The Name:
The name dates back the turn of the
20th century St. Louis, when
street cars were everywhere. The street of
Delmar was a place where the street cars turned around, where the
track made a
loop. This place was also in
University City, a small section of
St. Louis County. Thus,
the University City Loop. It is also called
the U City Loop or just
the Loop.
What is it?:
The Loop is a strip of Delmar six blocks long with well over 90 individual shops, most of them locally owned. These shops include the Tivoli (a classic cinema), Blueberry Hill (a restaurant, bar and small concert venue), The Pageant (a new small concert venue) and Vintage Vinyl (a new and used record store), all of which are St. Louis favorites.
What makes the Loop so attractive?:
The Loop, to the deprived county kids of St. Louis, is the coolest non-mall hang out in the county. Eveybody's interests are covered, young to old, from artists to fine diners to music lovers to stoners. You can sell your clothes at Rag-o-Rama, buy a new turntable at Spin This, pick up a new record at Revolve Records, get a tattoo at Iron Age Tattoos, grab some Lebanese Cuisine, and, if you still have the energy, catch a show at the Pageant. People come to the Loop for variety, for a change of pace. Most of the county kids aren't used to parking their cars and walking to shops. The mall is completely different. The Loop is exocitism without leaving town. It's culture shock in small, manageable doses. Cliques that otherwise wouldn't meet are forced to co-exist. It's even rumored that "vampires" hang out there in the wee hours of the morning.
The Loop can be accessed from Highways I-64, I-170, I-70, I-44, Forest Park Parkway and the Delmar MetroLink station.
http://www.ucityloop.com