So I have a confession to make. Many years ago a friend sent me a postcard from the St. Louis Arch and wrote about going up to the top of it, and ever since then it's risen to the top of my to-do list. I've been thinking about it for years, but a person just doesn't end up in St. Louis all that often, and as bad as I wanted to do it it never seemed worth making it it's own trip. Well today, my wish was finally granted.
I actually drove through St. Louis on my way to Chicago, but I didn't have a lot of time then and stayed along the far edges of the city. I debated going to the arch then, but the weather was terrible (pouring rain) and I figured it'd be more fun when I'd have more time and could go with somebody.
Well today the weather still sucked, but not quite as bad. It wasn't raining, and the clouds had lifted enough that we were actually able to get a pretty decent view. However it was FREEZING! As soon as I got out of the car and started walking I had to run back to get an extra warm layer. Oh, and I wore close-toed shoes for the first time this trip (except for my Acadia National Park hike). I think my toes appreciated the warmth, but missed their freedom.
The arch is everything I had hoped for. It was huge, random, and amazing. When I first saw it I found it really hard to believe that a person could go inside it. It just didn't look built for it; not big enough and a significant lack of windows. The lack of windows thing turned out to be true, but once we got up close you could see it was plenty big!
As you approach, you see a small staircase down to an underground door. Already pretty crazy feeling! After going through a rather extensive security check, you enter into a large, round room. Around this room there are two movie rooms (which we skipped), a couple of gift shops, and a museum. The museum was all about the exploring and settling of the west, which is something I know quite a bit about but was cool to see after being east for so long. There was one picture of what I'm pretty sure is the Old Faithful Inn from many, many years ago though it looks about the same as it does now. We spent a bit of time wandering around the museum and enjoying the moderately creepy animatronic people telling us stories along the way. We then bought our tickets for the tram to the top. Yay! It's finally happening! I was disappointed that the museum said absolutely nothing about the arch itself or how it was built. I had to read a book in the gift shop to find that out.
The tram was pretty much amazing. After getting our tickets they funneled us down a little hallway, and then down to a narrow staircase where they gave us a number. The number corresponded to a tram car. After a short explanation and video about the arch, the tram arrived and the numbered doors in front of us opened. These tram cars were absolutely hilarious! They're solid white, egg-shaped things that remind me of an escape pod from a science fiction movie....or from Austin Powers. There were 5 seats in each pod, though thankfully we only had 4 people each time. I'm not sure a 5th would've fit. The seats arch around the edge of the pod, so that the person in the back is the only one that can sit up straight (remember, egg shaped...or possibly round...) The other seats require you to either lean forward, or the wall will push your head forward if you try to lean back. Everyone's knees point towards the middle, and there is no leg room, so you're forced to get friendly with whoever you happen to be sitting with. Though it turns out, this is one of the few things in the world that's perfect if you're Jody-sized. She was short enough to be able to sit however she wanted to without issue. Lucky!
The ride to the top was strange considering there's only a small window in the door of the pod, and no windows in the arch. So, through this tiny little window you can see bits and pieces of the cables and pullies that move the tram, as well as the loooooong staircase for maintenence. Of course you could only get a fleeting view of anything out the tiny window.
The top was about the same. There were a number of small windows along either side, which gave it the distinct feeling of being on an airplane. Of course these were windows to outside, and the view was awesome! I'm sure it would've been more awesome on a less cloudy day, but we could see quite a bit of the immediate area, including the river and the Cardinal's stadium. You could also walk across the top and feel the rising and sinking of the top of the arch under your feet, which was also very cool. And especially impressive for something entirely built in the 60's! Including the tram, which was finished in '67. So I went from window to window and took lots and lots of pictures, as well as some pictures of the inside. Once I felt I had taken the requisite bazillion pictures (Jody took some too, though I don't think she was quite as excited about the whole thing as I was), we headed back down.
Once back on solid ground, (and after I had run over to the spot I'd been looking at to wave to the people above in the arch) we headed out. Well, almost. I had seen a sign for a Riverside cafe right on the Mississippi River and I was really excited about it. Actually, I had been even more excited about doing a river cruise, but it was just way too darn cold out for being on a boat to be any fun. I figured the cafe would be a compromise, but it was closed. We spent a bit of time trying to find a restaurant nearby, but with no luck got back on the road. We really did try for something local, but as we started to run out of options we settled on Qdoba. Jody had never had Qdoba before so it was something new for her anyway.
From there it was the I-70 parade all the way to Kansas City. It really wasn't that bad of a drive, I just have a hard time focusing staying on one highway the entire time. Especially when it's one that's relatively flat and doesn't turn. But there were a lot of pretty colored trees, and the time passed by pretty fast. As we were nearing Kansas City, Jody mentioned that KC (apparently that's what the locals call it) is known for it's BBQ. I looked in my things to do before I die book, and sure enough it was in there! So we read through the options, picked a restaurant, and went hunting for it. Along the hunt we got to drive on State Line Rd., which was really exciting to me. It was....guess where! Yep, on the state line, which I found fascinating. On the right was Kansas, on the left Missouri, for many miles. After a bit of searching and a few wrong turns, we found Gates BBQ.
I chose Gates because it was family owned and because, according to the book, their specialty was sweet, rather than spicy. The atmosphere when we arrived was definitely intimidating. A lot of people seemed to be arriving at the same time, and everyone was shouting orders from all over the place. (To their credit, they did try to let us go ahead, but we were still trying to figure out what the options on the menu meant). We finally decided to just pick something, and shouted out our orders too. I didn't see any spice options, so I just ordered the basic ribs, assuming that any spice would be added later by the individual.
Yeah that was wishful thinking. They were HOT! At least for me. They were sinus clearing, which was nice, but after about 3 I just couldn't eat anymore. It was sad to leave half a plate of ribs, but it was getting painful. (I really did give it my best though, I promise! I'm trying to be less of a spice wimp!). On the plus side, their fries were really good. Big, thick, and potatoey. I almost didn't order them but I was glad to have them as that is most of what I ate.
By the time we finished eating it had gotten late, so we went to the first hotel we could find....in the Kansas part of Kansas City. So now we're sitting in the hotel, each on our computers writing in our blogs. I'm sure it's an entertaining sight! :)
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Yeah, I had the very same reaction to the museum not mentioning anything about the arch or its construction. It really felt like a kind of disconnect to me. I kind of wanted to read more about the history, but there was soooo much there that it was just too overwhelming for me. So, I ended up just reading most of the quotes along the way. That's not to say I didn't like it; it was just more than I could focus on at the time. I do kind of sort of remember learning about that stuff at some point, though. I, on the other hand, liked the animatronic people; reminded me a lot of some of the museums I'd been in as a kid.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I gotta say, this was the one time that being short and not needing any leg room paid off; I felt rather cozy & comfortable in the little egg tram -- except for the exceptionally tiny window. Really, really wish that had been made of plexiglass.
Hmm, I hadn't thought of the top of the arch feeling like being in an airplane, but now that you mention it, I can see that. I'm not sure what it felt like to me, actually. I was surprised at how warm it was in there, though. Of course, that's probably just from all the people who were there. I found it odd that we had to lean across the carpeted areas and kind of climb up to see out the tiny windows. But, then again, not being an architect, I don't know if there would've been any other kind of alternative.
I wouldn't say I wasn't excited about it; it was definitely a cool thing to do. It just wasn't a dream of mine the way it was for you. (Mine's coming tomorrow -- alone with all we've done for the last few days!) But, I was really excited at seeing you being so excited.
I was disappointed about that little cafe being closed. too; even if we'd had to eat outside in the mist, it seemed like it would've been fun. Seems odd to me that they'd close it just because they've got boats running. But, I'd imagine, they use the same staff (and maybe food!) for both, so I guess maybe it does make sense after all.
I was equally disappointed in the ribs. No, actually maybe moreso, since I already knew the area's reputation for barbecue. I really wanted some good, tasty, saucy ribs. But the spice covering up nothingness was not what I'd imagined. I, too, hated leaving mine, and, as my family would know, the lack of economy about that really bothers me, but I really, really didn't want anymore. On the plus side, though, their drinks were cheap and plentiful. Maybe we'll have to find ribs somewhere else, just to make up for it...