There is more barbecue sauce consumed per capita in St. Louis than in any other American city.

The 1904 World’s Fair was the site of many firsts. Novelties introduced on those hallowed grounds include Dr. Pepper, the ice cream cone, iced tea, Buster Brown’s children’s shoes and the turnstile.

The act of putting chocolates on hotel pillows started here when actor Cary Grant was a guest at the Mayfair and used chocolate to woo a woman friend.

When it comes to free, major visitor attractions, St. Louis is outdone only by D.C. Some of the wonders located here include the Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis Zoo, Cahokia Mounds, Museum of Westward Expansion, St. Louis Science Center, Missouri History Museum, Anheuser-Busch Brewery and Grant’s Farm.

St. Louis has been home to a slew of renowned musicians, including Chuck Berry, Tina Turner, Nelly, Albert King, and Michael McDonald (the Doobie Brothers).

St. Louis was the first American city to host the Olympic Games (1904).

Charles Lindbergh flew mail routes into St. Louis, then named his plane “Spirit of St. Louis” to thank the businessmen who funded his 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic.

At 630 feet, the Gateway Arch is the nation’s tallest man-made monument.

St. Louis was founded by French fur traders in 1764-in Spanish territory.

Soft drink salesman and general store owner C.L. Grigg introduced the Bib-label lithiated lemon-lime soda in St. Louis in 1929. In 1931 he changed the name of the drink to 7-Up.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis has the largest collection of mosaics in the world.

The Cahokia Mounds World Heritage Site and Interpretive Center features the largest prehistoric Indian city north of Mexico. This historical site is only 10 minutes from downtown St. Louis and spotlights archaeological finds dating from 700 to 1400 B.C.E.

“St. Louis Blues,” written by celebrated musician W.C. Hardy, was written under the Eads Bridge on the Mississippi Riverfront.

Random facts about Wash. U.

The first Olympiad in the U.S. was held on Francis Field in 1904.

Actor Peter Saarsgard, a 1995 graduate, founded the improv comedy group Mama’s Pot Roast that still thrives today.

Wash. U.’s School of Law is the oldest continually operating private law school west of the Mississippi river. It was founded in 1867.

In hopes of avoiding confusion, Wash. U.’s Board of Trustees added the phrase “in St. Louis” to the University’s name in 1976.

Until 1990, the West Campus building actually housed the Clayton branch of the Famous-Barr department store.

The annual Thurtene Carnival is reportedly the largest student-run carnival in the nation.

Cond‚ Nast, founder of Cond‚ Nast Publications, graduated from the WU law school in 1897. CN Publications has introduced magazines like “Vogue” and “Vanity Fair.”

Julian Hill, the co-inventor of nylon, graduated from Wash. U. in 1924.

Pulitzer Prize-winning Wash. U. graduates (and Student Life alums) include Ken Cooper, a former Boston Globe editor, and Mike Peters, creator of the cartoon “Mother Goose & Grimm.”

College food is a lot like the Loch Ness monster-everyone has heard all about it, but the details are fuzzy.

While college food is no vicious sea monster, what’s the guarantee that eating it won’t let unidentified creatures into the digestive tract?

Fortunately, I have been eating at Washington University for two years and have never found anything suspicious in my food. Even more fortunately, the University’s food service, Bon App‚tit, is rated among the best in the nation.

But where, you might ask, is the best place to eat? What choices do I have? The following is a guide to the dining locations on campus, including their hours, busy periods, and their best food. But first, a few general tips:

1) The beginning of the year will be mayhem no matter what. Expect insane lines and constant crowding. Something to realize: this crowding is in fact your fault. However, you will quickly learn how to navigate the masses of hungry students.

2) Once the zombie-like crowding of all campus eateries subsides, you will notice that certain places still have ridiculous lines; there is a reason for this and it is usually advisable that you add yourself to the end of these lines if you want to dine on the best foods.

3) This is more of an overall tip, based on two years of detailed scientific research. My hypothesis: the more complex the name, the worse it will be. So if you see advertised a prosciutto ham panini with rosemary bread and walnut cream sauce, you can assume it is horribly bland and quite possibly disgusting. My advice: stick with the simple things, like burger or meat on sandwich-you’re pretty much guaranteed a good thing.

4) You can get coffee basically anywhere and if you don’t have discerning taste, you’ll be satisfied with it everywhere. For the pickier caffeine addicts, I recommend Holmes Lounge or Ursa’s.

Food on the South 40

Bear’s Den

Location: in Wohl Center
Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Mon.-Thurs., 7:30 a.m. to 3 a.m. Fri., 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Sat., 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sun.
Busy periods: 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
What they serve: made-to-order pizza, sandwiches, Tex-Mex and salads; toasted ravioli; burgers (black bean also available); grilled chicken sandwiches; homemade soup
The best: grilled cheese with a cup of soup (broccoli cheese and tomato are my favorites)
The worst: the coffee
Reason to go there: close to home and pretty much the only place that’s open until 3 a.m.

Ursa’s

Location: underneath Lien by the Clocktower
Hours: 5:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Mon.-Sun.
Busy periods: 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
What they serve: smoothies, marble slab-style ice cream, crepes, wraps, specialty coffees and mochas, pastries
The best: crepes with strawberries and bananas, mint mochas (mint hot chocolate with espresso), peach smoothies with strawberries
The worst: those pastries-they may look good, but they taste terrible
Reason to go there: close to home and spices up your evening.

Center Court

Location: upper level of Wohl Center; entrance by mail room
Hours: 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mon.-Thurs. and Sun. for dinner; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sat.-Sun. for brunch
Busy periods: noon to 1:30 p.m. for brunch
What they serve: buffet style food, including pizza, turkey, salad, made to order stir fry, fruit and various desserts for dinner; all typical breakfast food, French toast and pancakes on alternating days, made to order omelets for brunch
The best: French toast and omelets, hands down
The worst: too much lemongrass curry on your stir-fry
Reason to go there: all you can eat (but you better be hungry, or else it’s not worth the 7.75 meal points).

The North Side

The Village

Location: Village House
Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Mon.-Sun. for brunch or lunch, 5 p.m. to midnight Mon.-Sun. for dinner
Busy periods: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
What they serve: similar to Center Court, also with made to order sandwiches, specialty drinks and coffee
The best: stir-fry, Reubens, grilled cheese
The worst: specialty coffee drinks
Reason to go there: food is individually priced, so if you’re craving Center Court-style food, you can pick and choose your favorites without paying quite as much as you would at CC.

Main Campus

Business School Lounge

Location: Simon Hall
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon.-Thurs. (carvery served until 3 p.m.), 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fri.
Busy periods: on the hour between noon and 2 p.m.
What they serve: huge slices of pizza, soup, special pasta dishes, carvery sandwiches (meat changes daily), coffee
The best: pizza and carvery (their sauces are limited to the pre-packaged kind, so consider yourself warned)
The worst: pasta dishes are hit or miss and trying them requires a sense of adventure
Reason to go there: never crowded, not even at peak hours, an extremely comfortable eating area and a great staff.

Hilltop Bakery

Location: Mallinckrodt Center, first floor
Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
Busy periods: 5 minutes before and after lunchtime hours
What they serve: sandwiches, bagels, cookies, muffins, soup in bread bowls, smoothies, specialty drinks and coffee
The best: soup in bread bowls (again, broccoli cheese and tomato are crowd favorites), roast beef sandwiches, smoothies
The worst: pre-made bagel sandwiches
Reason to go there: this is only place to get hot pre-packaged roast beef sandwiches and soup in a bread bowl.

Holmes Lounge

Location: Holmes Lounge, attached to Eads and Ridgley Halls
Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
Busy periods: noon to 1:30 p.m.
What they serve: carvery sandwiches, soup, bagels, pre-packaged sandwiches
The best: giant cookies, carvery on croissant, no lettuce, pepper jack cheese and spicy mayo or house sauce depending on if you’re feeling orange or yellow
The worst: if you’re not in the mood to stand in line for half an hour, the other choices aren’t worth it
Reason to go there: Arthur and Rob, their house sauce and carvery sandwiches. Personal favorites are London broil and pepper steak. Go there often enough and you won’t even have to tell them what to give you.

Whispers

Location: Olin Library, first floor
Hours: 7:30 a.m. to midnight Mon.-Thurs., 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fri., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sat., 10 a.m. to midnight Sun. for the caf‚; study area is always open
Busy periods: 5 minutes before and after every hour
What they serve: coffee, specialty drinks, bubble tea, pre-packaged sandwiches, bagels, muffins, pastries
The best: the Nescaf‚ vending machine by the computers, muffins (occasionally)
The worst: bagels (usually stale), bubble tea (tastes stale, if that’s possible)
Reason to go there: this caf‚ is a means to an end with socializing as its primary purpose. Whispers is one of a few on-campus locations open 24 hours

Mallinckrodt Food Court

Location: Mallinckrodt Center, ground floor
Hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
Busy periods: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., specifically the wrap line
What they serve: wraps, Chinese food, carvery, “Latino”-inspired food, pizza, salad, soup
The best: the wraps line is always the longest and for good reason; macaroni at the carvery station is great; the pizza is also heavily underrated-it’s the best pizza on campus and the fastest thing to get
The worst: Chinese is sub-par; the carvery station’s limited bread and sauce choices are not attractive either
Reason to go there: you are guaranteed to run into someone you know and the food choices are distinct from those at other eateries on campus.

Of course, these food suggestions are my personal opinions. So don’t be afraid to try something new, but don’t be surprised if you end up sticking with a few good stand-bys.

Freshman year is all about freedom-mom won’t be telling you what to eat, when to sleep and she won’t be there to make sure your dust ruffle matches your throw pillows. So take advantage of this extra smidge of independence and decorate your dorm room creatively.

This small, concrete cube will be your living room, entertainment area, study space, kitchen and (occasional) haven for sleep. It is the simplest way for the people you meet to gauge your personality (or lack thereof). Sure, you can toss a sleeping bag over that bare mattress and duct tape an Animal House poster on a wall, or buy out a few pages of the Pottery Barn Teen catalogue. But do you really want your first impression to be that generic?

In dorm room d‚cor, as in college life in general, subtlety is pointless. While a neutral color palate might look good in your room at home, in a dorm room it will simply look dull. Go for bright, bold colors to soften the effect fluorescent lights and linoleum floors generally create. Don’t worry about matching shades-tacky decorations (like Journey power ballads) take on a certain profundity in a college setting.

Have fun and experiment; after all, you only have to live with it for a year. Just try to avoid any permanent changes to the room or ResLife will make you pay, big time.

Start with your walls. Posters are cheap, cover space well and you can use them to show your personality. Movie and band posters work well enough, but don’t forget about bright art prints. Web sites like Posters.com and Art.com have impressive collections of modern works. These kinds of posters look less clich‚ and class up your space. They will also be different from the posters everyone gets at the campus poster sales.

As far as attaching these posters, look no further than Scotch tape’s “Command” brand sticky tabs. They have an assortment of hooks, snaps and basic tabs in all sizes, and they usually do not peel the paint off the wall when you take them down at the end of the year. They also allow you to be more creative with your wall hangings. If you have framed photo collages you can hang them with the surprisingly sturdy Command hooks.

Much of your dorm room d‚cor will depend on the flexibility of your roommate. If you’re stuck with a monk-like and more studious roommate you might not want to press for matching sequined bedspreads. If, however, the new roomie is up for some creativity, feel free to go crazy. Consider going with a theme (High School Musical, Batman, whatever) and making a trip to Target to get random accessories in keeping with said theme.

While you may not want to imitate my freshman roommate and myself (Disney Princesses posters, night-light, rug and matching plastic tiaras on bedposts), you’ll probably have fun and jump-start that all-important freshman floor bonding.

Most students divide their dorm room in half-each side gets one standard issue bed, dresser and desk. There are many other configurations that better utilize the space. If you feel like getting cozy quickly, push the two beds together or bunk them. You can loft your beds as high as possible and fit the dresser, fridge, etc. underneath them, giving yourself more space to work with. Remember that high beds necessitate a stepstool; otherwise you’ll have to rely on the run and leap method (not a good idea after a night of partying). Also, some of the newer dorms have beds that do not loft.

Fill the extra space creatively. I know people who had big screen TV’s, futons and neon signs in their freshman dorm rooms. My roommate and I took advantage of our large corner room and made a fort out of pillows and sheets, kindergarten style. Yes, it was somewhat regressive and childish, but hey, so is freshman year.

Cheap additions for that homey feel:

• Curtains for windows (cut them off so they don’t cover your air conditioning vents); can also be used to hide open closet space
• Plants
• Dark colored rugs (make sure they do not slide around)
• Christmas lights
• Colorful bins for clothes
• Pillows (the bigger and softer, the better)
• Lots of those $10 Bed, Bath and Beyond lamps with clamps for lighting flexibility (note: they break in about four months)

I remember filling out the housing forms before my freshman year and getting to the section about rooms. On the application, it said I could choose between a single, double or triple room. I thought it over, and for a few days, I thought the best thing would be to have a single room. After all, living at home let me savor my privacy by having my own room. I could come and go as I pleased, stay up until 1 a.m. listening to music and leave my possessions scattered across the floor. I reasoned that with a roommate, none of these conditions would be feasible.

Then, I thought of how much I would be missing out. Although I had heard horror stories about roommates who refused to clean up, turn off the lights at a decent hour or even attempt to acknowledge the other person’s presence, I refused to be intimidated. ?Therefore, I checked off “double” on my application and was assigned to a double room with a roommate and two suitemates in an adjacent room.

The first and most important thing to remember in roommate relations is to avoid letting pre-conceived ideas dictate how you’ll feel about the other people. If you walk into the dorm for the first time expecting the worst getting to know them will be a lot more difficult.

When I learned that my roommate was Hindu, a biomedical engineer and pre-med and had previously worked for NASA, I felt like hiding in a corner. Although I had many Hindu friends from home, I was Jewish and I didn’t know how her religion would play out in terms of our room atmosphere. Also, we were complete opposites; I was interested in English literature and psychology and could barely do math on a calculator.

Although I went into the dorms with a bit of hesitation as to whether or not we’d actually get along, I was pleasantly surprised by how well we lived together. Admittedly, we had entirely different schedules and goals, but somehow this worked in our favor. While she was off at a chemistry test, I could finish my English paper. More importantly, I didn’t feel like I was competing with my roommate for our shared space.

I also learned so much culturally and academically from my roommate. She explained the neurological system to me when I was completely lost in Introduction to Psychology and I edited her engineering paper. If you and your roommate are complete opposites, I recommend that you embrace the differences and try to learn from them. Don’t let yourself be intimidated; look at the experience as an opportunity, not a hindrance.

However, I was very lucky to get a roommate with whom I actually became friends. There were some people on my floor in other dorms who couldn’t stand their roommates. Or, they could live with their roommate, but didn’t have any interest in becoming friends. If this happen, it’s up to you to make the best of the situation. If your roommate throws their dirty clothes on your side of the room you can request a room change or you could talk to your roommate and involve your RA.

For the most part, my roommate and I had a good understanding, but there were a few times when we asked our RA to help verbalize our frustrations. Even the best room assignment can flounder on occasion.

Part of living with another person in such close quarters is learning to compromise and solve problems rather than avoid them. While it might seem easier to just start from scratch and haul your belongings to another dorm, it might be more satisfying and rewarding to try to get along with the other person. After all, if you can conquer the issues of living with a complete stranger, you can consider yourself well prepared to solve future rooming issues; i.e. those with family members or significant others.

And if you don’t find yourself becoming BFF’s immediately, don’t fret. Sometimes co-existing peacefully can be much more important, and possibly more beneficial, than actually becoming friends. You may meet your best friends through classes and extra-curricular activities, but at the end of the day you know you have a safe environment to return to.

The last piece of advice I have regards suitemates, which concerns those of you living in the newer dorms. I liked both of my suitemates, but as with my roommate, there were times of intense conflict. Most of our issues involved the state of our communal areas-taking out the trash or crowding out others’ personal belongings in the bathroom. Sharing a space like a bathroom becomes complicated, because no one wants to deal with a mess. But, if you divvy up trash duty and make some form of communication if you run into each other in the morning, you and your bathroom will never have looked better.

It might seem like this whole equation is dictated by luck. Some will get lucky and be paired with someone completely compatible while others might find themselves living with someone a bit more difficult. Either way, through the ups and downs of roommate relations, it is important to keep a level head, work through problems rather than avoid them and treat each other with the respect.

Luck might determine who you live with, but effort and understanding determine how you live with them.

For most students, college is the first time they have to make most decisions for themselves-including dietary ones. Snacking is no longer as easy as walking a few steps into the kitchen and opening the pantry; instead it requires a little bit of planning ahead. The first year of college is also a time for the dreaded “freshman 15”-the extra 15 pounds many students gain from the change in food options. Lucky for you, I have compiled a list of what I consider the top seven dorm room snacks. These snacks have been evaluated based on popularity, taste and health benefits and they can be found at on-campus stores and dining halls.

1) Popcorn. Popcorn is an extremely popular snack because it is easy to store, non-perishable and tasty. Plain popcorn is the healthiest, but most microwaveable brands add butter and salt to enhance the taste. Doing so can pack in hundreds of extra calories and about 12 grams of excess fat. Instead of buying “homestyle” or “butter-blast” popcorn, I recommend trying the new 100-calorie pop bags. Each bag has about 3.5 grams of fat and only 100 calories and they come in both butter and kettle corn varieties, making them a healthy and tasty alternative to other types of microwaveable popcorn.

2) “100-calorie bags.” The second snack I would recommend are those 100-calorie bags of Wheat Thins, Cheese-Its, Chips Ahoy, Oreos, Graham Crackers, etc. They are easy to throw in a backpack or eat in a dorm room and their pre-measured amounts help reduce the risk of overeating. Organic and healthier varieties of these snacks are now being sold at stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, so if you’re really a health nut, like I am, you should check out the natural varieties; they are free of trans fats and made from all natural ingredients. Also, if you have crackers, chips or pretzels, you can make your own “100-calorie bags” by placing a small portion of the snack in a plastic baggie.

3) Cereal. Once the staple of your breakfast, it is also a great dorm room snack. Any of the Kashi cereals are great, but so are many of the “mainstream” cereals like Cheerios, both regular and Honey Nut, and Honey Bunches of Oats. Just remember, when looking for a cereal to snack on, try and choose one made with whole grains that has lots of dietary fiber, to both fill you up quickly and keep your digestive system healthy.

4) Fruit cups. As far as fruits are concerned, fresh fruits are the best. The more colorful the fruit, the more minerals and vitamins it provides. When fresh fruits aren’t an option, try fruit cups (they come in tropical, mandarin orange and pineapple) and are the perfect snack size.

5) Carrot sticks. Baby carrot sticks, although not sweet or salty, are sometimes the perfect snack. A serving of carrots (baby carrots are now available in individual snack-size packages) can be very satisfying and filling. To add a little more flavor without significantly increasing the amount of calories, try dipping baby carrots in a low calorie dressing.

6) Yogurt. Yogurt is an easy way to pack extra calcium and protein into your diet while still enjoying a sweet snack. If you are looking to maintain or reduce your current weight, try light yogurts. Most brands of light yogurt contain only 60 to 100 calories per container (regular yogurt can have over 200 calories), which makes them a perfectly acceptable snack to satisfy your sweet tooth between meals.

7) Cheese snacks. The most popular cheese snack, string cheese, isn’t only for little kids anymore. String cheese is extremely popular with college students, and for good reasons. Cheese, especially in the low-fat and reduced fat varieties, is a healthy, convenient and portable snack that, like yogurt, has plenty of protein and calcium. If you find yourself getting bored with the traditional mozzarella string cheese, try Monterey Jack cheese sticks, cheddar cheese bricks or Gouda cheese circles.

Coming to college in St. Louis, you might know very little about the city-perhaps only that it seemed to have a lot of old, abandoned warehouses and a giant muddy river. But after three years of wandering the city, it gets to feeling like a second home and it turns out to be a pretty amazing place.

There’s so much to learn, see and do in St. Louis that sometimes it can be overwhelming. Even worse, it can seem like simply too big of a task for a young car-less freshman still getting acclimated to college life. Even worse than that are the apathetic students, who are too comfortable in their dorm rooms to get out and explore the city life.

Just because you don’t have a car doesn’t mean you can’t travel all across St. Louis-the free Metro passes are as valuable as you want to make them, and the more you take advantage of public transportation, the more you will feel like a part of the city.

Learning and interacting with the surrounding area is one of the most important parts of the college experience, and with minimal effort and a little motivation, you can get to know an entirely new city and start calling it your own.

Below are some of the can’t-miss (but all-too-often-missed) districts in St. Louis, and how to get to them easily, for free and without a car.

While exploring, it is also a good idea to keep a map handy, and a schedule of MetroLink and MetroBus times, both available online.

Lafayette Square

Lafayette Square has been one of St. Louis’ most successful restoration efforts. After a few decades of work, the area now boasts successful shops, restaurants and some of the city’s most interesting architecture-more than four hundred Victorian homes have been restored in all. Though home to St. Louis’ oldest public park, this area is best known to Wash. U. students as the home of Bailey’s Chocolate Bar-the best dessert restaurant in town and one of the only places you’ll find incredible chocolate sundaes and chocolate martinis under the same roof. Across the street you’ll find Sqwires (so named for its history as a wires factory in the square), a new gourmet restaurant and grocery featuring jazz and blues concerts on weekends.

Getting there: Take the Metrolink to the Grand Station. Walk up the stairs and wait for the Number 13 bus. Take the bus south down Park Ave. and get off at the corner of Park and Mississippi Ave.

Grand/Midtown

Grand Ave. is at the heart of our Catholic university neighbors, the St. Louis University Billikens-yes, their mascot is an imaginary smiling Asian elf creature seen in a mysterious dream by an American artist in the early 1900s. This district is another of St. Louis’ up and coming areas, anchored by the fabulous Fox Theatre and The Bistro, the city’s premier jazz venue. The Fox really must be seen to be believed, with a recent restoration bringing it back to its 1929 glory. It hosts everything from Broadway musicals to Brian McKnight, so make sure you see a show soon. Grand also features some solid restaurants like Vito’s (Italian) and Pho Grand (Vietnamese) that are affordable and delicious. Try dinner and Jazz at the Bistro, which offers incredible student discounts on their weekly shows (tickets are $10-$20 for a top jazz act).

Getting there: Take the MetroLink to the Grand Station. Walk up the stairs and wait for the Number 70 bus. Take it north down Grand and get off at the corner of Grand and Olive St.

Cherokee Street

Cherokee Street is home to much of St. Louis’ Latino population and is starting to become a sort of trendy artistic district as well. Located about 15 blocks south of Lafayette Square in one of the city’s older neighborhoods, it is filled with a mix of history and new sights. The streets are lined with the city’s best Mexican restaurants and grocers, where you can buy fresh corn tortillas or Jarritos, a delicious soda. If you like dancing, there are swing and salsa events at the historic Casa Loma Ballroom (at Cherokee and Iowa Avenue), still standing after more than 78 years. On Friday nights, there are live big band performances of swing and ballroom music, often with 15-20 members in the band. If swing is not your thing, you might be interested in the Lemp Mansion, home of America’s first lager beer brewer. The mansion itself is pretty amazing as one of the larger mansions built in St. Louis in the 1860s, but they also hold gourmet murder mystery dinners every Friday and Saturday night. Seriously.

Getting there: Take the MetroLink to the Civic Center Station. Wait for the Number 11 bus nearby on 14th St. and take it north on 14th. It will make a loop and start going south on Jefferson Ave. Get off at the corner of Jefferson and Cherokee, and walk a few blocks west to Iowa Ave.

Old North St. Louis

Old North St. Louis is another historic district and as you may guess is north (and a little west) of downtown. It was actually a separate town until 1841, when it was annexed by the city of St. Louis. It still has a historical feel and is home to many community gardens and historic 200 year-old buildings. But it is definitely best known being home to the Crown Candy Kitchen, a St. Louis institution since 1913. Crown Candy has stuck with its location through all the ups and downs of the area, from its peak as a dense immigrant neighborhood to its gradual decline in the mid-late 1900s. It now serves as the anchor for the area’s redevelopment. It has a classic simple lunch menu, but makes its name from its homemade milk shakes and candy creations-think lollipops, Swedish fish, chocolate nut clusters and more. If you’re feeling confident enough, you can try their milk shake challenge-drinking five within 30 minutes to get all five for free and your name on the store’s wall-but I don’t recommend it for the faint of heart, or stomach.

Getting there: Take the MetroLink to the Civic Center Station. Wait for the Number 30 bus at the corner of Washington Ave. and 6th St. Take the bus north through town and get off at the corner of St. Louis Ave. and 13th St.

Going to school in St. Louis and not getting out to explore the city is like getting a brand new Wii for your birthday and never opening the box. So, Step 1: cut a hole in the box.

Trip planning on MetroLink and MetroBus is available at tripfinder.metrostlouis.org.

Freshmen approaching their first year at Wash. U. are sure to have loads of questions about college and campus life. Here are some frequently asked questions that don’t always appear in the endless stream of beautiful, glossy booklets and brochures sent out over the summer.

How can I get involved?

There are tons of ways to get involved at Wash. U. With more than 200 student groups, there’s something for everyone. There are cultural groups like the African Students Association, the Chinese Students Association and the Korean Students Association. If singing is your thing, you can also try out for one of the many a cappella groups. For athletes, there are varsity sports, intramural sports and club sports. Students may also be interested in community service, in which case the Campus Y and the Office of Student Activities are the places to go. You may also consider joining a religious organization, a social action group, a political group-such as the College Democrats or the College Republicans-or a group that’s just plain fun like the bowling or juggling club. And writers, photographers and future journalists are sure to find a place at the newspaper Student Life. Whatever the passion, there’s a group out there for it. It’s easy to become a part of it at Wash. U. For more information about student groups, check out the Activities Fair, held at the beginning of each semester, and getinvolved.wustl.edu.

What are some fun things I can do on campus or around St. Louis?

After a long week of classes, there’s always plenty to do and there’s something for just about everyone. Sports-lovers may want to check out the basketball and sand volleyball courts on the South 40, and “the Swamp,” also on the 40, is a great place to find soccer or Frisbee games. Thrill-seekers can head over to Six Flags St. Louis and Hurricane Harbor for some big roller coaster and water slide action. Shoppers can take the MetroLink to the St. Louis Galleria, a big mall with just about everything. Many students enjoy the ease and location of the Loop, located just off of campus, for an assortment of restaurants and shops and even a year-round farmer’s market. For film aficionados, the Esquire movie theater is a 15-minute walk south of the dorms and the Tivoli is 15 minutes north on the Loop. Animal lovers will enjoy the St. Louis Zoo, located in neighboring Forest Park, which is fun and best of all, free. Also housed in Forest Park is the St. Louis Art Museum, one of the premier art museums in the country-perfect for the art aficionados looking for a free venue. Forest Park also has paddleboats and fountains, which are great during the warm weather months. And if you have access to a car, definitely visit the City Museum-a giant playground with caves, abandoned airplanes, tunnels and more. It’s a must-see.

What will I need for classes?

College classes don’t require any particular set of binders, folders or notebooks. Basically, all that you need are books and maybe a calculator for a math or chemistry class. It’s up to you as far as what you’ll use to take notes or whether you’ll wear a backpack or carry a bag. Enjoy the freedom, but be sure to bring a pen and some paper on the first day of class.

Are the classes a lot harder than high school?

The answer to that is yes.and no. It depends, of course, on what classes you take and the level of difficulty you experienced in high school. From my personal experience, I can say that it’s just different from high school. Professors tend to give less busy work than they did in high school. You will certainly need to spend time studying. All in all, most classes are challenging but also very interesting and you’ll learn a lot. It’s up to you to make the effort though. Many teachers don’t even take attendance, so if you skip class, you’re the one missing out.

How do people dress for class?

In general, people dress pretty casually for class at Wash. U. No more dress codes, kids. Feel free to dress up, but the laid back look is perfectly fine too. Indulge in your own unique style. There are always people on campus with their own unique looks.

What is an RA, and what can they do for me?

I remember when I first got to school, I really didn’t know what an Residential Advisor was. After all, I’d never been to college before. Finally, I found my RAs and they were two of the friendliest, nicest people around. My RAs were great throughout the year. They were always willing to talk about fun or serious stuff. They also planned gatherings for my floor and got us free food on occasion. Overall, get to know your RAs because chances are they’re pretty awesome and can probably answer a lot of your questions.

When is it appropriate to Facebook “friend” someone?

This is a tricky question, and the answer may vary from person to person. Personally, I don’t recommend “friending” people you’ve never actually met before just because they look attractive in some way. Chances are you might not actually ever meet that person and if you do, there might be some awkwardness as you both consider the goofy pictures you’ve already seen, the odd facts you mysteriously know about one another and the fact that you have already programmed their cell phone number into your phone. That could border on what we college kids call “Facebook stalking.” Of course, don’t freak out if you’ve already “friended” the whole class of 2011 (and ’10 and ’09 and ’08). In the end, it’s not really that big of a deal. In fact, some people may be flattered by your random friend requests, thinking to themselves, “She thinks I’m awesome!” On a side note, I do think it’s OK to friend someone you’ve never actually met before as long as you have some sort of connection. For example, you could friend someone who will be a future teammate (hint, hint to future cross country teammates actually reading this). Of course, sometimes you just have to friend someone you don’t like because their profile is set to private and you want to see their pictures.sounds stalker-ish, but oh well. All’s fair in love, war and on Facebook (well, except for nude photos).

Is it acceptable to sit with people you don’t know in the cafeteria?

While Wash. U. is an overall friendly campus and it may sound like fun to just go sit at a random table to meet new people while you eat, this does not happen often after the first few weeks of school. When you first get to campus, you might not know anyone-but don’t worry, all the other freshmen are in the same boat and you can meet lots of new people on your floor, from class or from a club that you join. You might feel more comfortable sitting with people that you somewhat know and then introducing yourself you to their friends or the random people at the next table over.
Best of luck when you arrive on campus and if you have any more questions, feel free to send me a message on Facebook.