The neighborhoods that surround Tower Grove Park — Tower Grove South, Tower Grove East, Tower Grove Heights, Shaw — comprise a microcosm of St. Louis. Here bespectacled hipsters coexist with old-school south siders, tattooed urban cyclists, transplanted Wash. U. scientists, twenty-year brewery men, young families, all making a go of it. The streets are alive with dog-walking, bike-riding, stroller-pushing St. Louisans. No boundaries around sexual orientation, skin color or country of origin. A brief rundown of South Grand Boulevard eateries reflects it clearly: Meskerem (Ethiopian), Café Natasha's Kabob (Persian), Sameem (Afghan), Pho Grand (Vietnamese), King & I (Thai), Mangia Italiano (Italian), City Diner (uh, Dinerese). International grocery? Check. Coffeehouse? Take your pick, and there's a tearoom, too. Watering holes? You must be kidding — for the good of the people, there's a bar on almost every corner. Organic grocery? Yep. Farmers' market? Youbetcha. The homes range from million-dollar three-story beauties on Utah to two-story row houses to rehabbed rentals to condo-lofts. Tower Grove is the heart of St. Louis, home to the immaculately clipped carpets of zoysia and the rows of red brick that give the city its character. The St. Louis area is replete with beautiful neighborhoods, and Tower Grove exemplifies the neighborly heart of this richness.