A visit to St.Louis arch

I was working in St.Louis-Missouri last week. I finally got a spare couple of hours to visit the St.Louis Gateway Arch. The arch is a US National Monument that is located in a park beside the Mississippi River. It is made of stainless steel and is 630 feet high (twice as high as the Statue of Liberty). The arch construction was completed October 28, 1965. In the picture below, notice that the arch appears taller than it is wide. However, that is an optical illusion. The distance between the ends of the legs is the same as the height (630ft). Here is a picture I borrowed from someone else as viewed across the river. ***Note that ALL pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them:


The following picture is of me at the bottom of one of the legs of the arch:



At the foot of each leg of the arch is an underground entrance. There is also a great museum that details the construction of the arch and the history of the area and the expansion of US territories to the west. There is also a movie theater showing historical movies. The following picture is a view of the entrance under one of the legs of the arch:


Here is a close up picture of the plaque (above the entrance) that commemorates the construction of the arch:


The Arch has a tram system that uses small "pods" to carry passengers to the top. There are small windows at the top for a great view of downtown St.Louis on the west side and of the Mississippi River and the state of Illinois on the east.

The tram ride to the top of the arch is via small "pods" that seat up to 5 persons. The pods are very small and probably not a great ride for those persons who do not like small enclosed spaces. Fortunately, the ride to the top takes only about 3-4 minutes. Once at the top, you can exit the pod in a hallway with several windows. Of course the view is great and you can stay up there as long as you wish. Pod rides back to the bottom are every 5-10 minutes. Here is a picture of one of the "pods" like the one that I rode to the top of the arch:


The following picture is of myself at the top of the arch:


Here is one interesting picture that I took from the top of the arch (notice the shadow of the arch was perfectly aligned on the ground in front of the old courthouse building. This picture is facing the city to the west:


The arch is right beside the Mississippi River. Looking eastward, I got this picture of the river:


While at the top of the arch, I was able to get a great picture of the baseball stadium where the St.Louis Cardinals play:



Here are two more pictures that I took looking downward from the top of the arch at each of the legs:




And finally here is an interesting picture I took from the bottom of one leg with my camera right against the arch leg looking upwards to the top of the arch:


If you want to know more about the arch or see more pictures, then check out this address:
http://www.gatewayarch.com/Arch/info/arch.fact.aspx