Here's a nice article from The St. Louis Post Dispatch about how the area surrounding my dad's warehouse (Production Support Services, my place of employment as well) is on the fast track to becoming the next popular St. Louis neighborhood. Along the same lines as "The Loop", "Soulard", "The Washington Loft District", "Lafayette Square", "The Central West End" and "Grand Center".

Right now, the area is most commonly referred to as Forest Park Southeast, which is quite vague considering that covers everything from "The Hill" to the "Central West End". More specifically they are talking about a stretch of Manchester Rd between Tower Grove Ave. and Sarah St and the surrounding blocks. In the 50's when the area was still a bustling shopping district, people were calling it "The Grove". Sounds kinda outdated to me. Although a new fine dining restaurant (which actually opened this summer as an old fashioned Ice Cream Parlor) has opened up called the "Mangrove" at the corner of Manchester and Tower Grove, using the names of the two streets to create the name. Yet rumor has it the establishment is owned by a gay man, so maybe its a double entendre.

Anyway, I won't say to much more other than I have definitely noticed the improvements in the neighborhood myself over the past 3 years or so and have discussed it at length with the fine folks over at the Billy Goat Restaurant and Bar, another relatively new establishment across the street from work. Who knows what's to come in the next couple of years?

UPDATE: While having a brew yesterday after work at "The Goat", I noticed that the Forest Park Southeast Neighborhood Association just released their first official newsletter. It highlighted some of the same things that the StLToday article did. More specifically it mentioned that there are 6 new restaurants opening (or old establishments relocating) within the next 6 months to the 4100 and 4200 blocks of Manchester Rd. Liam mentioned in the comments section that parking is a problem. Wouldn't you know it, by April of 2005, a public parking lot will be opening at the corner of Manchester Rd and Sarah St. For even more info on the developments, visit the FPSE homepage.

- these thoughts flowed through Jeff's fingers @ 3:12 PM