Mission accomplished in St. Louis. My deepest gratitude to the kind folks who escorted myself and merch guy, Glen, to the heart of downtown St. Louis following our show at the University Theater. We had a rough one as the gig did not go as planned and the theatre and promoter made errors in the seating arrangement leaving audience members scrambling for re-arranged seats. Not quite up to the professional standard to which we aspire.  Apologies. All this strife doubled my resolve to have some positive experience.  The after show adventure made my day. In many ways.

The Mighty Mississippi separates St. Louis from East St. Louis and at night looks magical with the many illuminated Riverboats cruising revelers and gamblers up and down the grand waterway. From the lowered walkway lining the river, we ascended many (64, I was told) Rocky-like wide concrete steps. They are daunting in appearance as they look so narrow and steep, like climbing the side of a pyramid. By the time you hit only the third or fourth step, the top of the Gateway Arch comes into view.

I can’t comment on how the Arch looks in the cold light of day, but at night, it is truly wondrous. I had no idea that it is made of what appears to be stainless steel, so it catches every twinkle of light thrown at it. As you go up the staircase you get to see the geometric perfection of the curves and of the sleek lines of the bending column. You are almost to the top before you get the real prize.

The Arch in and of itself is cool, and very noble in that it serves no function or purpose other than beauty and providing visitors access to its peak with what must be a spectacular view. The real gem is what appears between the legs of the Arch as you finally reach the plateau of the park. The city skyline is framed perfectly and lit up like a Christmas Tree. The hotels and office buildings appear cleaner and statelier in this frame and light, and the whole place looks so inviting through one of the best front gates a city could ask for. The center and heart of the view is what seemed to this traveler as a small version of the gorgeous State buildings that each US State Capitol features prominently.  The white wee dome and curved glass seemed the perfect compliment to the mighty Arch.  Very friggin’ cool.

Here’s an appropriately blurry photo of Glen and me under the Arch.

And here’s us with the skyline.  Thanks for the photo’s Lou.

Well done St. Louis. Hope to spend a full night there sometime soon.

Sold Out show in Columbus tonight.
Rock on.

Cheers,
Alan