Best 'Ville

Sorry Edwardsville, Wentzville, Nashville, Collinsville, Caseyville and Centreville. There's just something about Belleville that offers respite from St. Louis like no other metro-area 'Ville. Maybe it's the walking-distance proximity between Belleville's quaint Main Street and its MetroLink station. Maybe it's the jalapeño popper-and-beer specials at Three-1-Three that make grocery shopping seem expensive and superfluous. More likely it's the feeling one gets walking through Belleville's empty cobblestone streets in the rain at night. It's like stepping into a Dickens or Faulkner novel (which of the two depends upon how humid it is outside). If a 'Ville can make you feel that way at this low, low price, it's bound to be the best.