Gateway Arch National Park - St. Louis, MO
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I had driven past the Gateway Arch more times than I could
count, but never had the opportunity to stop until last year.
On a road trip through Missouri with one of my best
friends, St. Louis was our final stop together and I was
bound and determined to finally get to see the arch that
stands as a monument to the US pioneering spirit.
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HISTORY ON THE ARCH
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In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt deemed the property
along the St. Louis riverfront to be used as a memorial to
Thomas Jefferson who played a large role in the westward
expansion of the US and thus Gateway Arch National Park
(originally called Jefferson National Expansion Monument) was
born. After a nationwide design contest in 1948, Eero Saarinen’s
design was chosen and construction began on the arch in 1963 with
the finished product coming about in 1965.
So I'm not going to lie..we struggled with finding a place to
park. The directions tried taking us to the parking lot for
the riverfront parking right by the arch. Unfortunately, there
was a LOT of road construction and the main way the GPS
wanted to take us was closed off. I think we circled around 3
or 4 times before we just gave up and parked in a parking
garage nearby. Lol (If you do want to park near the riverfront be sure
to follow the instructions on the arch website and not your GPS.) We
walked up to the arch doing our best to
avoid the men that were catcalling us in the street (smh) and finally made
it to Gateway Arch National Park.
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We walked into the building for the arch (admission is free) hoping
to get to take a tram ride up to the top, but with COVID they
were offering a reduced amount of tickets and they were already
sold out for the day. (I guess I will just have to go back someday
because a ride on the kind of sketchy tram is an experience I definitely
want to say I had.) So with our hopes slightly dashed we instead
walked around the museum inside of the building which features
201 years worth of history tracing through the stories of those
who made America possible as well as the specific role that
St. Louis played throughout it all. It honestly was extremely
interesting and there were even some interactive bits that really
helped make learning the history more fun.
And, with it’s entire side missing, it wasn’t long after this picture that Amy’s canoe sank. She went down with the canoe like a true captain. Lol
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After the museum we walked outside and headed down to
the riverfront. Not going to lie, the water was definitely not
clean and I do NOT recommend touching it, but it was still a pretty
little area to sit at. It also offered a lot of different views of the
arch including an up close and personal look that was pretty neat.
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This area was absolutely gorgeous and hard to believe that it sits in the middle of St. Louis. I would love to come here in the fall and sit on a bench with a good book.
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After our exploration of the grounds we decided to head to
dinner at Balducci’s which was a little restaurant in the basement
of a strip mall. Honestly, the food here was surprisingly delicious, the
service was amazing, and we both waddled our way out of there looking
at least 3 months pregnant.
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I love how they did the two different sauces on the pasta. It was c’est magnifique. *chef’s kiss* (Manicotti with marinara and creamy parmesan sauces and potato skins)
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We spent the night at the La Quinta Inn & Suites in Westport
(11805 Lackland Rd, St. Louis, MO 63146)
which is a hotel I would definitely stay at again. It is located in
what I would call a suburb of St. Louis and I highly recommend
that you stay in this area rather than in the downtown area by
the arch, especially if you are a girl and/or are traveling alone, because both
Abigail and I felt so much safer here.
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We had breakfast together the next morning at this adorable
restaurant called The Shack and then Abigail made her way
back to Kansas while I made my way on to Illinois.
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Have you been to the arch? Have you taken the tram to the top?
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