Plenty to chew on in the above posts. I agree that the lighting in the Ed could be better; but back in the day of GSOT, it was raucous and fun. It's still fan-friendly, with good sight lines, little useless out-of-bounds territory, etc. I remember seeing Bears games in the old Soldier Field; or games at the Rose Bowl, or the old LA Coliseum - yikes! The sight lines were terrible, the fans far away from the field. So for the basics, the Ed is fine. They've also made a few improvements over the years; the largest bar in the NFL behind the north end zone; the second-largest video screen (after Dallas); improved audio, etc.
One of the problems is expectations. The NFL has sold its soul to television - not to season ticket holders. Too often at the Dome, fans feel like extras in some TV production. Too many 2-minute time outs; after ever possession change, etc.; piped in music; piped in highlights from other games; little or no halftime entertainment. That's the nature of the beast, I'm afraid; nothing like college football. But that's not unique to the Ed. The problem is - you have time to focus on this stuff when you're going 15-65; you've paid an arm and a leg for season tickets; the view (not to mention restrooms and food) would be better - and cheaper - if you'd stayed at home; and when the stadium isn't full. Nothing fun about sharing the experience of another loss with 40,000 people; but sharing another win with 66,000? My God - there's nothing like it.
Biggest problem with the Ed is it's no longer in the top 25% of NFL stadiums; there's no way to effectively improve it to meet that standard; and the lease required that it be. It's WAY better than sitting in old Busch on a 100 degree day, when the surface of the astroturf reached 130 degrees or better; WAY better than seeing a game at Wrigley (I've seen plenty - understand the charm; but it's still 100 years old). It also could use a good area for mass tailgating - which it had during the GSOT, and before Lumiere Place, etc., were built.
As for safety - my young children scared off thieves who broke into our van years ago, as we were leaving...a Cardinals game. But that was once, and rare. Nothing unsafe about downtown St. Louis, from Busch in the south to the Ed in the north; or from the River west to Tucker (12th Street). Some shuttered buildings - but nothing unsafe. Beyond that, it varies by neighborhood.
As I see it, two problems here; that the Rams can leave the Ed, no longer are stuck there by the lease; and the generic problem of the NFL - that the home experience, with high-def 60 inch surround-sound TVs threatens attendance at the games themselves. With the Niners new stadium, the Ed will be by far the oldest and least up-to-date of the stadiums in the NFC West; but Dodger Stadium is the third-oldest in MLB, I think. When the Rams win, it's "cool" to go to a Rams game; when they don't, it's not; simple as that. The Cardinals haven't drawn less than 40,000 to a home game yet; they win, so they're cool. People go to see the team play; not the stadium.
Rams need to win; and Stan Kroenke needs to own his own stadium. In my opinion, everything else is irrelevant.