We had passed by this landmark a couple dozen times in the past three decades - but never found the right time to stop and visit. Now here we were standing in an underground que waiting our turn to enter a round tiny tram car by stepping through a four-foot door! Each pod of the tram had five seats in a semi circle - crunched and knee-to-knee with a small slat window that showed the progression of us riding to the top of this technological marvel. It also showed, with almost 'too much detail' the interior construction and materials of the structure. The legs of the Arch are 54 feet wide at the base, narrowing to 17 feet at the top (hence the four-foot doors!) and we were visually reminded of the tightness of our space.
The ride up to the top of the Arch is not for the faint hearted... four-minutes of gimballed rock n' rolling ascent... to then exit and step up a VERY narrow and uneven staircase to a sloped floor (it is an arch after all). Our assessment: it was worth the ride! With 30+ mile views of Missouri and Illinois (from west-east viewing portals - it's a stunning sight to see from a 630 feet high perspective.
We summed the visit as part amusement park, part adrenaline ride, packaged as an experiential history lesson. The panoramic views of the smallest of the 63 National Parks at around 192 acres were the crowning glory. We were finally visiting the Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis!
The Gateway Arch, known as the "Gateway to the West," is the tallest structure in Missouri. It was designed by the architect Eero Saarinen and the structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel in 1947 and built between 1963 and October 1965. The tram was completed in 1967.
We were informed by our tour guide that there was an adjacent stairway with 1,076 steps in each leg from the base to the top of the Arch - just in case. We saw those stairs during our ascent and descent and felt fortunate that there was no need to utilize them!
For convenience, we stayed at the
Drury Plaza Hotel, which is located across the street from the Arch - it definitely enhanced our visit and we were fortunate to get a room facing the Arch.
After touring the Arch and the visitors museum - which is also a great interactive history lesson, we headed back to the Drury for their happy hour, or as they say "kick back". Later that evening in our room, we opened a bottle of bubbly and admired the Arch, all lit up in it's glory and reflected on our day. As we discovered, visiting the Arch is unlike any other National Park we have visited. The combination of views from the top along with the acrobatics required to journey up there coupled with the visual and animated museum displays made for a multi-sensory experience that was truly unexpected and spectacular.
And then, as we were sipping our bubbly in our room and exchanging highlights from the day, we noticed some shadows in motion in the reflection of a spotlight illuminating the base of the Arch - it was a couple dancing and making heart shadows which projected onto the Arch - no better way to sum up our day's adventures!
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