Views from the Gateway Arch

The Gateway Arch is St. Louis' claim to fame. 630 feet tall (192m), stainless steel, opened in 1967, designed by Finnish architect, Eero Saarinen as shown below

 

 

the doors to the elevator that takes you to the top

this is the pod that you ride in. I rode up with 4 young people from Dubai. They were a little nervous since the elevator makes some noise. They shared their treats with me as we creaked to the top.

the Popular Street bridge

The Old courthouse and the Gateway mall. There is a car accident shown in the left hand bottom corner

view of the new Busch baseball Stadium. The last time I went up into the Arch was probably 30 years ago. I love the view!

St. Louis Photography group on google

We had our first official photowalk in downtown St. Louis

This is my favorite piece of art in the City Garden area "Eros Bendato" I've always had a thing for ruins.

reflections in a pond

"Big White Gloves, Big Four Wheels" Pinocchio is placed on a 4 wheeled cart

view of the old courtyard and the Gateway Arch

the rotunda of the old courthouse. This is the first time I've ever been in the courthouse and I've lived in St. Louis my whole life

Dred and Harriet Scott statues outside of the Old Courthouse.

 In 1846 the slave Dred Scott sued for his and his wife's freedom as they had been held illegally as slaves in free states. All of the trials, including a Missouri Supreme Court hearing, were held in Old Courthouse. The case was ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford, which ruled against the Scotts, saying they did not have grounds as citizens to sue (Wikipedia). Slaves were also sold on the courthouse steps

The family 2012

the grands. little miss d wearing the Hello Kitty nightgown I made for her.

the whole gang

 

the boyfriend

Christmas robes

skulls and crossbones

 

Owls

 

dad and d learning the ropes of a ipod game

Christmas concert

 

All dressed up!

 

Books of December in January

got this one on sale from barnes and noble for my nook. It was on my reading list since this summer. It's about a priest accused of child abuse. It was a good story, made you think.

your typical Danielle Steel novel. This was better than the last one I read.

my book club selection. It was sweet and a little unbelievable; or maybe i'm just cynical these days

Grand Ave water tower

my baby sister treated me to a show at the Fox theater recently. We saw the "Blue Man Group". We had great seats on the main level of the theater. On the way to the theater we passed the Grand Ave water tower.

 

The tower was built in 1871 by architect George I. Barnett in the form of a Corinthian order column with brick, stone and cast iron trim. Inclusive of its base, shaft and capital, it stands 154 feet tall. Inside was a standpipe, five feet in diameter, to hold water. In addition to being used for firefighting, the pressure in the pipe regulated water pressure in the area. In 1912, the water tower was decommissioned, and its standpipe and internal spiral staircase were removed. The staircase was replaced by a vertical ladder, and the tower was modified to include an aircraft warning light.^[1] In 1998, the water tower was restored and lit by floodlights.^{[2] (Wikipedia)}

 

This is one of the towers in St. Louis; some of them can be climbed and are a great place for photography.