Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers

The Gateway Arch - 10.3.09
(plus some photos incorporated from the 1987 trip)

Different views of the famous Gateway Arch - the museum - plus views of St. Louis from the windows of the Arch - and the Taste of St. Louis Festival
Below: The majestic Gateway Arch frames the magnificent Old Courthouse and ultra-modern architecture in the vibrant city skyline.


The Gateway Arch is a 630-foot monument in St. Louis, Missouri. Clad in stainless steel and built in the form of an inverted, weighted catenary arch, it is the world's tallest arch, the tallest man-made monument in the Western Hemisphere, and Missouri's tallest accessible building. Built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States, and officially dedicated to "the American people," it is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and has become an internationally recognized symbol of St. Louis, as well as a popular tourist destination. The Arch was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen in 1947; construction began on February 12, 1963, and was completed on October 28, 1965, for $13 million (equivalent to $190 million in 2015). The monument opened to the public on June 10, 1967. It is located at the site of St. Louis' founding on the west bank of the Mississippi River. The Arch has served as the site for multiple incidents, accidents, and stunts, and following the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995 and the September 11 attacks it has received a number of security related upgrades.


Looking directly UP at the arch gave the two RV Gypsies the impression that the arch was swaying, but in reality, the it was the swiftly moving clouds that created the illusion.


Inside The Gateway Arch MUSEUM





Karen Duquette at the bottom of the Arch



The windows at the top of the Arch

The two RV Gypsies took the journey to the top of the Arch.



Views of St. Louis and the Mississippi River taken from the windows INSIDE the Arch

Below: 1987 Magazine clipping of the view

Below: 2009 - Actual views and photos by Karen Duquette



From high above, Lee noticed the white tents way down the street and decided that he wanted to walk there and see what it was all about, so after going up in the Gateway Arch, that is where the two RV Gypsies went.

Below: Time to go back down to the ground. The stairway from the top of the Arch back down to the elevators. Each of the 8 elevators has 5 seats inside, really close together. The door to the elevator was only 4-feet high and the inside walls of the elevator were curved. There was not much head-room, and it was extremely crowded with 5 people seated inside.


Back outside the Arch, the two RV Gypsies took the long walk to find those tents. It turned out to be a food festival, much to Lee Duquette's delight. No photos of the food or booths were taken.

views of the Arch from the food festival.