Video on the St. Louis Gateway Arch

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,507]

 

[wh500special 2,188]

Thanks for posting that, Terry. 
 

I just drove by there a half hour ago.  I live only 15 miles from there on the Illinois side so get to see the arch frequently.  I haven’t been up in a few years but it is a must-do if you’re in the area. 
 

The Gateway Arch is a truly unique and iconic monument and St. Louis is a great city to visit.  
 

Shown in the video, but perhaps not obvious, is that the floor of the observation deck is curved to hug the contour of the catenary.  Makes it somewhat exciting to walk up and down if you’re already a little uncomfortable due to the height 😎

 

The tram system is a curiosity of its own and as unique as the Arch itself.  The capsules are small and as you ascend they periodically make adjustments to stay level.  Looking out the little window affords an occasional glimpse of the stairwell also inside.  It’s been incredibly reliable over the last 60 years but just within the last few weeks visitors had to come back down the stairs when there was a temporary shutdown.  First time I can remember hearing of that and it must have been quite the experience for those passengers!

 

The designer of the tram system wasn’t a classically trained engineer.  His background was in elevator designs for parking garages and he was able to use his creativity and perspectives gained there to come up with an incredible system. This is worth a read:  Dick Bowser

 

Come visit St Louis!

 

Steve

 

 

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,507]

Steve,

I drove by the arch hundreds of times, and never went up it.  It's like Bonne Terre Mines, which is only about 7 miles from me.  Never been down, but as close as it is to me, I tell myself one day I will.

 

https://bonneterremine.com/

[Racinbob 11,111]

Some friends including my not yet wife drove down there over 50 years ago to go through that. It's ironic but I just watched that video a couple days ago. My girl friend was as big a chicken back then as she is now. Heights aren't her thing and I think she let out a little scream each time the car would ratchet itself to stay vertical. What a awesome piece of engineering.

[parsonsponyz 120]

Thanks for the video, might have to be a family destination.

[Beap52 825]

My brother's ex-father-in-law was a crane operator building the arch.  I don't remember what part he helped assemble or what crane he operated but apparently he was a pretty good operator.  He died several years ago.  When our kids were small, we rode train from Kansas City to St. Louis and vacationed there.  It was then we rode tram in the Arch.  I also learned that riding the train usually meant you got to see the backside of the building of small towns you passed by. 

 

For years, I have said "next year I'm going to take a week or so and travel our state checking out interesting places."  I planned on taking camper and visit historic sites and places of interest.  I've even got a bucket list saved on computer (including the Bonne Terre Mines mentioned in another posting)  Fifteen years later, I've not made my trip (but have visited several here and there).  Maybe next year!

Edited September 3 by Beap52
clarification

[8ntruck 7,033]

My parents were visiting in St Louis when the last piece of the arch was placed.  Dad took lots of pictures.  There was temporarily bracing between the two legs of the arch as it was built.  The final piece was lifted with two cranes, one on each leg.  They had to have the fire department pump water onto one of the legs to equalize the temperature so the final piece would fit into place.

 

We hosted a Finnish exchange student for a year.  Since The Arch was designed by a Finnish architect, he was very interested in it, so we made sure to visit it.  That team ride to the top is memorable.

[wh500special 2,188]

On 9/2/2024 at 6:54 PM, Beap52 said:

…

 

For years, I have said "next year I'm going to take a week or so and travel our state checking out interesting places."  I planned on taking camper and visit historic sites and places of interest. …

Hopefully next year will be your year. 
 

The Show-me State has some beautiful places and plenty of history.  Some of it happy, some of it uncomfortable , but all of it interesting.   While certainly we don’t share the historical or population density of the Eastern US, there is plenty to keep a person entertained and active. 

 

St. Louis proper wouldn’t be conducive to a camper but you could leave it somewhere out of town and drive in.  It’s not that our traffic is unusually bad or that it’s particularly congested, but there are not many great places to leave such a conveyance downtown.  
 

Somewhat unique to STL, many of the significant attractions have free admission which can really afford some flexibility and freedom of coming and going as you please.  For instance, the zoo is always in the top 10 in the US and it’s free. The ride to the top of the Arch is, of course, a paid affair but the grounds and museum are free with some exceptions.   Most of the museums and local attractions are completely gratis and their quality and size are impressive. 
 

The riverfront area is in a bit of flux, but there are still things to see and do right by the Arch:  the courthouse, the Eads bridge...  And plenty around the periphery of the region as well.  Some fun and unique foods too.  And if you’re a sportsy person, we have various sportsball teams.  
 

There is quite a bit devoted to the Westward Expansion of the US as St Louis was viewed as the gateway to the frontier.  Lewis and Clark began and ended their journey here. Charles Dickens paid the area a visit and wrote about it - and our somewhat miserable summertime weather 😊 - in his journals about the American West.  
 

Crime is a reality here like it is anywhere, but it’s mostly predictable in location and the statistics can be misleading.  St Louis City’s population is actually quite low (<300,000) due to the bizarro city/county/municipality government boundaries so per capita rates are heavily weighted in an unfavorable light.   Our metro is about 2.8M people and when considered in those relative terms things look more rosy.  You have to keep your wits about you, of course, but we are generally a typical friendly Midwestern place. 
 

There’s been a bit of a business climate revival going on during the last couple of decades and the tech sector is rapidly expanding.  The City is really on a roll and lots of development is underway. It’s been kind of exciting to see the transformation.  
 

For decades we locals kind of thought the area peaked when the World’s Fair and Olympics were both hosted here in 1904, but things are really rebounding as of late.  While “First in Blues, Booze, and Shoes” was a mantra in the last century, St Louis is breaking new ground and should be part of your travels. 
 

Steve

[peter lena 8,649]

@T-Mo  thanks for that  , always said if we were in the area , would do that , back in the day , did  LOT OF   CSE ,  CONFINED SPACE ENTRY , on all types of machinery repairs , glass lined tanks , piping  problems , tank agitators , today ,  just the thought of a  tight spot , is a no go for me . we always hit major  attractions in all our travels . glad to have done it , never thinking that it would be an issue . alcatraz  lower level , was silently / confining / terrifying , original  lock up areas , pete 

[8ntruck 7,033]

  the couple of minutes our part of the tour group were closed in one of the isolation cells was certainly memorable.  That was something like 45 or 50 years ago when I took that tour.