An Ambassador Of St. Louis
If there was a Mrs. St. Louis, I think I would be in the running…
I was driving around the other day when I realized that I am an ambassador for St. Louis. I stole that name from my days at Fontbonne University when I would show prospective students around campus and give them a better feel for College life as a Griffin, our mascot for those unfamiliar with the “school across the street from Wash U.” Who knew that way back then I would be prepping for my future profession.
Many instances in my life parallel that of my mother’s. My mother was raised in University City and went to Christ the King. I was raised in St. Louis and went to Christ the King. My mother’s first home was on Stanford and my husband and I recently purchased our first home on, you guessed it, Stanford.
My story isn’t a straight path though, a little over 20 years ago we had just moved into my mothers dream home on Delmar, when my father told us that we were going to be moving to Ft. Lauderdale over the summer. He told us we would have a pool in our backyard, we didn’t hear anything after that.
After we finished up our summer sports we packed up our belongings and headed for the Sunshine State. Apparently no one told us that during the summer it rains everyday, but who cared, we had a pool in our backyard.
I hated South Florida, besides the pool. I didn’t have any friends, all of our neighbors got sent away to camp so I was stuck with my three brothers each and every day. My parents made a deal with me, stick it out for a year and if I still hated it then I could move back to St. Louis. By the time the year mark passed, I had completely forgotten about our pact as well as what it was like to have to wear a winter coat.
As the years passed, it was time to pick a college. Little did I know that I would be headed right back to where I left. My grandma and mom had gone to Fontbonne so I was considering that as an option and, like most college bound kids, pretty much any school away from my parents was an option. Long story short, I selected Fontbonne University. I thought it would be the best of both worlds, being away from home but having family in the area so I wouldn’t be all alone.
It came time to check in the dorms and I told my mom that I had decided that I wasn’t going to go to Fontbonne anymore and that I would be returning back to Florida with them. Once again I got the “stick it out for a year” speech and 4 years later I graduated from Fontbonne.
Over the years I have been asked repeatedly why did I come to St. Louis when I was in a warm climate? I used to use school as my excuse, or that I wanted to be close to my Grandma. School is long over and my grandma is in a better place so it was time to face the music, I love St. Louis.
St. Louis has a magic pull on me; the people here are the nicest in the Country. The changing seasons provide for rejuvenation and appreciation for long days and warm nights. I love when I have friends come to town. It’s hard to try to jam in everything from going to the Zoo, the Brewery, visiting the local eating establishments, and taking in a sporting event. Each and every person leaves with a little bit of the love for the City. My list could go on and on but there has to be a close to this eventually.
I am so lucky to be working for Upper End Properties; I have had the opportunity to work with many people relocating to St. Louis (and current residents). I get to tell them about all of the benefits to living in this great town from the neighborhoods where you actually know your neighbors names, to the free activities that are on a constant cycle year round, to local restaurants off the beaten path. I get to help people select homes where their children will be in the top school districts and where they will be within walking distance to their offices. I get to share my pride of the city.
To all of my clients and future clients, thank you for letting me part of your search and thank you for letting me be your Ambassador.
Liz Werle Rainey
Real Estate Agent, Upper End Properties
