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.

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.

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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108/365: Open Freeman

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The manhole cover to a sewer or utility tunnel or I don't know what on the Arch grounds. Would free people escape into it or out of it?

Final images from Chicago on St. Louis Daily Photo today.

68/365: An Arch Photo

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This was taken from about 16th and Chouteau. The monument is almost hemmed in by office buildings, a hotel, the light towers of Busch Stadium and high voltage lines. Still, it easily manages to rise above it all.

We're talking about the highbrow Disneyland today on St. Louis Daily Photo.

54/365: One Of The Bemefits Of Working Downtown

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...is that sometimes you get a late afternoon like this, when the low sun warms the Old Courthouse and neighboring buildings and the sky puts the Arch in grand display.

I like the one-on, one-off streetlamp in the right foreground. Sort of a one-eyed monster.

An artist's hands today on St. Louis Daily Photo.

42/365: Treatment For Depression

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We call this the depressed lanes, where Interstate 70 runs below street level downtown. The trench separates the city center on the left and the Arch grounds on the right, creating an awful barrier. Discussions of what to do about it have bubbled around for decades. It has often been suggested that we put a lid over it. It looks like changes are about to happen, some of which are wonderful and some of which are insanely awful. A public-private partnership held a design competition to renovate the whole area and a winner has been chosen. You can find out all about it on the City-Arch-River Competition web site.

Many new facilities would be added, the Arch park would be extended westward over a covered I 70 to the Old Court House and beyond and, perhaps, a gondola would be constructed from the south end of the park across the Mississippi to the viewing area in East St. Louis. On the other hand, the plan calls for removing the park's garage and not replacing it, making people use existing garages in the city center. Terrible idea. They are almost all a longer walk, bad for handicapped and elderly people. They are almost all more expensive, in some cases a lot more expensive, and many charge rip-off rates during baseball games. Finding a convenient spot when the Cardinals are playing a day game is nearly impossible. The designers also propose to cut the width of Market and Chestnut Streets in half. That will look nice since they are the main east-west streets leading up to the Arch, but it seems guaranteed to create traffic chaos during rush hour and after sporting events. Part of the proposal calls for removal of the popular and eye-catching waterfall and amphitheater in Kiener Plaza.

Not that I have any input. We will see what happens.

Honk if you like St. Louis Daily Photo.

38/365: It Looks Familiar, Yet...

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On the one hand, you could imagine that this is part of The Terminator's femur, but there is something strangely familiar about it.

Of course, it's a leg of the Arch at night under spotlights. No reason why we can't have a bit of the Arch on this blog - it's downtown St. Louis' most prominent feature.

Roosters go to the Stupid Bowl today on St. Louis Daily Photo.

31/365: No Crowds

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A blustery winter afternoon directly beneath the Arch. Perhaps the figures are two men, maybe father and son. Almost no one else around except me, at the bottom of the grand staircase, lens pointed upward.

22/365: The Wrong Step

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This staircase, in a state of considerable disrepair, is on the grounds of the Arch. It leads from the garage and river overlook down to the Mississippi. I don't know if they have been fixed since I shot this but the whole thing looks ominous.

19/365: Monuments

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The Old Court House, the Arch and better than average focus. The stars were well-aligned for this shot.