Today we explore the famous St. Louis Gateway Arch. The Gateway Arch is a 630-foot monument. Clad in stainless steel and built in
the form of a flattened catenary arch, it is the tallest man-made monument in the
United States, Missouri's tallest accessible
building, and the world's tallest arch. Built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United
States, it is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
and has become an internationally famous symbol of St. Louis.
We rode the tram
to the top. The tram is a chain of eight egg-shaped, five-seat compartments with
a small window on the doors. As each tram has a capacity of 40 passengers and
there are two trams, 80 passengers can be transported at one time, with trams
departing from the ground every 10 minutes. The cars swing like Ferris-wheel
cars as they ascend and descend the arch. This fashion of movement gave rise to
the idea of the tram as "half-Ferris wheel and half-elevator."
The trip to the top takes four minutes, and the trip down takes three minutes.
The observation
area is at the apex of the Arch, 630 feet in the air. The view was awsome!
This stop pretty
much wraps up all the places we planned to visit on this adventure. Three more
days on the road and we’ll be home.
Here are some
photos.
Excellent Trip ! Thanks Uncle Dick and Aunt Judy. What a Great Visit we had. Looking forward to the Next ;-)
ReplyDeleteSteve