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The Gateway Arch dominates St Louis, and those of us who love the city always feel a sense of coming home as we sight the Arch way in the distance. Its actual height is also enhanced by being right on the waterfront alongside the Mississippi River, and from the City itself you get the most wonderful views as you move between the bigger buildings.

Arriving at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial park which surrounds the Arch, one is first impressed by the sleekness of the structure. On one of St Louis's many sunny days, the reflecting surfaces are truly striking. To get into the arch you first go underground to the Visitor Center, where you buy your ticket and have the opportunity to visit an interesting museum on the expansion westwards of the United States, and there is a pleasant gift shop. As well as the normal gift shop items, it's well worth looking at the many wonderful prints of the Arch that look great back on one's own wall.

The main point of the Center, however, is that you can get into the capsules here that take you to the top. A word of warning here; these are not roomy crafts! For an average to large person like myself, it is extremely cramped with very little head or leg room. But the journey is quick, and it's worth it for the views you get at the top.

From the observation gallery you get wonderful views over the City of St Louis on one side, and over the river to Illinois on the other. Again this is not a roomy affair, but its cramped conditions add somehow to the atmosphere. This is a great place to ask a stranger to take your picture!

Coming down from the arch again, and turning towards the Mississippi, there is a really long and wide flight of stairs down to the river bank, and it is worth going down there for the views up to the structure. The Arch does dominate the St Louis skyline, but it is from a boat that you probably get the most interesting views.

On my most recent trip, I took one of the steamers down river, and as it turned, one got a very unusual view of the arch in profile, looking to all the world like a single sleek tower. From the river you also get the most interesting reflections, and I have countless pictures, of this breathtaking sight.

The Arch in open to visitors 7 days a week, excluding Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. In the summer it's open until 9pm, and in the winter to 5pm. On high days and holidays you can queue for a while to get up to the viewing gallery - but it is well worth it at any time of year!

Learn more about this author, Derek Knight.
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