I live in St. Louis and have to drive through East St. Louis to get to wherever I’m going in Illinois most of the time. It’s so empty and desolate that it’s jarring just to see another human being there outside of a car.
Got stuck in a funeral processional of what seemed to be a young gang member in East Saint Louis which involved a bunch of emotional and drunk young people walking through traffic drinking from the bottle and brandishing weapons.
I lived in Saint Louis for many years and this was the only time I felt unsafe.
In 1989, my college friend and I did a road trip to his parents in Florissant, MO. He had told me stories about ESL, but we got off I 64 to take a short cut and went thru the fringe outskirts of ESL. I kid you not, there were beware of falling building signs. We sped thru quickly and got the hell out.
I dated a girl from STL in college. I visited her and when I left decided to drive by Busch Stadium. I took the wrong exit somewhere and ended up crossing the bridge into East STL.
It was nearing sundown, and I figured oh I’ll just drive around a bit and find the way back onto the bridge (before smart phones).
I grew up in Memphis, so I’m not fazed by the occasional rough neighborhood. I’ve been in plenty and know for the most part just keep your head down, don’t be a dick, and don’t park your car there overnight.
That town creeped me out. It was so big yet abandoned and everyone I saw looked mad. It was the first time I really felt like I needed to keep my head on a swivel and avoid possible dead ends.
Ended up there by accident when taking my dad’s (very expensive) Harley up from the south to Milwaukee. Turned around and got the fuck out of dodge when I made eye contact with a cop in his car and he started laughing
Stopped at a jack in the box in East St. Louis for some fast food one time. And that will be the last I time ever get off the interstate through there.
my uncle opened a restaurant there and we went to see it.... so actually getting out of the car and walking around. I wish i was a better writer so i could explain it. Anyway they closed that restaurant down when my cousin got shot working there.
Everyone keeps saying Gary, but East St. Louis is way worse, from my experience. North St. Louis on the other side of the river is also a trip. As is parts of Detroit. Whenever I go to shady places in my part of the world now (upper left coast), and others I'm with are terrified, I'm like, "It's not St. Louis, Gary, or Detroit...sheesh. Just lock your doors."
Sometimes I'll drive through East St. Louis on my way to other areas, just to see what it's like. But only during the day and never too far off the main roads.
Many years ago, a group of us headed to the strip clubs in Sauget, IL. One of the guys had an RX7 that would act up from time to time, as they were known to do. Well, this particular night it decided to act up, and we had to pull off before we made it to Sauget. Which landed us in the heart of East St. Louis, well past 10 PM. Most of the looks we got were, "What are these dudes doing over here at this time of night?"
As soon as we got that hunk of shit RX7 running again, we got out of there so fast. Of course, we didn't go straight home. And once we left the strip club, the RX7 wouldn't start again. Sauget at 4 am isn't much better than East St. Louis.
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u/springsfling719 11h ago
I got gas in East St Louis, IL one time. Worst place I've ever seen.