Gateway Arch National Park
A monument to the western expansion of the United States. At 630ft tall, Gateway Arch is the tallest arch in the world, and the tallest manmade monument in the Western Hemisphere. Elevators inside the arch take visitors to the observation deck at the top, overlooking the city of St. Louis and the Mississippi River.
To the Top
A unique tram system within the arch carries passengers from the underground visitor center to the observation room at the top of the arch. The elevator itself must rotate as it climbs the arch in order to keep the floor of the elevator level, like a ferris wheel and elevator hybrid. At the top, is a slightly claustrophobic room with an arched floor and a number of small windows to look out. These windows look small from the ground, but are even smaller up close. To the East, the view consists of mirky Mississippi River, industrial buildings, and the suburban Indiana countryside. To the West, is St. Louis. If you can get to the top at the right time in the morning (this time changes throughout the year) you can get a pictures of the shadow of the arch cast on the symmetric layout of the park below. The line to ride will be long, so expect a bit of a wait. Tram rides take four minutes to ascend, and leave from the ground every ten minutes, carrying 40 people up each leg of the arch.
Museum & Gift Shop
Under the arch (underground) is an enormous modern museum of the history of the Western expansion of the United States as well as the history and construction of the arch. To enter the museum you must pass through a security checkpoint, akin to TSA security at the airport. Metal detectors, x-rays, bag searches, and lines of people in their socks awkwardly shuffling through zigging and zagging lines of stanchions make this national park experience truly unique. The museum is extremely informative, entertaining, and visually appealing. In the gift shop you can purchase just about any object imaginable that a tacky modern-art-esque arch logo can be applied to.
TIPS
Coming from the East, the arch can be seen for miles away, as it is the tallest “building” in St. Louis, and it is staggering. It’s difficult to keep your eyes off of the engineering feat as light plays off of the countless sheets of stainless steel that adorn the arch’s facade. More than 800 tons of stainless steel panels (the most stainless steel used on any one project in history) give the appearance of being built of steel bricks, like a roman arch from the future. Seeing the arch from below is impressive, but it’s almost difficult to comprehend when you’re that close to it. Finding parking (the park is, after all, in the city of St. Louis) can be a challenge. In the summer, temperatures can reach a humid 90 degrees and the proximity to the Mississippi River means that the arch is also a popular destination for gnats and mosquitos.
GALLERY
