The St. Louis Arch

Posted by Mary:

"I see the Arch I get a penny!" was a phrase often shouted, in a singsong way, as my family and I traveled to and from St. Louis when I was a child. As our old Ford Aerostar rattled its way down Hwy. 44 my siblings and I held our breath in anticipation until we could be the first one to notice, the first one to scream..."I SEE THE ARCH I GET A PENNY!" As we grew up we dealt with inflation, our pennies became nickels, quarters and dollars, and then later apathy as the Arch became just another structure in the background.

When Karen, Christina and I decided to start our weekend adventures in St. Louis, I knew that we would eventually make it to the Arch. I agreed to go, but I did so with complete apprehension. I had been to the Arch before as a child and my only memories contained a futuristic pod (the tram) and movement as the Arch swayed (which it was designed to do) with the wind. I was not looking forward to this necessary visit to the city's most famous attraction. The night before our trip, I couldn't sleep, I tossed, turned and woke up several times as my nerves got the better of me, but the day dawn beautiful and clear and it was time to face my fear!

We decided to park at the riverfront (4 dollar parking) and walk up the stairs to get to our destination. As we approached the Arch we became privy to a real live movie set...

with a mime? Yes folks, a mime! We believe the group filming were students from the area, but who knows? We never asked.

Since we only sorta planned ahead, we got to the arch, bought tickets and then waited until our time to ride to the top. That was okay with us though as we meandered through the lobby, general store and gift store. (If you are planning to go to the Arch and just want to spend time at the top, buy your tickets online ahead of time!)

The General Store

Hmm...

Can you tell I don't like games?

Totally ready to join the Nauvoo Pageant!

And saving the very best for last from the general store...

Darn! I wish my parents would have told me this story,
maybe I could have saved my pinky toe!
(written with complete sarcasm)

The Tram

The tram ride to the top was uneventful, thank goodness! Our tram companions were two sisters on a road trip from Georgia to Colorado. (Their mother encouraged them to stop in St. Louis and visit the Arch, Go Georgia Mom!) If you have never been to the Arch, the tram ride in and of itself is an experience. You sit 5 to tram and get pulled to the top. The trams do have a futuristic modern vibe to them, totally groovy!

At the top of the Arch, Karen and Christina enjoyed the beautiful views and clear skies, while I attempted to control my overactive imagination. Looking directly down did not help! Still, it was fun to go as an adult (I didn't feel the Arch move at all), I now have a clear memory and I don't think I will need to go again.

The View from the Top

The Mississippi River (Illinois side)

The Old Courthouse

Busch Stadium (Go Cards!!)

Watching the mime

Evidence that I went

About ready to go!

Going back down to put my feet on the ground!

I think Karen stayed too long

Playing in the Sun

Definition: True Artist; one who would lie down on a grimy chewed-gum infested piece of city to capture a groundbreaking photo

We went, we conquered
(can I say that when all we did was take a tram to the top?)

Peace

(Side note from Karen...nothing says dysentery like Mississippi River water...)

Is she pushing me or helping me?

We only had time to visit one STL attraction on Saturday, but our day was complete when we randomly saw the Village People running down Market St. tied to a shopping cart. As we circled the block to take a picture, our amusement increased as we saw a group dressed in Snuggies attached to a shopping cart, then a group of Priests and Nuns, and various members of the military. We snapped photos promising to figure out what in the world these people were doing. As luck would have it, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch had a blurb so we didn't have to wait long.The St. Louis Idiotarod was taking place and we just happened to be in the right place at the right time to see something completely out of the ordinary! Maybe we will participate next year, who knows?

Snuggies were not meant as race clothing!

Typically we go siteseeing on the first Saturday of every month, but next month we have Easter and General Conference. General Conference is a worldwide meeting held by our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints twice a year. If you want tune in you can check it out at www.lds.org or on BYUtv. So next month we are going to meet on the second Saturday and try a 5K in Forest Park, have a picnic lunch and then dunce around the park.