Downtown Living on Washington Avenue

I’ve always been an outskirts kind of girl but last year I needed something new. I made the huge move from the St. Louis Hills to downtown on Washington Avenue. It has now been six months so I feel like I can talk about it with some authority.

The motto of downtown living is: “Live, Work, Play.” Let me tell you that I have been doing just that and enjoying it beyond belief!

If you have been thinking about moving to the city and can’t make up your mind, let me sway you on the side of doing it. Imagine walking just a short couple of blocks to work every day and only filling up your gas tank once every month or two. Don’t work downtown? No problem. Every major highway merges here. You want to meet some friends for a drink and snacks so you walk to Rosalita’s after work for happy hour. I have met more cool people living downtown in six months than I did in South City for three years. Now, with this being said, there are a few things to think about before moving downtown.

When moving downtown, you need to consider your location. Make sure you choose a building that has an easy out during parades, games and other events that may cause the street to shut down. There are many loft buildings to choose from so you shouldn’t have a problem finding a place that is close enough to the action without trapping you during a fun event. Don’t forget to ask about parking. There are buildings that do not have any parking options and you don’t want to be stuck paying meter fines because you forgot to move your car at the crack of dawn.

Once you choose your location, you need to think about the inside of your loft. There are many things you don’t think about until you move in and realize how much you hate them. Here are some things that I would highly suggest checking out before renting:

• Window Coverings – Loft buildings have very large industrial sized windows. This means a very large price to get blinds or curtains. Once you buy the blinds or curtains, chances are you can’t use them anywhere else because they will be so big. Make sure the loft you choose comes with blinds or curtains. (Otherwise you’ll get a nickname from neighbors who can see inside your loft!)
• Lighting – Why would they not put lights in the bedrooms? I don’t know. What I do know is that it is super annoying and I hate having to turn on three separate lamps in a very dark room.
• Rooftop “Pools” – Okay, I like to swim so this gets on my nerves. Apparently, the weight of a pool is so great that rooftops typically only have a 2.5′-3′ pool. If it only goes up to my knees, I do not consider it a pool. I like to actually swim so when I found this out I was very disappointed. Good thing there’s a YMCA nearby.
• Sliding Doors – These sound like a good idea but let me tell you they are not. While they may save a little bit of space, they are super heavy with little bitty finger holes that hurt your fingers and break your nails. I. Hate. Sliding. Doors.

I’m curious. Have you ever lived downtown? What was your experience? What is your advice?