You Can Never Escape China

Day 2 started hot and humid with a ride on the nice, clean and air conditioned light, rapid rail, transit system of St. Louis. First stop, the St. Louis Gateway Arch.  The Arch was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States. St. Louis began as the capital for French Upper Louisiana, taken over by the Spanish then the British, once again by French and finally purchased by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Not sure what they paid for it, but we can definitely state that is was worth every penny.

 St. Louis was home to Lewis and Clark and was the jumping of point for their expedition to the West coast. They were the first of many explorers and settlers heading West from St. Louis.

The Gateway Arch stands 630 feet high and is located on the banks of the Mississippi river. It is a impressive structure. For you structural engineers it is weighted catenary arch.

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You can ride a tram to to a viewing room at the top.  We chose to enjoy it from the safety of the ground. I swear I saw it fluttering in the breeze.

Just a few steps away from the Arch were moored the Huck Finn and the Becky Thatcher, two fake paddle wheelers that carried paying ( first fees since arriving in St.Louie)  passengers up and down the "The Mighty Mississip". Truthfully, not the most scenic tour we have taken as the banks of the Mississippi are mostly littered with old scruffy looking industrial buildings. But it was a trip that had to be made as it was on the bucket list. Although it was planned to occur during a future trip to New Orleans.

This is a power plant constructed in 1903 for the Worlds Fair. It is still operating today. You can see the Arch shrouded in clouds, just to the left of the plant.

From there we  jumped on the train for a quick trip into Illinois then back to Doctor J's apartment for a nap. We were headed to the St. Louis Botanical Gardens in the evening for a Chinese lantern festival. It just seemed like the  right thing to do to have Doctor J travel over 7,000 kilometres to a strange new country so she could attend a Chinese lantern festival.  Sadly, it came with cost but it was well worth it. The site was littered with dozens of Chinese artisans selling their wares. Felt just like home except way over priced.