Missouri - St. Louis

 












St. Louis – Like most tourists, we started our visit with a trip to the Gateway Arch. This gleaming stainless steel arch soars 630 feet and commemorates the gateway to the West for thousands of 19th-century pioneers.  The arch is 75 feet higher than the Washington Monument and is constructed with 886 tons of stainless steel.  We took a tram to the top; it is like being in an egg with five people to a car with a rounded ceiling so low that even my head brushed the top.  The ride up takes four minutes and the ride down only three.  You can stay at the top for as long as you wish, enjoying the view of the city of St. Louis to the west, with the Mississippi River stretching out along the east side. 

After visiting the Arch we walked along the Mississippi River waterfront.  Although the water has clearly dropped, parts of the road are still closed and covered with deep mud and waves lap at the stairs leading to the lower walkways.   We laughed at the signs pointing to parking lots that are still under water.  The only ones who can park there are either boats or perhaps submarines.  We don’t know how deep the water is but a only the head and hat are visible on a statue of Lewis and Clark.  It looks like he is waving to boats passing by.   We could see whole trees with roots and branches floating down the river.  Navigation must be fairly dangerous as a collision with one of these monsters could easily sink a small to mid-sized boat.  Water levels are expected to remain high all summer.

After lunch, we walked to the Old Courthouse, the site of the Dred Scott slavery trial.  Dred Scott was an illiterate slave who sued for his freedom based on the fact that he had been held in bondage in a state and territory where slavery was not allowed by law.  Ultimately, this case reached the U.S. Supreme Court where the court ruled that the Scotts, being of African descent, were not U.S. citizens and therefore were not guaranteed the rights of citizenship or any legal rights under U.S. law.  This decision and the resulting public reaction helped move the country toward Civil War.  Although the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against him, Dred Scott and his family were eventually purchased by a Missourian who freed them.  www.nps.gov/jeff

The next day we visited the Anheuser Busch Brewery, home of Budweiser.   We have toured other breweries but this one in St. Louis is special with its well-known historic building.  The architecture, both inside and out, is beautiful.  There are elaborate railings, arches, and chandeliers that are never seen in other breweries.   Even the Clydesdales’ stable is a registered National Historic Landmarks with a beautiful wrought-iron chandelier in the center.   And the manufacturing statistics are unbelievable.  The 24 fermenting tanks each hold 3600 barrels of beer; a person would have to drink one beer per hour every day for 137 years to empty just one tank.  The bottling line fills 1500 12-ounce bottles of beer per minute or 1950 cans per minute.   After the tour, we got two free beers – a great way to end an enjoyable morning.

 Following our brewery tour, we went to the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Monument.    We watched the film, took a brief tour of the farm, visited the museum, and got another stamp for our National Parks Passport.   He never spent much time there himself, but his wife and children lived there while he was assigned to the West and during the Civil War.

Then on to the amazing and beautiful Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis.  Its unique design combines architecture of Romanesque style on the exterior with Byzantine-style interior.   It is one of the largest collections of mosaics in the world covering 83,000 square feet.  The mosaics contain 41.5 million pieces of glass tessare of more than 7,000 colors.  There are three domes with the central dome soaring 143 feet above the floor.  The three domes together with the arches illustrate in mosaic art the story of the Catholic Faith from creation to the last judgment.   This cathedral is truly a work of art and a “must see” for anyone visiting St. Louis. 
http://www.cathedralstl.org/site/

One of my favorite sights was a sculpture in the garden of The Angel of Harmony.  His wings were all wind chimes as were the children’s musical instruments. It was truly beautiful and it sounded wonderful as it tinkled in the slight breeze.