Missouri, USA: St. Louis Gateway Arch in Missouri

After two weeks in Illinois, we were finally crossing state borders to neighboring Missouri to visit an iconic landmark of St. Louis, the Gateway Arch at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. At 630 feet (192 meters), it is the tallest monument in the U.S.

We had some obstacles getting there since the usual riverfront roads to the arch were flooded as a result of the heavy rains that hit the region during the week. Flooding was all over the news the past week with towns along the Mississippi working to save their homes by building temporary levies with sandbags. Anyway, we finally got there and went around the museum under the arch.

From the base of the monument, you can take a tram to the observation deck at the top of the arch where, on a clear day, you can see as far as 48 kilometers. The tram ride costs US$10 per person. From the top, we could see the old courthouse and the baseball stadium where the St. Louis Cardinals were currently playing. I was toying around with the zoom of my camera and was able to take a shot of the batter on base and the pitcher!

You can also opt to take a riverboat ride for US$12 or a dinner cruise for US$40. But since the Gateway Arch Riverfront was flooded, that was out of the question.

After dinner at Union Station, a heritage structure adaptively-reused as a tourist mall (with restaurants, bars, shops and even a hotel), we drove back to Springfield, Illinois where we were to stay for the night.