Missouri, the Show Me state!

Although we have a friend near Branson, we decided to skip the hoo-ha and head straight toward the Arch!  


Built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States, it is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and has become an internationally famous symbol of St. Louis.  The arch sits on the west bank of the Mississippi River in St. Louis.  The Gateway Arch designed by architect Eero Saarinen in 1947 was completed on October 28, 1965.  My father Edward Wright helped with issues that plagued the elevator system during its construction and helped create the first working system used in the world’s tallest arch.

The Gateway Arch is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world with over four million visitors annually, of which around one million travel to the top via the elevator system. 

The downtown historic areas are part of a bustling citiscape.  We went to the area near the college that some compare to Austin.  Coffee shops, art houses, and Whole Foods, we felt at home reading the stars on the sidewalks, never realizing how many famous people have a St. Louis connection. 

We also loved the historic downtown area like this courthouse.  

The food was awesome!  Part of our travels we refer to as "eating our way across the US of A!"  St. Louis is definitely an edible choice.  If you go, try the pie, I mean St. Louis style pizza.  The thin cracker like crust is topped with oregano flavored sauce and topped with provel cheese.  You can add whatever toppings you want but this is good stuff!  The other food we ate was BBQ.  Although St. Louis is not typically on the list of major styles of barbecue in the United States, the city was recognized by Kingsford as "America’s Top Grilling City”.  St. Louis style means pork, grilled and then sauced BBQ as opposed to rubs like we ate in Arkansas.  It was guuuud!