU and the Metrolink kind of serves the campus, but it definitely is a pain and stops people from using it more often. The streetcar would have dozens of stops and let people use if for short trips. It makes no sense to go from Grand to CWE station on Metrolink, but someone could live on Lindell, go downstairs, and take the streetcar to a restaurant for dinner.

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If the one in the Loop goes over gangbusters, I'm all for it. But, hey, while we're at it, can we get a better sidewalk now from Forest Park Ave. to the new Grand viaduct. We finally get the new beautiful pedestrian friendly and auto friendly Grand viaduct, but to get to it (at least on the East side of Grand) you have to dodge all sorts of obstacles and missing sidewalk. .000001% sales tax increase ought to do it.

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If the one in the Loop goes over gangbusters, I'm all for it. But, hey, while we're at it, can we get a better sidewalk now from Forest Park Ave. to the new Grand viaduct. We finally get the new beautiful pedestrian friendly and auto friendly Grand viaduct, but to get to it (at least on the East side of Grand) you have to dodge all sorts of obstacles and missing sidewalk. .000001% sales tax increase ought to do it.

There is a proposal to reconfigure that intersection, but it'll probably be awhile before it happens.

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This does not just duplicate the Metrolink service. There are, what, 5 stations along the East-West route? Stadium, Civic Center, Union Station, Grand, and CWE. I'm at SLU and the Metrolink kind of serves the campus, but it definitely is a pain and stops people from using it more often. The streetcar would have dozens of stops and let people use if for short trips. It makes no sense to go from Grand to CWE station on Metrolink, but someone could live on Lindell, go downstairs, and take the streetcar to a restaurant for dinner.

Yes! I cannot imagine using the Metrolink, in St. Louis with the extremes in weather, to go to an event at the Fox, Powell, even SLU. It is very convenient for work commuting, but that's about it.

Now, a streetcar running down Lindell/Olive would be used by CWE residents to go downtown for work and events, by downtown residents to go to the CWE for dinner, shopping, etc. and by SLU students and residents to go to both the CWE and Downtown. It would really spark development along that stretch, driving sales tax and probably driving property values and, hence, real estate taxes. Win-win.

However, if there is a hint of "public" money or if, God forbid, someone actually earns money from this, the CAVE people will come out in uninformed droves whipped up in a frenzy by McClellan and wHorrigan...just watch.

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