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Thursday, September 27, 2018

Explore St Louis-The Gateway Arch

Gateway Arch with American flag in St Louis photo by mbgphoto
Gateway to the West
I have lived in the St. Louis area for most of my life and I never get tired of telling people about my home town.  There are so many wonderful landmarks in the area and over the next few months I hope to share several of them with the Review This readers through my photographs. 

Reviewing The Gateway Arch

The most well known landmark in St. Louis is the Gateway Arch.  The arch was built during my high school years and I still remember hearing about the construction.  The arch was built as a monument to the "Westward Expansion" of the United States.


Gateway Arch & Old Courthouse in St Louis photo by mbgphoto
Construction on the arch began on February 12, 1963 and was completed on October 28, 1965.  It was located on the site of the founding of St. Louis on the west bank of the Mississippi river.  The arch stands at 630 feet tall.  It has a museum below the arch that tells of the history of the area and the westward expansion.

I have been to the top of the arch several times and it is always thrilling (and a bit scary) to ride the jerky little elevator to the top and then look out over St. Louis through the little windows.
Picture from beneath the Gateway Arch in St Louis photo by mbgphoto
See small windows at top of Arch
Over the years the arch has become the iconic symbol of St. Louis.  Whenever I travel whether by plane or car and I am returning home when I see the arch it brings a smile to my face.

Photographing the Arch

Over the years the arch has been photographed over and over.  It is always a challenge for a photographer to get a unique photo of the arch.  It has been photographed from every angle and most July 4th's you will see wonderful photographs of fireworks framed by the arch.  They are set off on a barge in the river and people gather on the arch grounds to watch the spectacle.  

In early September my husband and I went to a Cardinal ballgame one afternoon and before the game we walked the several blocks over to the arch grounds to photograph the arch.  It was a beautiful sunny day with some fluffy clouds in the sky.  The two photographs above are ones that I took that morning.  The first photograph was taken from the top of the steps of the Old Courthouse just across the street from the arch grounds.

That trip got me excited to take more photos of the arch and I decided I would love to capture it in the early morning light just before sunrise.  A couple of weeks later my friend and I got up early and took a drive downtown.  Here are a few of the photographs I got that morning.
Gateway Arch in St Louis photo by mbgphotoSunrise at the Gateway Arch in St Louis photo by mbgphoto

Sunrise at the Gateway Arch in St Louis photo by mbgphoto


Once the sun came up it was too bright to photograph the arch from the front.  I had heard that they had added a reflecting pond during a recent renovation of the arch grounds so we took a walk to look for the best angle to capture the arch and it's reflection.  Here is my favorite shot.
Gateway Arch in St Louis photo by mbgphoto


My Arch Photos on Zazzle

Here is a poster I made on Zazzle the includes several of my St. Louis photos.  You can find more of my work by clicking on the link below the poster or going to www.zazzle.com/mbgphoto.

St Louis Landmarks Poster
by mbgphoto 
I also have several other items showing the arch on Zazzle.

5 comments:

  1. Mary Beth these pictures are just perfect. I did not know that there was an elevator to take you to the top of the arch. I really do learn new things everyday. Next time I'm down your way, I will stop to see this wonderful landmark and enjoy the lovely surroundings. Thanks!

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  2. You certainly captured some gorgeous photos of the St. Louis Arch, Mary Beth! I love the shot of the Arch & the reflecting pond. As always, your sunrise photos are stunning. I love the early morning colors of the sky. The photo with Arch with the waving flag is magnificent! I've seen the Arch a few times, but never been to the top. I think I would be too big of a chicken to go up in it and look down.

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  3. Oh my I had no idea there was an elevator to the top of it. Beautiful photos, you really captured it's glory. Especially loving the fresh blue sky background. I almost feel like I'm there.

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  4. The first time I ever saw the St. Louis Arch I was amazed to discover it was completed in 1965. That's the year my daughter was born and for some reason I always thought it was much older. It seems to have been there forever! My daughter now lives in St. Louis, thus I have seen and visited the arch many, many times. Lovely photo interpretation of this beautiful landmark.

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  5. Such gorgeous photos Mary Beth. You always make me feel like I've been there. We once drove around St. Louis, and saw the arch from a distance. I hadn't realized it was so pretty.

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