Thither & Yon

Transcription of images can be found at the bottom of the page. A proper blog post with loads of photos will come along some time in the next couple weeks. Stand by!

This is one impressive arch. It’s much bigger than I had expected it to be. Apparently I can’t ever properly guess the size of famous arches based on their photos. Poor Delicate Arch (of Arches NP) got massively overestimated, and Gateway Arch got massively underestimated.

The question both Dustin and I had before arriving here was: why is this a National Park rather than a National Monument? The answer, as it turns out, is only politics. Even the National Park Service objected, when the change was made (along with the change of the name from Jefferson National Expansion Memorial) in 2018. The Arch, even with its associated museum, which is exceptional, the historic courthouse and cathedral, and beautifully landscaped grounds, does not fit the Park Service’s definition for a full-blown Park, rather than a memorial or monument. But… politics, and so here we are.

I’m the Princess of Yellowstone. I am a superfan of the big, mountainous Western parks, so I tend to agree with those who protest Gateway Arch’s new designation, but at least, as mentioned, it was way more impressive than I expected it to be.

We rolled into town just in time to park (a trickier-than-usual proposition in this urban setting) and scoot down to catch our 6:30 tram reservation. The trams themselves and the ride up to the top are a trip. The little tram carts hold five people, but they are itty bitty and completely enclosed. I’m surprised there were no warnings about claustrophobia. We rode up with a pair of 30-somethings who looked at all the other groups, who happened to be families, and declared that they would be our children for the rest of the tour. I suddenly feel an urge to dye my hair.

The top of the arch is narrow, low, and very cool. The views are fine – I suspect I’d be more impressed if I knew St. Louis better, but I more enjoyed the sensation of being way up in this delicate, immensely tall piece of architecture. I could also practically feel its symbolism and all the complicated cultural issues that fires up.

Back at the bottom, we spent an hour digging into those issues in the gorgeous new museum. I felt like it did an excellent job presenting the good, bad, and ugly aspects of the Louisiana Purchase and all that followed. Manifest Destiny was not romanticized, but shown in historic context along with many of the consequences. for Native and European populations as a result.

The rangers had to chase us out of the museum at closing time. We mostly got through the section about the architecture competion (no wonder the arch was chosen: all those other designs were boring rubbish), but we missed all the most recent history. I guess what we see is what we get.