Gateway Arch

We had breakfast at the Quality Inn and then took US 50 west toward St. Louis. At O'Fallon, Illinois, we stopped to pick up an order from Starbucks and then continued on I-64. We took the new I-70 bridge across the Mississippi and parked at the Stadium East parking garage downtown. It had been raining during our trip that morning, and as we parked, the rain began tapering off and the forecast was for sun the rest of the day.

We walked a few blocks from the parking garage to the Gateway Arch.

We passed through the security checkpoint, and then we spent some time touring the museum at the base of the arch while waiting for the time for our tram tickets.

We took the North Tram to the top of the Arch, riding in car 5. The process after submitting our tickets until we got into the tram car took quite a long time. They staged each group two or three times before we could actually load into the tram cars. Each car seated 5 people, and Katherine didn't like the fact that there was a window in the door that allowed you to see the inside details of the Arch on your journey to the top.

We only spent a little time at the top of the Arch, peering out of the small windows at Saint Louis and at the Mississippi River.

We took the South Tram down from the Arch, riding in car 7. At the base, we stopped briefly at the gift shop and then returned to the surface.