Security at St. Louis

[WSlbl]

Originally Posted by Trying to Help

Everyone knows you can't get eaten by a bear! They just eat your food and maybe drink your beer.

And it is good for experienced attendees to remind others or just share their experiences with those of us newcomers.

Is there a thread on best place to park? Decent food nearby? How far it is from one place to the next? What's the best idea you could give someone who has never been to Champs?

Thank you!

For eating, I can recommend two restaurants near the arena. They're next to each other. One is a pizza place (can't remember the name) and the other is a sandwich shop called Snarf's (highly recommended,good prices and service, also has cool sodas, ice cream). Both tend to have large lines so get there early or late. Some members of my team took shifts waiting and texted everyone when they were about to order. We also go food orders for drive and pit crew when the robot needed fixing.
There is also a starbucks and a few convenience stores nearby along with other lunch places that are more of a walk.
My suggestion is to bring some snacks for yourself/your team and some water for the day. If you're going to eat go in pairs or groups and do shifts for waiting in line. The food at the venue is pretty expensive but there are a few interesting kiosks that open for part of the day.

[ATannahill]

Originally Posted by WSlbl

For eating, I can recommend two restaurants near the arena. They're next to each other. One is a pizza place (can't remember the name) and the other is a sandwich shop called Snarf's (highly recommended,good prices and service, also has cool sodas, ice cream). Both tend to have large lines so get there early or late. Some members of my team took shifts waiting and texted everyone when they were about to order. We also go food orders for drive and pit crew when the robot needed fixing.
There is also a starbucks and a few convenience stores nearby along with other lunch places that are more of a walk.
My suggestion is to bring some snacks for yourself/your team and some water for the day. If you're going to eat go in pairs or groups and do shifts for waiting in line. The food at the venue is pretty expensive but there are a few interesting kiosks that open for part of the day.

I second the recommendation for Pi.

[Robomarfa]

Our school van was broken into at the public parking lot across from City Museum last year. Happens every day say the cops. Take care.

[PVCMike]

Thanks for this great reminder. Many teams are coming from rural or suburban areas where the typical sorts of urban crime are non-existent. With St. Louis definitely being above average in petty theft (and dangerous crimes) this is a good reminder that team's should be talking to their students about proper safety procedures and typical city-living practices like not leaving anything in your car, covered or not.

I would highly recommend teams, especially those from rural/suburban areas, hold a safety meeting to discuss these things. It may be unnecessary, but if it educates one member of your team and keeps them from losing something to theft, or saves them from a dangerous situation you've done something good. I'll be putting together out team's "Urban-Safety" briefing in the next few days and would be willing to share the bullet points here if anyone is interested.