Travel & Getting Around

Taking flights out of St. Louis Lambert International Airport is really easy and convenient. Most airlines are fly here, including Southwest, but you may have to have a layover or two if you’re not traveling to or from a bigger city. I highly recommend the MetroLink to get to the airport, since we can ride for free with the school-provided pass. It takes roughly 20 minutes to get from the Central West End stop to both terminals of the airport, and the trains have enough space that I can comfortably sit with luggage. Uber and Lyft are also available for transportation and might be the easier option if you have a lot of luggage, but they’ll probably be around $25-30 and will likely take longer than the MetroLink. The airport itself is easy to navigate and, so far, it hasn’t taken me longer than 15 minutes to get through security. I’ve made a really bad habit of leaving from my apartment in the Central West End an hour before my flight departs and taking the MetroLink since I can still be at my gate in time for departure. Of course, I don’t recommend this, but it’s probably doable in most cases. And if you’re interested in having some exciting international adventures during breaks, I’ve also heard rumors of some really affordable flights (Iceland has been mentioned a couple of times), so that’s something to look into!

St. Louis is a really car-friendly city. While the Central West End doesn’t have quite as many large, free parking lots as I’m used to (I grew up in suburban Georgia), street parking here is actually not that bad, and I’ve found that it’s usually free, especially outside of normal business hours. Gas is fairly inexpensive, and other than a relative slowdown during rush hour, traffic is really manageable. While the Central West End has most things you need within walking distance from school — grocery stores, restaurants, shops, etc. — having a car really broadens your options. I tend to go to Clayton or Brentwood for shopping, and it’s nice not having to walk all your groceries back. I’ve also been trying out a lot of the food in St. Louis, most of which is a lot easier to access with a car. And since St. Louis is only a few hours away from some destinations like Chicago, Kansas City, and Nashville, having a car gives you the flexibility to enjoy a quick weekend getaway. One thing that I’d recommend checking out before you bring a car, though, is what kind of parking is available wherever you’re living. I live in the Core, which has a really convenient parking lot, but I’ve heard of other complexes having a long waitlist or not having many parking options. All in all, I highly recommend bringing a car! As I’m a newcomer to St. Louis, it’s definitely helped me experience the city more fully.

As someone who loves driving with loud music as a pastime, I was nervous about moving to St. Louis without my homey Honda Civic. Turns out, St. Louis is very walkable and public transportation is easy to use. I live on campus, so it takes me no longer than two minutes to walk to class and 10 minutes to grab food on Euclid Ave. (And if you live near Euclid Ave., as many students do, it’ll take you around 10-15 minutes to walk to class). For groceries, it’s easy to ask in our class-wide GroupMe for a ride from a generous student with a car. To go downtown or around Forest Park, I use the Metro, which all WashU students have free access to. For any other situation, I take an Uber/Lyft or a Lime Scooter, which I found are extremely affordable compared to my hometown (D.C. area). So, life without a car has been pretty easy!

I worked at the medical school for two years before matriculating here and I took the MetroLink (St. Louis’s light-rail system) every day. You will receive a free pass for being a WashU student, and you will surely milk this benefit. The MetroLink stops at many great destinations, including the Enterprise Center for hockey games, the airport, Busch Stadium for Cardinals games, and even 100 meters from your lecture hall. Seriously, the Central West End MetroLink stop will let you off hilariously close to the school. The MetroBus system is great too, and has routes all over St. Louis. You can carry bikes on both the MetroLink and the MetroBus, and the trains generally arrive on time (except when there is construction on the tracks). Please keep in mind, though, that this is a city and there are precautions you should take whenever you ride alone late at night. For me personally (as a male), I have always felt safe on the MetroLink in over 1500 riding trips.