I’ve been to St. Louis and took the tiny tram to the top of the Gateway Arch several times but it’s always a thrill.  From the viewing window at the top, look how teeny the cruise ship looks! (Ship nearest the bridge.)

Arch Trivia:

• The cost to build the Arch in 1967 was the same as the Louisiana Purchase, $15,000,000. 
• The Arch sits on the smallest national park in the U.S., only 98 acres.
• President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the park in 1935.
• Construction on the Arch was begun in 1965 and was finished in only two years. 
• The Arch is 630-feet high and there is 630-feet between the ends of the Arch legs.
• The purpose of the Arch was to commemorate Thomas Jefferson, the Louisiana Purchase and all the pioneers settling the United States. 
• To go to the top, only 5 people can squeeze into the little tram cars for the 5-minute ride to the top. 
• You get 10-minutes up there and then it’s back down. 
• Then they sell you a $20 photo!!

Next trip to the Midwest, you MUST visit the Gateway Arch …. with or without the official photo.