St. Louis, MO?

I'm looking into a school around St. Louis, and I'm sort of doing a little price scanning and getting opinions of the area before I apply. Personal opinions matter more to me than government data, so that's why I'm asking rather than just looking up statistics. <br><br>So, my main question is, has anyone here ever gone to or around St. Louis in the past 2 years? If you have, could you answer the questions below?<br><br>What were the prices [groceries, restaurants, movies, etc.] like? <br>Is it very walkable or does it require a car?<br>If it requires a car, are there taxis or buses? (XD)<br>Are there many dog-friendly places or not really?<br>Are there some interesting places to take photos?<br><br>I'd only be in school for 4-5 months, but that will be the longest I've ever been on my own. (Sad as that is. XD) I'd only have class 4 or 5 days a week, so the other days I could spend just walking around or doing something dog-friendly. I'll probably bring my dog, but it depends upon the cost.<br><br><br>So yeah, if anyone has any information on St. Louis it would be greatly appreciated. And if not, then oh well. XD<br><br><br><br>- Anastasia