181/365: Peace Out

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Downtown St. Louis 365 is going on sabbatical for a while. I need more time for other things. My intention is to post occasionally when I have a picture that's worth it. The St. Louis Daily Photo juggernaut continues. So for now, peace and joy, and keep your feet cool during the hot months.

The Thursday Arch Series has a military twist on St. Louis Daily Photo.

180/365: I'd Like To Buy The World A Coke

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Possibly a street person, maybe just someone hanging out in the Old Post Office Plaza. He's got one good arm to lift a bottle of Coca Cola.

I am suspending Downtown St. Louis 365 for a while after tomorrow's post. Made it to half a year. It gets little traffic, some of the work is below the standard I want and it's taking more time than I anticipated. My summer will be very busy at work. I may bring it back in the future or post intermittently. If anyone would like to persuade me to do otherwise, let me know.

Street portraits of unusual people on St. Louis Daily Photo.

179/3365: Analysis

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Analysis: breaking things down into their component parts, looking for structure and patterns to achieve a deeper understanding. Could be Freudian, Jungian, philosophical or political. In this case I think it's chemical. Check the lettering of the top line. Evidently, no expense was spared in the development of this facility.

St. Louis Daily Photo is definitely out of the closet.

178/365: Watch Out, Guys. They're All Lawyers

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This looks like it might have been taken by our friend Steffe.

Sauce Magazine, the local weekly newspaper and website for foodies, has an annual tasting and pouring at this time of year in a blessedly air-conditioned venue. This year it was at the swanky Four Seasons Hotel north of the Arch. There were yummy tidbits from some of the best local area restaurants (this is a wonderful city for eating) and samples from regional wineries. Yes, Missouri makes wine and some of it is pretty good.

The group attending the event in the iPhone picture above might get the attention of young men on the prowl. Be careful, guys, they are all lawyers. I can vouch for it - the one on the left works for me. Behave yourselves. You don't want to be slapped with a writ.

St. Louis Daily Photo does gentle combat.

177/365: Street Combat

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We couldn't imagine this in the relative safety of America but there are plenty of places in this world where you could round a bend in the road and walk right into it. Be grateful.

These Marines rode up to the edge of the Mississippi in inflatable Zodiac boats, jumped into the water and waded ashore with automatic weapons at the ready. Makes me want to watch Mary Poppins or something.

There are daredevils on St. Louis Daily Photo.

176/365: Drop On In

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At the beginning of the Marines' mock assault yesterday, six men jumped out of a helicopter and - what's the right term? - used paragliders to float down to the lawn under the Arch. The announcer said they do this with great precision and are able to land on a 10 square meter target. As Muhammad Ali used to say, float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

175/365: Fast Way Out

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As I mentioned today on St. Louis Daily Photo, these pictures stir up memories of images from the Vietnam War. The circumstances are utterly different, but this one makes me think of the last helicopter leaving the roof of the American embassy in Saigon at the end of the conflict, No one is firing on the Arch grounds, though.

St. Louis Daily Photo has a big, mean copter coming out of the sun.

174/365: Happiness Is A Warm Gun

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John Lennon said so, so it must be true. When was the last time you looked down the barrel of a tank? (I hope for all our sakes that this is a purely rhetorical question.) You can do it this week in Ballpark Village, next to Busch Stadium, the local baseball venue. This theme will continue here and on St. Louis Daily Photo with an explanation on Saturday.

Speaking of which, the Arch's metal is a point of emphasis on St. Louis Daily Photo.

173/365: Sneak Preview

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There is a big public event going on downtown this week. This is just a preview. More on St Louis Daily Photo late this week and into the weekend.

St. Louis Daily Photo remembers Anthony Gano.

172/365:Ynlo Gal Htron Ta

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Look back at last Friday's post - this is where the sign would point you. That's the edge of the north leg of the Arch at the top. No entry.

St. Louis Daily Photo is still way out on the prairie.

171/365: Mish Mash

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Most cities have a blend of old and new buildings with a variety of styles. This shot was taken from underneath the Arch looking west into downtown. From right t o left, we have the zippy International Style of the AT&T Building, the Neoclassic Old Courthouse and the who-the-heck-knows Civil Courts Building.

170/365: The Uncertainty Principle

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You can know the position of something very accurately, you can know the momentum of something very accurately, but you cant know both at the same time. Shot under the Arch, by the Mississippi.

St. Louis Daily Photo has a portrait of my wife's 92 year old mother.

169/365: Slow Business

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There have been a couple of posts here and on St. Louis Daily Photo about the horse-drawn carriages that prowl downtown, looking for visitors. This one is parked on the street by the river (barely above water for the moment) directly under the Arch. No takers.

168/365: Lies And Misinformation

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Most visitors enter the Arch by the entrance at the north leg. It's closest to the garage. But last weekend there were signs all over the place directing people to the south leg. Problem is, that side is closed for construction work (we'll have a picture sometime soon). So, uh, who's in charge here?

St. Louis Daily Photo sees red.

167/365: Other things To Do At The Arch

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This gentleman was lying in the grass right under the Arch, peacefully reading a book. It could feel like having a gigantic, high-tech security system surrounding you, repelling all forces of danger. The great steel hoop is simply that powerful.

A Photoshoperized image of the big wicket is on St. Louis Daily Photo.

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166/365: I Am Wearing Silly Bunny Ears But I Will NOT Smile

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This family of walkers was resting on the wall surrounding the World War I Soldiers Memorial. They will not have fun and you can't make them. You may have noticed the pink rabbit ears in other pictures in this series. Energizer Batteries has their headquarters on the edge of downtown and was a sponsor of the event. Their advertising theme for ages has been the Energizer Bunny who keeps going and going and going. The company was giving away the ears to anyone who would take them.

The reason for this event is summed up in a portrait on St. Louis Daily Photo.

165/365: Ninty Seconds Of Fame

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Andy Warhol said that in the future everyone would have fifteen minutes of fame. Television news gives its subjects a small fraction of that. A little piece of info-candy, nothing taxing. Nevertheless, these people raising money for breast cancer research deserve some thanks.

Hey, I know the guy with a beard near the middle! Hi, Jeff!

The best viewpoint for shooting the parade is on St. Louis Daily Photo.

164/365: Grape And Lime

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Pink wasn't the only color on display at the Komen Race For The Cure. I think the color palette came off a psychedelic poster.

The swell of marchers was overwhelming, as illustrated on St. Louis Daily Photo.

163/365: Komen Race For The Cure

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A few drops in the sea of people at the Komen Race For The Cure supporting breast cancer research that took place downtown yesterday. The main reason why I was out shooting it is on St. Louis Daily Photo.

162/365: Mixer

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The sound engineer at Party On The Plaza this week. It looks like a very modern version of the phantom of the opera at the latest kind of organ keyboard.

Crime fighting buddies? No, chefs de cuisine on St. Louis Daily Photo.

161/365: Spectators

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Another shot from yesterday's Party On The Plaza. I suspect these men live on the edges of downtown, literally and figuratively. They say you're never too old to rock and roll but I don't think age is the question here.

St. Louis Daily Photo likes the lead singer's haircut.

160/360: Prophets

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It's a little song all American schoolchildren know: If you're happy and you know it clap your hands (clap clap). Some local wit turned it into a question about epistemology and theology on the graffiti-permitted part of the floodwall south of the Arch. A short distance away, another painter has no doubts about what he or she knows.

It's horse, buggy and Arch time on St. Louis Daily Photo.

159/360: Patience

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Sitting on the north steps of the Old Post Office in front of the library entrance, waiting for something to happen. Could be a while.

St. Louis Daily Photo is prescribing relief.

158/365: Bridge To Darkness

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Not far south of the Arch, an old train trestle climbs upward from the ground and seems to disappear into blackness. It actually bends right at the top, merging onto a bridge across the river to Illinois. It is still used occasionally.

St. Louis Daily Photo pretends to be steamboating, but the thing really runs on diesel.

157/365: I've Been Asking Myself That Question

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There are few answers to the question at this specific location. Forward, you plunge into the Mississippi. Backward, you crash into the floodwall. Left or right just takes you along the street by the river, if it's not underwater. (Parts of it were the day this was taken.) There is a way out, but you need to know exactly where you are going. Sartre would be confused.

156/365: Guitarist Available

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Just a quicky, uploaded from our lodgings in Hannibal, Missouri, two hours up the Mississippi from St. Louis. There's that certain rock and roll guitarist look and attitude, which is going strong here. From one of The Project for Downtown St. Louis' Parties In The Plaza.

155/365: Believe - What?

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From the graffiti-permitted section of the Mississippi floodwall just south of the Arch. I'm not real good on popular culture, but isn't the stenciled face a character from the animated movie Toy Story? Then there's the question of what we should believe, and why. Animated movies, maybe.

I posted this to balance today's picture on St. Louis Daily Photo.