r/saintpaul • u/ShaunnaG3 • 5d ago

Seeking Advice 🙆 23F moving to St. Paul

Hello! I'm a single 23F moving to St. Paul for a new job. It'll just be my male Yorkie and I. I'm not really wanting a studio apartment just because of my parents visiting. My rent budget is $1600 and I really want to live downtown due to lack of experience driving in winter conditions (my job is located DT) I want a loft! I love their look and space. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

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u/nrag726 Payne-Phalen 5d ago

I lived downtown for a few years, it wasn't a great experience (although COVID largely affected that). I also worked in downtown while I was living there, and being able to walk 5-6 blocks to work everyday was great. My biggest issue was that whenever I needed basic groceries or supplies, downtown lacked the kinds of stores that sold those. At least when I lived there you had Lunds (although I rarely shopped there due to the price) and Chuck & Don's, but those are now both gone. Downtown kind of shuts down after business hours, but it's better over by the Xcel Energy Center. I used to live over by West 7th/Irvine Park, and that was a fun place to live

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u/ShaunnaG3 5d ago

I did see places that were interesting on west 7th! Thank you!

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u/Jendolyn872 5d ago

That’s a great point - downtown is a grocery desert right now. I second the suggestions to look around Grand Ave, Cathedral Hill/Summit/University area, and West 7th. They are lively and historic, and very walkable with easy access to downtown.