Meet me in St. Louis

I was in St. Louis in March for an ASID President's Forum Conference - and like all great trips - not to be confused with vacations - I packed as much in as possible!

Arriving early morning checking in at the hotel - Great 18th Story veiw of the Arch and Waterfront! Thank you Hyatt!

Then jumping into a cab and heading to the Cahokia Mounds in Illinois!

Why you may ask? Why would I spend time traveiling to see piles of dirt? Why not! You see I first learned about Cahokia while traveiling accross the country in 1991 with my fam. - the museum had just opened in 1989, which was a pretty big deal - we saw signs - it peaked our interest - so we made a side stop - it was so facinating! so memorable we still talk about it - so... Why not stop by when I was only 15 min away! Things to report - Mounds are still there - Mueseum has not changed at all since my 1991 visit and No the video that is showing (which is excellent) is not for sale - but another video is and although has alot of the same parts - it's not the same or as good. but you can watch the good one here: http://www.cahokiamounds.com/learn/video then click on the View: City of the Sun Link at the bottom of the page.

So what' s this place all about? if you didn't watch the 15 min video here's the story in a nut shell... Here lies the remains of the most sophisticated prehistoric native civilization north of Mexico.

Pretty Intereseting! Right!

According to archaeological finds, the city of Cahokia was inhabited from about A.D. 700 to 1400. At its peak, from A.D. 1050 to 1200, the city covered nearly six square miles and 10,000 to 20,000 people lived here. Over 120 mounds were built over time, and most of the mounds were enlarged several times. Houses were arranged in rows and around open plazas, and vast agricultural fields lay outside the city. The fate of the prehistoric Cahokians and their city is unknown, but the decline seems to have been gradual, beginning around the 1200s. By A.D. 1400 the site had been abandoned. http://www.cahokiamounds.com/

So I ran up to the top of the largest mound - enjoyed the view of St. Lo. Mo. & took in the power of the people that came before - and ran down - I had to get back to St Louis - the morning was yet young!

Dropped off at the River Front area I quickly went straight to the Arch - Gateway to the West

There are just certain things you MUST do when in certain places - How could I go to St. Louis and not go up to the top of the Arch.... but time was a ticking - the conference starts at 2pm - Security lines were long and slow (by the way there are two entrances - one with a line and one with out) I head over to the "get up there" line and wow with in minutes, the next availible tram was in an hour... it woul dbe tight but it was possible! Any time anyone asks you if you are clostrophibic before selling you at ticket - let that stand as a serious question - not to be taken lightly!

We are herded like cattle at Disney to get on these "Capsule Trains" this interior - elevator that not only goes up but sideways - Five to a Pod. then shut the door and begin - So back to the Clostrophobic part - I'm not clostrophbic - I like my space but confined spaces aren't diableing or terribly nerv racking - but to this guy on my pod this was the end - his family - wife and teenage daughters - took a vote and p they went - he doesn't like these things apparently - and his kids liked reminding him how crowded and small and old and you get the idea I couldn't wait to get out myself! - Lesson: Heed all lessons from service personel when warnings are offered.

Got to the top and wow - there was some movement... but look at that view - I've always enjoyed seeing for miles -views from mountain tops, amusment park rides, airplanes, and monuments.... this was quite the veiw - from the very small windows!

Then back down - much more comforatable! - no one with issues...

Bauetiful weather. Great time. Check of the list of things to do while in St. Louis, MO

Arch Quick Facts: http://www.gatewayarch.com/Arch/

Designed by Eero Saarinen

• The Arch is the tallest national monument in the United States at 630 feet; it is the city's best known landmark and a popular tourist attraction.
  Construction began February 12, 1963 and the last section of the Arch was put into place on October 28, 1965.
• The Arch is a structure known as a catenary curve, the shape a free-hanging chain takes when held at both ends, and considered the most structurally-sound arch shape. The span of the Arch legs at ground level is 630 feet, the same as its height.

Each year, approximately a million visitors ride the trams to the top of the Arch. The trams have been in operation for over 30 years, traveling a total of 250,000 miles and carrying over 25 million passengers.


• The Arch weighs 17,246 tons. Nine hundred tons of stainless steel was used to build the Arch, more than any other project in history.
  The Arch was built at a cost of $13 million. The transportation system was built at a cost of $3,500,000.


• In order to ensure that the constructed legs would meet, the margin of error for failure was 1/64th of an inch. All survey work was done at night to eliminate distortion caused by the sun's rays. Since the Arch was constructed before the advent of computer technology, relatively crude instruments were used for these measurements.


• The Arch sways a maximum of 18" (9" each way) in a 150 mph wind. The usual sway is 1/2". - Yes I Could feel a little movement while at the top!