Watching Rainbows

I'm back from a fantastic weekend in St. Louis! The weather was incredible and the company was even better. Meghan and I stayed with Sam for the weekend and Meghan's classmate (Ali) spent most of the weekend with us, too.

We got into town very late on Friday night, so we hung out at Sam's before crashing. Saturday we did a drive-by tour of St. Louis then went to the Gateway Arch. Lunch was at Laclede's Landing followed by a cupcake at The Cup. We had a siesta before going out to dinner and bar hopping. The next day we went to Uncle Bill's Pancake and Dinner House (for a delicious breakfast) before hitting the road.

Here are the photo highlights...

The Gateway Arch

At 630 feet, it is the tallest man-made monument in the US and the tallest stainless steel monument in the world.

Construction began on February 12, 1963, and ended on October 28, 1965.

The arch is made up of 142 prefabricated 12' stainless steel sections.

Both the width and height of the arch are 630 feet.

The arch is resistant to earthquakes and is designed to sway up to 9" in either direction while withstanding winds up to 150 mph.

In June 1965, the FAA cautioned that aviators who flew between the legs of the arch would be fined and their licenses revoked; however, at least ten pilots have disobeyed this order.

In 1992, a 25-year-old man climbed to the top of the Gateway Arch using suction cups and proceeded to parachute back to the ground.

The underground visitor center is located directly underneath the arch.

The city of St. Louis was founded in 1764 by Pierre Laclède and Auguste Chouteau, and after the Louisiana Purchase, it became a major port on the Mississippi River.

The Landing is a multi-block collection of cobblestone streets and vintage brick-and-cast-iron warehouses dating from 1850 through 1900, now converted into shops, restaurants, and bars.

Lunch at Morgan Street Brewery

Tapas at Mosaic before a night on the town on Washington Avenue with Meghan's college friend Kelly.

It was a fantastic weekend. I really enjoyed myself in St. Louis and I look forward to going back to visit Sam and to explore more!