Travel

Traveling around St. Louis by bike is surprisingly convenient! Most of the roads around here have bike lanes or are bike friendly, so a bike is a great investment for getting around and running random errands faster. There’s a number of bike shops close to campus as well, so getting repairs or parts is pretty straightforward.

While it’s not absolutely necessary to have a car, it definitely makes life easier. St. Louis is a very driveable and affordable city — unlike Chicago, NYC, etc., where traffic is so bad and parking is so expensive that it’s not even worth it to have a car. The area right around the hospitals in the Central West End is very walkable, so for most people driving to campus will probably not be necessary. However, a lot of other local destinations (e.g., grocery stores/shopping centers, restaurants in other neighborhoods, etc.) are easier to get to by car. There are also a lot of fun activities within driving distance, such as hikes, farms, and vineyards, or even road trips to Chicago, Nashville, Memphis, Kansas City, etc. So if it is within your means to have a car, I would recommend it!

I attended college on the East coast where I had access to buses and trains to take me wherever I wanted to go without having to spend money on gas, car insurance, or parking. When I decided to attend WashU in the Midwest, I was concerned that I might have to get a car to be able to survive as a student here. However, I can assure anyone that this is not true. The city of St. Louis has a reliable Metro system that can take you to grocery stores, to the airport, to visit a friend, and wherever else you might want to go. I am also happy to say that we have a mind-blowing student community in WashU where classmates with cars love taking other classmates to go shopping together, which makes it a whole lot more fun.

I park at the Clayton Garage which is only about a 5-minute or less walk from the center of the Medical Campus. You can sign up for a monthly rate of $77 or pay daily ($3 to $8). You can get a discount if you use a WUSM pre-loaded debit card, and if you get to campus after 2 p.m. you can park for free with your badge.