If you’d like a little background on what’s going on here, see the original road trip post. Otherwise, just enjoy the photos!
The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, MO
This was the view from our hotel room. As you can see, the rising sun’s reflection off of the arch was very nice…blinding, but nice…wake up! That’s a piece of the Historic Old Courthouse in the lower left-hand corner…
This is the view looking up from the base of the arch. Amazing and dizzying… Do you see the faintly darker line along both sides of the narrowest part of the arch (click to enlarge)? These are the windows for viewing, from the inside, of course…heh…
Okay, we’re now inside the arch, at its base. The doors on the right side of the staircase are to compartments that seat five. There are eight compartments each on both the north and south trams that run up and down both sides of the arch. This area is actually located underneath the arch along with the Museum of Westward Expansion. It’s a whole other world down there!…
I don’t remember exactly, but it seems that there was a problem on the return trip and we had to walk down a short distance. I could be wrong. W didn’t remember any problems but I can’t imagine that this is the usual way to disembark! This gives you a glimpse of how the inside of the arch looks, minus the two guys, of course…
This is the view looking down from the arch toward the east and the city of St. Louis (is that trash lying on the lawn?) awful…
This is the view looking down from the arch toward the west and the Gateway Arch Riverfront on the Mississippi River…
This is a view of the Historic Old Courthouse and the city of St. Louis…
Here’s another view of the city showing the Historic Old Courthouse and the old Busch Memorial Stadium. To the stadium’s right is the new stadium that was in the works and was finished in 2006. Our hotel was located to the right of the old one…
This is the view looking west at the Mississippi River and the earthscape…
Another view of the Mississippi River and another earthscape…
This was part of the pre-game festivities for the Cardinals-Astros baseball game…
This was taken pre-game outside Busch Memorial Stadium, October 19, 2005. On this night the Cardinals lost in the NLCS to the Houston Astros 4-2. It was the last game played in the old stadium. No, we didn’t go to the game although we did try to find tickets…anyway, W’s a Yankees fan and me? I just loved all the lights and hubbub—had no idea what was going on baseball-wise…
This is the view from our hotel room of the Historic Old Courthouse at night…
The arch at sunset…
The arch at night. We had a hard time getting a good night shot. Actually, we never did get a good night shot!…
This is the view of the arch, I believe, through an alley in the Laclede’s District of St. Louis…
October 18, 2005
So, we left eastern Kentucky around noon on October 18 and for six and a half hours drove straight on I-64 through Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky, and the southern tips of both Indiana and Illinois. We arrived at the Pavilion Hotel on South Broadway in St. Louis, that is located along the Illinois-Missouri border.
Since we planned to visit only the most popular sites during our five weeks on the road and would be in St. Louis for only a few nights, sightseeing was restricted to the Gateway Arch and surrounding area. We missed out on alot of sightseeing in the city, but we did spend a lot of time in the Museum of Westward Expansion that was educational and interesting.
W and I aren’t sticklers where time is concerned, so our method of booking reservations may not be for everyone. Realizing that even the cheesiest motel could cost $50 or more, we chose to book reservations on the fly, usually only a day or two ahead. Depending on how long we planned on staying in each city, at night we would troll Priceline on the laptop for accommodations at our next stop. This worked well and on average we probably paid around $40 per night, a lot of times for three-star hotels. If you’re not familiar with Priceline but like to save money, check them out. It’s definitely worth it!
If you are planning this sort of trip and intend to see a lot of national parks, you might want to purchase a national parks pass. The pass is good for a year from the time of purchase and will save you a lot of money. There’s a link below.
These restaurants were within walking distance of the arch:
Caleco’s: unmemorable pizza…it’s been awhile, so the food could have improved since then
Hannigan’s Restaurant and Pub: good sandwiches and brew…located at Laclede’s Landing, a popular nightspot
Charlie Gitto’s: excellent pasta dishes…I know it was only lasagna, but it was memorable!
Other interesting links:
The National Park Service
Gateway Arch
Gateway Arch Fact Sheet
National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass
St. Louis nightlife
Next stop…Kansas, uh, actually Denver, Colorado…
Grace
T
8noodles
justin
YogaforCynics
Twitter: craftybird
Whoa! The Gateway Arch is so..so…SCARY! I am terrified of high buildings, but even with the possibility of soiling myself I would have been too curious to miss a ride up it. It’s HUGE! And beautiful where the light hits it. The photos from the top are incredible. And there’s the Mississippi, complete with paddle steamer – can you spot the British tourist in your comments section ? ;D
Ok, and now I’m off to catch up on your blog some more!
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Twitter: earthtoholly
Hi Bird!
“…soiling myself..” your’re too much! So funny! :o)
Yes, isn’t it just the most amazing structure? It definitely is HUGE…standing at the base and looking up is simply surreal. I really wish I had taken more photos (without our mugs, that is—I can’t count the number of “self-portraits” we took!). I think that the paddle boat you see is a riverboat casino, and that is East St. Louis on the other side of the river. Too bad that we didn’t have more time to venture into the rest of the city…
Your trip looks like so much fun. I was dropping Entrecards when I landed on your blog and saw photos of my city. I don’t live in the city, but outside of it. It was fun to see the familiar sights through a tourists eyes. Actually, it all looks the same. LOL
Patty´s last blog post..Static Electricity – It Hurts!
Twitter: earthtoholly
Hi Patty.
I’m so glad you stopped to take a look. Although I didn’t get around much in St. Louis, I really enjoyed what I saw. Never did get to Anheuser-Busch and the Clydesdales, though. We did want to see that! :o)
Twitter: plasmanc
I’m terrified of heights so there’s no way I would go near that arch. it certainly looks impressive though, Holly, but there is no way I would climb it – I’d be nervous being in the same city …
:-)
Cheers
PM
Plastic Mancunian´s last blog post..A Very British Post (Part Three) – Iconic Symbols
Twitter: earthtoholly
Hi PM.
Isn’t it funny that you can fly to Hong Kong yet are nervous about the arch whereas I have no problem with the arch yet am terrified of flying. Obviously they are two different phobias. How about rollercoasters or amusement park rides that take you way up? Those I’m not crazy about… :o|
Twitter: plasmanc
Hi Holly,
Flying doesn’t scare me – it infuriates me but definitely doesn’t scare me. Yes – roller coasters terrify me too. Bizarrely I was OK with them until I rode one in Los Angeles in 1989 – and that scared me so much that I have only just stopped shaking. Looking back, that was probably the thing that triggered my fear of heights. I have actually tried to face my fear though, taking on such things as the Eiffel Tower and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Sadly I failed and now am worse than ever. What a bloody wimp I am.
;-)
Cheers again
PM
Plastic Mancunian´s last blog post..A Very British Post (Part Three) – Iconic Symbols
Twitter: earthtoholly
Don’t feel bad, PM. I’m just as wimpy about the flying thing and it makes me feel so “backwards.” I always hear the “…safer than driving” defense, but it doesn’t help.
One summer some years ago, I forced myself to board every roller coaster in one of the large amusement parks here…I think I got it out of my system and I’m not sure if I could do that again today. I really need to work on that flying thing, though! :o(
I didn’t even know that you could go inside the Arch! Thanks for posting–that actually makes me want to visit it more.
Twitter: earthtoholly
Hi Jennifer. Yes, it was very cool. Go visit! You’ll have a good time… :o)
Very nice photo story of your time in St. Louis. It looks like you are having a lovely road trip! You got all kinds of great perspectives on the area that you were staying in, the arch is great. Keep enjoying the trip!
Neat photos of the arch! I only saw it from a distance once years ago on a road trip from Niagara Falls to Arizona. Always wish we would’ve stopped.
Twitter: earthtoholly
Hi Lana. The next time you’re out that way try to check it out…you could cover it in a day and it’s just a fun thing to do!
I would so love to visit that place one day! :) That would an absolute dream come true.. and that arch .. ahhhhh, it’s soooo huge and scary but yet absolutely AMAZING! :)
Great photos! =)
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Twitter: earthtoholly
Hi Ingrid. Yes, if you ever have a chance you should check it out. Definitely one of a kind! :o)
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