St. Louis Driving 4K - USA: Downtown and Lafayette Square, early morning

St. Louis is the second-largest city in Missouri. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, which forms the state border with Illinois, and the Missouri River. As of 2019, the city proper had an estimated population of around 300,000, while the bi-state metropolitan area had an estimated population of over 2.8 million, making it the largest metropolitan area in Missouri, the second-largest in Illinois, the seventh-largest in the Great Lakes Megalopolis, and the 22nd-largest in the United States.
Before European settlement, the area was a regional center of Native American Mississippian culture. St. Louis was founded on February 14, 1764 by French fur traders Gilbert Antoine de St. Maxent, Pierre Laclède and Auguste Chouteau, who named it for Louis IX of France. In 1764, following France's defeat in the Seven Years' War, the area was ceded to Spain. In 1800, it was retroceded to France, which sold it three years later to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase; the city was then the point of embarkation for the Corps of Discovery on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In the 19th century, St. Louis became a major port on the Mississippi River; from 1870 until the 1920 census, it was the fourth-largest city in the country. It separated from St. Louis County in 1877, becoming an independent city and limiting its own political boundaries. St. Louis had a brief run as a world-class city in the early 20th century. In 1904, it hosted the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and the Summer Olympics.
A "Gamma" global city with a metropolitan GDP of more than $160 billion in 2017 metropolitan St. Louis has a diverse economy with strengths in the service, manufacturing, trade, transportation, and tourism industries. It is home to nine of the ten Fortune 500 companies based in Missouri. Major companies headquartered or with significant operations in the city include Ameren Corporation, Peabody Energy, Nestlé Purina PetCare, Anheuser-Busch, Wells Fargo Advisors, Stifel Financial, Spire, Inc., MilliporeSigma, FleishmanHillard, Square, Inc., U.S. Bank, Anthem BlueCross and Blue Shield, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Centene Corporation, and Express Scripts.
Major research universities include Saint Louis University and Washington University in St. Louis. The Washington University Medical Center in the Central West End neighborhood hosts an agglomeration of medical and pharmaceutical institutions, including Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

[@jsb06g]

Wow St. Louis skyline is so beautiful crossing the river.

[@Gaeill]

You keep surprising me. I worked at 1515 Lafayette (St Louis City Hospital-oldest hospital West of the River.) right out of school. In the mid-70 s, one could buy a house in Lafayette Square dirt cheap.
The only provision, restore to code for future National Historic District standards. Wish I had. I was down that way every day for years. God, it's good to revisit. Very meaningful. Thanks, Chris

[@virginialpinon748]

I was born city hospital. 1934

[@abathens]

This is great. I've always wanted to know what downtown St Louis was like. Now I know.

[@boogitybear2283]

Seeing the Gateway Arch for the first time in 1992 as an 11 year old kid was amazing. I remember taking this exact route from Nashville, TN(there is also a Nashville, IL) when my Parents took me to a Cardinals game in the Old Busch Stadium and going up the Arch. How they built that monument is insane.

[@JUSAGUYNKY]

And I thought Louisville had long stop lights!! Lol

[@tammiealmany6239]

Thanks for the lift dude 😊

[@kimberlycarter5317]

Very nice sceneries of STL! 💛😊💛

[@RebeccaBaker-og9yd]

Nice looking city. ,this city. Butvit looks like a ghost town! Sunday?😮😅😊

[@alexisgrande289]

Classiest spot in STL

[@kellyryan5867]

The video would be more more enjoyable if you were to fast forward through red lights. Just a thought.

[@daveswalksanddrives7446]

Thank you for the input.

[@AkhDawud]

Wow, this place looks like a ghost town 😮

[@waywardstitch8604]

I know these streets. To me it looks like the crack of dawn on a Sunday morn. That's the only time when downtown and these other streets would be so deserted.

[@larryloveless2967]

I see from the comment below it is 6AM or 7AM in the morning, but it seems too quiet. Was this taken on a Saturday or Sunday morning? If this is a weekday then maybe it really shows the effect of COVID with downtown workers such as at Wells Fargo Advisors working from home. Then again, 6AM is still pretty early for traffic. I worked downtown driving through the Lafayette Park neighborhood for 40 years.

[@daveswalksanddrives7446]

I'm pretty sure it was a Saturday morning.

[@larryloveless2967]

@@daveswalksanddrives7446 That makes sense. I enjoyed reminiscing the drive. I would go out of my way a little to drive through the Lafayette Park neighborhood at times on the way to work just to see the amazing redevelopment of all the old large houses through the years. Thanks.

[@smokeheavystudios]

Looks very empty

[@daveswalksanddrives7446]

It is. It's like 6 or 7 AM.

[@BigWood0397]

@@daveswalksanddrives7446 trust me I’m from The Lou and that’s not why it’s empty, Saint Louis downtown has never been the focal point of entertainment until that became a trend that cities are starting to do nationwide. Cities like Indianapolis, Columbus, Kansas City all are trying to focus on making downtown a certain hub for entertainment. Only time Saint Louise downtown is vibrant is if there’s a pro game or event going on. Downtown isn’t usually buzzing but now there’s a casino and other options that may change. Where’s the residential living at? That would help bring vibrancy

[@davidsheriff9274]

@@BigWood0397 so where does the action take place in saint Louis?

[@BigWood0397]

@@davidsheriff9274 I’m not saying downtown has nothing to offer because most people that’s visiting, that’s exactly where they go. So it depends on what it is you like to do. Are you visiting with family, single and looking to hangout to meet other singles. You like sports, Casinos ect ect

[@mikeingersoll7344]

@@davidsheriff9274 mostly in the county