St Louis Riverfront Style – Arch & Paddle-Wheel Boats

September 4, 2010 by libertatemamo 1 Comment

All I really knew about St Louis prior to coming here was that it had a really, really big Arch and a famous plane carried her name across the Atlantic in 1927. Both as it turns out, are true the only difference being that the Arch is physically in St Louis whereas the plane was merely funded from here and now resides at the National Air and Space Museum in DC.

So, off to see the Arch I went.

I’m always somewhat skeptical of large architectural projects, at least as far as enjoying them, but I have to admit the Arch is quite the thing to see. This unique structure is the tallest national monument in the US spanning 630 feet (192 m) wide at its base and 630 feet (192 m) tall. It was built as a memorial to Thomas Jefferson’s role in the “opening of the West”, and took 2 1/2 years (1963-1965) and $13 million to complete, rather a bargain. For the not-so-faint-of-heart (that would be not me) you can ride to the top in a tram and scare yourself livid by looking down the void. Right next to the Arch is a replica 19th-century paddle-wheel boat, and while I was there we had the bonus of a Corvette Club rally (Batman’s car was there!) along the Mississippi. The Arch is a cool little side-visit in this “almost West, almost South” town and worth the “wow, it’s big” comment from seeing it in the flesh.

Well, that concludes our short visit to civilization and we’re back off into the boonies where many would say we belong. Have a great week-end, everyone!