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My home away from home for the next few days in Pontoon Beach, twenty miles from downtown St. Louis on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River.
After dropping off the group at the hotel and then the Complex, I had some free time to explore St. Louis.
Always the first consideration is where to safely park the bus, not an easy task in the downtown core of any city. Some have the forethought to assign such areas for tour buses while others are left to chance hoping to find an unrestricted street corner without creating a hindrance.
Fortunately for me, St. Louis has a designated area on Leonard K. Sullivan Blvd long the riverfront which is where I'm headed, .
. . only to find it barricaded.
Now what do I do?
A quick look at the map and a short drive I find some safe parking in a nearby lot.
Time to go walking . .
Time to go walking . .
. . to Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals, opened in April 2006. It replaced the multi-purpose Busch Memorial Stadium which hosted the Cardinals and the Rams.
Established in 1882, the Cardinals is one of the most successful franchises in Major League Baseball history with eleven World Series titles, second only to the New York Yankees. They have thirty-nine inductees in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, including the great Stan Musial.
Then it's off to St. Louis' premiere attraction, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.
Designated a national historic site in 1936 to memorialize the vision of Thomas Jefferson, later called Manifest Destiny, and the role of St. Louis as the starting point for countless thousands of settlers during the westward expansion of the United States.
It includes . .
. . the Old Cathedral, the Old Courthouse, in the foreground, and the Gateway Arch.
Officially opened on February 22, 1845, the Old Courthouse includes the cast-and-wrought iron dome, similar to and built at the same time as the National Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., measuring 192 feet high.
During the 19th century, the divisive issue of slavery in America was hotly debatad and contested, including Dred Scott and his wife in 1846 who sued for and were granted their freedom, among over two hundred slaves to do so here. Later, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the decision on appeal, ruling that slaves were property with no right to sue, further fueling hostilities between for- and against-slavery factions that would soon lead to the Civil War.
The Gateway Arch, a magnificent structure and iconic monument sitting on the banks of the Mississippi River symbolizing the mass migration and settlement of the American West in the 1800s.
Built between 1963-65, sheathed in stainless steel, it soars 630 ft. in the air.
Inside each leg of the Arch is an ingenious tram made up of several barrel-shaped pods that hold five people, joined together to form a train that carries visitors to the observation deck at the top.
Great views from atop the Arch.
Looking westward to the Old Courthouse
Busch Stadium
There's my bus!
Edward Jones Dome
Westward across the Mississippi R. to Illinois.
The Eads Bridge, completed in 1884 built to link St. Louis to the rail lines running east and west.
It was the first bridge to use a cantilever design. The upper deck was later added to accommodate vehicles.
From above I can see the flooding of the Mississippi which has made it's way up several steps of the Grand Staircase that forced the closure of the street where I earlier intended to park the bus.
I came across this entertainingly eccentric chap by the river's edge on his rambling mission to save the world for anyone who would listen!
Underground below the Arch is the Museum of Westward Expansion, highlighting the history of the American West from Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to the end of the frontier in the 1890s.
I found this to be the best interpretive museum I've ever visited, rich in stories, artificats and detail.
* * *
The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is a must-see for anyone visiting St. Louis with an interest in American history. In fact, it was river trade for over 100 years on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers that transformed St. Louis, founded as a French fur trading post in 1764, into a bustling metropolis from where such explorers as Meriwether Lewis and William Clark launched their Pacific ocean expedition of 1804-1806.
The landscape surrounding the Arch is of rolling hills, tree lined walks and reflecting ponds, exquisitely landscaped on the banks of the Mississippi River.
* * *
Another great way to get around the downtown area is the shuttle trolley for one all-day fare.
Luv the older architecture of days gone by.
Back at the hotel, a great place to eat is Uncle Linny's Restaurant, a local favourite in Pontoon Beach.
A calorie-ladened but darn good chicken fried steak and gravy!
A contemplative rest stop at Horseshoe Lake State Park before heading home to Toronto with the group tomorrow.
Another great trip of discovery to add to the list of places this job that I enjoy has taken me.
Designated a national historic site in 1936 to memorialize the vision of Thomas Jefferson, later called Manifest Destiny, and the role of St. Louis as the starting point for countless thousands of settlers during the westward expansion of the United States.
It includes . .
During the 19th century, the divisive issue of slavery in America was hotly debatad and contested, including Dred Scott and his wife in 1846 who sued for and were granted their freedom, among over two hundred slaves to do so here. Later, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the decision on appeal, ruling that slaves were property with no right to sue, further fueling hostilities between for- and against-slavery factions that would soon lead to the Civil War.
Built between 1963-65, sheathed in stainless steel, it soars 630 ft. in the air.
Inside each leg of the Arch is an ingenious tram made up of several barrel-shaped pods that hold five people, joined together to form a train that carries visitors to the observation deck at the top.
Great views from atop the Arch.
The Eads Bridge, completed in 1884 built to link St. Louis to the rail lines running east and west.
It was the first bridge to use a cantilever design. The upper deck was later added to accommodate vehicles.
I came across this entertainingly eccentric chap by the river's edge on his rambling mission to save the world for anyone who would listen!
Underground below the Arch is the Museum of Westward Expansion, highlighting the history of the American West from Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to the end of the frontier in the 1890s.
I found this to be the best interpretive museum I've ever visited, rich in stories, artificats and detail.
* * *
The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is a must-see for anyone visiting St. Louis with an interest in American history. In fact, it was river trade for over 100 years on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers that transformed St. Louis, founded as a French fur trading post in 1764, into a bustling metropolis from where such explorers as Meriwether Lewis and William Clark launched their Pacific ocean expedition of 1804-1806.
The landscape surrounding the Arch is of rolling hills, tree lined walks and reflecting ponds, exquisitely landscaped on the banks of the Mississippi River.
* * *
Back at the hotel, a great place to eat is Uncle Linny's Restaurant, a local favourite in Pontoon Beach.
A calorie-ladened but darn good chicken fried steak and gravy!
Another great trip of discovery to add to the list of places this job that I enjoy has taken me.
