Gateway to the West, St. Louis

Gateway to the West–the St. Louis Arch. An inspiring feat of engineering rising 630 feet in the air.

I took this shot from the interstate on the ride into St. Louis for a recent family gathering. In my family there is a longstanding tradition that developed as a result of frequent visits to the St. Louis area.

The tradition or competition is as follows:

• Everyone in the car tries to see the arch first
• Once someone as seen the arch, they call “I see the Arch”
• The first person to see the Arch and call “I see the Arch”, is the winner

You might ask what is stopping someone from saying “I see the Arch,” close to the time when you would actually be able to see it from the road, even if you don’t actually see the arch, and thus win. The answer is that no one in the family would violate this time honored custom and cheat or deceive by calling “I see the Arch” when in fact they did not yet see it–or so I thought.

There was a span of 5-6 visits when I was younger in which a certain older sibling of mine was consistently able to see the arch before me. While this could be attributed to a superior vantage point in the car, or better visual acuity, I was suspicious.

This suspicion grew to incredulity when I verified that it was physically impossible to see the arch from the point in which it was being called.

Several years ago I was able to illicit a confession from the transgressor, in which she admitted that she was in fact calling “I see the Arch” in anticipation of any actual visual confirmation (ie cheating). With counseling I am starting to get over it, and it was suggested that taking this picture would help in the healing process.

St. Louis is my favorite area, I hope to have the opportunity to take some more shots of the downtown area and the arch in the future.

Old Courthouse	Railway Cars with Urban Embellishment