We are going to STL in a few weeks for a night of fun on the Landing and I would like to find a good relatively inexpensive hotel near the Light Rail. Walking distance is preferable. I don’t know if there are any hotels near the Airport that are like that, but my google skills aren’t that good. 
Any suggestions?
How familiar are you with St. Louis? If your plan is to spend one night there, going just among the airport, lodging, and the Landing, you might look at staying in the Central West End, which in my opinion has better restaurants than the Landing. You could do that without a car – just MetroLink to the Central West End, check in to the hotel, eat, and MetroLink to the Landing for the serious drinking. Unfortunately, your options for lodging in the CWE are limited. There’s the luxury Chase Park Plaza, which probably isn’t what you’re looking for, and which is also a good stroll from the MetroLink stop. But there’s also a Best Western just a few blocks from the train stop (link). I’ve never stayed there, but my brother did once and seemed to think it was OK. It’s next to a major hospital complex, so it’s probably not the quietest place.
You might also look at the hotels around Union Station (link). They’re closer to the Landing, and very convenient to the Union Station restaurants (as well as a quick cab ride to some excellent downtown restaurants), but they look to be in the $150 range. Dunno if that’s in the ballpark for you. The MetroLink stops at Union Station, so they’d be pretty convenient from that perspective.
There’s bound to be something reasonable near the airport, but probably not walkable from the train stop, which is essentially inside the terminal. I suspect the hotels there would have a shuttle, though.
Have you seen this site? It mentions a couple of hotels right at the Landing. Crawling distance, even.
You’re only going to be there for the night? If you have the time and don’t mind cabbing it, you might want to drop by Soulard. I have to admit I’ve never been a huge fan of the Landing. Soulard, IMO, has the best bars in the city. McGurk’s is a holy place. Live Irish music most nights.
Can I come with you? I miss my home town
Not too familiar. I’ve been there three or four time in the last 10 years. My Fiance and I are going to one of her friends wedding this coming weekend in St. Charles, so that will be like the 5th time or so.
CWE looks a bit too expensive for our group. New Years 06-07 we stayed at the Airport Hotel (Quality Inn on Natural Bridge road), they were 72 dollars a night. A bit high for me though, definitely at the upper end of what I am willing to pay. They are not near a stop, but they have free shuttles to and from the Airport, which we could take to get to the Link. I saw Days Inn near there online and they have free shuttle, but one of the friends that is going with us absolutely refuses to stay there due to a bad experience with them a couple years ago. (sigh, oh well).
I think I am looking at Motel 6. It is ~45 dollars a night there, though they don’t appear to have free Airport shuttle or anything, one of the Airport Link stops are right across the highway from the Motel. I can’t tell from the Google Map if there is a walkway under the bridge or not though. It is on the other side of the highway (and natural bridge road) than Motel 6.
Do you happen to know if there is a walk way?
You are certainly welcome to come with us, but I am afraid we are not going anywhere near Cincinnati, so you would have to provide your own transportation. 
You’re talking about the Motel 6 on Woodson?
I called that hotel, and they confirm that they do NOT do airport shuttle, but that it’s about a twenty minute walk to the airport. Depending on your luggage, and time of arrival, I would not recommend hoofing it from the airport to the hotel, or vice versa; go ahead and spring for the cab.
Otherwise, I’d recommend looking for a hotel in Maryland Heights (zip 63043). There’s 3 or 4 just south of I-70/I-270, and I’m fairly sure that they all offer airport shuttle service.
Yep, thats the Motel 6 I was thinking of.
I found this handy site so I will check out all those in Maryland Heights.
My friend stayed in the Days Inn right by that Motel 6 and says he saw the metroLink stopping at a stop on the other side of the highway. I’m guessing there isn’t a walkway as the stop is probably in the airport area and is fenced off?
There is (or, at least, used to be) a Drury Inn at Union Station.
Drury Inn-Union Station (by Union Station)
201 South 20th Street
St. Louis, MO 63103
(314) 231-3900 or (800) 325-8300
Might be worth pricing. There’s a Holiday Inn in Clayton.
The Days Inn on North Hanley in Hazelwood has an airport shuttle, but I don’t think it runs all night. Rooms are about $50 per night, though. You should be able to get the train at the North Hanley station.
Some people who don’t have weddings to attend in St. Charles stay in Belleville, IL and ride the train in from the other direction.
I don’t know for certain. The desk jockey at the Motel 6 said that the airport was a “20 minute walk,” and that there were sidewalks. I do know that that area has heavy congestion during peak traffic hours, and the neighborhood may not be the safest to walk through after sunset. A 20 minute walk is probably a 5 minute or less cab ride, so that may be an option for you. But several of the Maryland Heights hotels have airport shuttle service, though they may not run at all hours, so it’s best to call them directly and ask.
Union Station to Laclede’s Landing isn’t a bad walk, but I wouldn’t want to make it at night. Again, a short cab ride might be well worth the money, after hours.
I think I’m going to stay at the Quality Inn Airport Hotel off Natural Bridge Road. They run about 73 dollars a night and have 24/7 shuttle to the Airport. I stayed there during New Years (and took the shuttle to Harrahs and back) and I know it is a pretty decent hotel.
There you go. Enjoy your trip (and stay).
As a back up plan, what areas of St. Louis are good for bar-hopping other than the Landing? It looks like the MetroLink runs the last run at 12:30am which is a bit early for a long night of partying. What is Westport like? La Quinta / Westport claims it is .5 miles from the plaza.
Soulards sounds great, but how many hotels are there? We could forgo the entire Landing if something better is more convenient. We just don’t want to drive or take a taxi, walking is fine (neighborhood can’t be too bad though, lol).
Belleville, IL is a possibility too (this is the weekend we don’t have a wedding)
Maryland Heights
Soulard’s, the Landing and Central West End are really your best choices for bar-hopping (although I can’t think of a single hotel within safe walking distance of Soulard - just a couple of B&B.) There are a number of bars in Westport, but Westport is basically a small shopping area inside an office park, and I find the nightlife there to be pretty blah. I’ve never been drinking in Belleville, but I’m not impressed with Belleville in general.
And as a general piece of advice, the airport is NOT pedestrian-friendly, and the neighborhood just south of the airport isn’t the best.
The Loop’s good too; you can stay in the U City side (Blueberry Hill, Cicero’s, a few others) until 1am, then head down to the city side and keep going until 3. Pin-Up Bowl is fun, although a little trendy/pricy for what it is. Unfortunately, there really aren’t any hotels around. You’ll probably need a cab.
There aren’t hotels convenient to Soulard, and it is not the kind of place you want to walk to/from at night. Also, no MetroLink stops nearby.
As mentioned, Westport is more of a business area with a little shopping, and the (limited) nightlife is pretty slow, and all but nonexistent on weeknights.
If you’re looking to bar-crawl, stay at Laclede’s landing. There’s a Hampton Inn that’s nice, and IIRC there’s an Econo Lodge somewhere nearby, too… ah, Econo Lodge Riverfront on Priceline
I’d recommend the Hampton, really. Particularly with those reviews on Priceline.
Not drinking in Belleville – staying in a cheap hotel/motel in Belleville and taking a train across the river into LaClede’s Landing or the CWE (for Dressel’s Pub, if one enjoys the warm and cozy and notably Welsh kind of drinking).
Thanks all for the tips and suggestions. I think we are going to postpone the trip and save up our money for a New Years Eve trip. I’m thinking of reserving some rooms at the Drury Hotel on South 4th street, which are pretty high (100+ a night) but aren’t too terrible. They are also within walking distance of the Arch, the Landing and the downtown area.
Of course, if we wanted to make an event of it that would be great with me.
Ooh, I’d be up for that! (I’m new to the area, so I don’t have much to contribute to this thread, but a St. Louis meetup would be awesome.)
I used to live about 6 blocks from Dressel’s. When my wife and I were dating, we went there about once every week or so. I went there by myself in between our dates. I miss Dressel’s a lot. Going upstairs, firing up a cigar, and getting scotches from Ray the bartender was like heaven. If Dressel’s ever closes, I’ll be forced to commit suicide. The thought of a world without Dressel’s is just too horrible to contemplate.
fachverwirrt is right about the Loop. That’s another great neighborhood, which I forgot about in my earlier post. You can take the MetroLink to it as well. There are some cool restaurants there, including an Ethiopian place and a Lebanese place (Saleem’s - Where Garlic is King!). Blueberry Hill is a good place for drinks and music. If fate is smiling on you, you might be there on a night when Chuck Berry is playing (at least he played once in a while up until a few years ago).
Here’s a decent list of nightspots as well. Washington Avenuse has a lot of the trendy clubs. There is no train stop nearby, so you will have to drive or cab it. You do not want to walk there. You do not want to stray very far from the blocks where the clubs are, either. But, with a little common sense, you will be fine. I’m not a club guy, but I hear that’s the place for club hopping.
Keep an eye on The Riverfront Times, the local alt weekly. If you’re going to postpone the trip and go on New Year’s, the RFT will have information on all the parties.
Have fun!
I see two questions here.
Where can you stay along Metrolink? The answers are pretty much the Airport, Clayton, Downtown or Belleville-Fairview Heights.
Where can you drink along Metrolink? The answers are basically Downtown or the Loop (Clayton’s even worse for partying than Westport.)
BUT, the Metrolink pretty much shuts down around 12:30-1:00 a.m. Which makes the REAL question, where can you drink late and stay along Metrolink?
That pretty much limits the options to Downtown.