St. Louis Gateway Arch

The Gateway Arch is a 630-foot (192 m) monument in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Clad in stainless steel and built in the form of a weighted catenary arch, it is the world's tallest arch, the tallest man-made monument in the Western Hemisphere, and Missouri's tallest accessible building. Built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States, and officially dedicated to "the American people," the Arch, commonly referred to as "The Gateway to the West" is the centerpiece of Gateway Arch National Park and has become an internationally recognized symbol of St. Louis, as well as a popular tourist destination.

I had been wanting to ride the Arch for as long as I could remember. So one labor a friend of mine and I headed on over to do just that. We of course saw much more than the arch while in St. Louis but the trip had 1 expressed must do item and that was to see and go to the top of the Gateway Arch.

Well as you can tell from the pictures that goal was met, on a beautiful afternoon and let me tell you it did not disappoint.  Do not get me wrong the Arch is not built for a man of my stature so there was a lot of crouching to have to be done on my part. From getting into the egg shaped elevator to ride to the top, to even being at the top, there is definitely a height limit in place. Even with all that would not trade this experience, for anything it was terrific.

You can see some amazing views from the top of the Arch even with the tiny slits for windows. The clear day I had allow for views that were just magical. Experiencing the engineering marvel of the elevator system and how it ascends you into the sky was interesting to say the least. This is a definite must see when you are in St Louis.

I do hope everyone enjoys the pictures.