What is the best suburb/neighborhood near/in Seattle? -

I am in the Army and will soon ETS (get out). I am stationed at Ft. Lewis and absolutely LOVE Washington as does my wife, so I am thinking of settling there when I get out. I really want to look into being a police office in Seattle, and I know living in Seattle proper is out of the question on a cop s salary, so I am looking or some thoughts on the best place to live near Seattle. My criteria are as follows: Decent commute to Seattle (don t laugh), good schools/daycare (I ll have a 6 year old, a 5 year old, and a 2.5 year old when I ETS), low crime rate, and manageable cost of living. Thanks for any input!

I ve lived in the Bothell area all my life and I love it. It is right off of 405 which allows easy access to the freeway.. Bellevue is also a beautiful area now, it is truly up and coming.. Depending on your income, I d say Bothell, Bellevue, and Woodinville are your best options. Northshore School District is actually fairly good. Hope this helps..Take care!

Lynnwood, Edmonds, Shoreline.

My friend lives in Lynwood and he loves it.

Can anyone recommend a nice restaurant in St. Charles, Missouri for my girlfriend and I? -

My girlfriend and I are traveling to St. Louis on Sunday December 20th and are looking to spend that night in St. Charles. We want a nice upscale dinner that maybe has some festive and romantic aspects. Our price range is $150-$200. Any suggestions? Any suggestions on a hotel as well? Or any other happening in downtown St. Charles that evening? Thanks

I m assuming that you are talking about main street. There are several restraunts on south main such as Louis and Clark, the Vine and the Little Hills Winery. Not every one is open on Sundays for dinner so you may want to check. You might want to look at www.stcharleschristmas.com to see all the festivities that are going on in old town for the Christmas season. One close hotel is the new Embassy Suites that has very nice suites at a reasonable rate. You are also just a few blocks from the Ameristar Casino which has restaurants, entertainment and a hotel too.

I don t know any really upscale restaurants, but if you go into downtown St. Charles, there are so many fun things happening along historic Main Street. There are a ton of cute shops, carolers, people dressed up as holiday characters. It s a lot of fun :) maybe not exactly the fancy romantic setting you re looking for, but it s really cute and I think you d enjoy it. There s a couple restaurants along Main Street as well, such as Lewis and Clark s and the Trailhead Brewing Co, which are both very, very good but not really as high as your price range. Make sure to call ahead and make reservations fast, because a lot of restaurants in downtown St. Charles are crazy on the weekends, especially the two I just mentioned...

The Ameristar Casino has very nice restraunts

This guide with user reviews should give you some ideas

Does anyone know of any cheap hotels in St. Louis? -

I want to take a week-end trip to St. Louis and any cheap places to stay for 30 or 40 bucks would be nice.

Any hotels that charge regular rates in this price range will not be where you would want to stay. Try motel 6, Econo Inn, Oaktree, or Red Roof Inn They may be a bit higher than this rate but are at least semi clean and mostly safe.

there are quite a few sites that you can search that will likely show you great hotels at the best prices available. check out the website BookMe and you will be able to compare prices on all the reputable travel sites in just a couple minutes. it s very convenient and will save you a bunch of time and money. Also, make sure you buy them online... otherwise they charge much higher fees for phone orders. good luck.

Go to priceline.com and bid on $30 for a three star hotel. If no takers, try two stars. If no takers go back to three stars and bid $40. Get the picture? You will find a bargain. Just be sure of the part of the city you want to be in.

HelloThis can help you to find nice hotel deals.we can check and compare current hotel prices along with reviews at ��hotels combined��-------------------Besthotelbookingguide.com-------------------good luck!................

Not unless you want a No Tell Motel

Gift for a teenage boy travelling to America? -

My 16 year old brother is going on a 2 week holiday to America, with a school group, after Christmas. We (his siblings) were hoping to get him something for his trip for Christmas, but don t know what to get. All we could think of was a digital camera, or money which has been exchanged to American currency, but we d like something a little more interesting. Any ideas? Thanks!

I think both are excellent gifts! Make sure the camera has tons of memory or an extra memory card.Maybe a nice diary he can keep notes (esp of the pictures) in if he s into that. Get him a few Cadbury bars to bring. Decent chocolate in the US can be hard to come by unless you re in big cities. (Hershey s really is unimpressive to say the least.) Really, any snack the he might like but not be able to easily find while here will be nice. He ll either love the fact that he has so something from home to eat OR he ll share with (or sell it to) the people he s with.I think the camera is the best idea though. And quite generous! Those things ain t cheap!I hope your brother has a wonderful trip! and I hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas and a most excellent New Year!

The camera is a good idea. If you can afford it, a camcorder would be even better. The pictures and memories will last forever.