Photo of the Week: Gateway Arch

This was the view from my hotel room in downtown St. Louis, Missouri during a summer Midwest road trip.

We stayed at the Hampton Inn at the Arch — I’m a big fan of Hampton Inns because the staff is always friendly, especially to families, and the breakfasts are great.

The Gateway Arch is also called the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, in honor of President Thomas Jefferson’s involvement in the expansion of US boundaries to the West (through the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition.)

Designed by famous Finnish architect Eero Saarinen, the Arch was built in 1965 to commemorate St. Louis’ role as the “gateway to the West;” the city was one of the last major jumping-off points for pioneer travelers.

Finding this photo reminds me that I never wrote up a proper post about our brief stop in St. Louis — look for that in the near future!

Did you know about the Missouri Amish?
Kansas City, here we come