Aylmer Express "MoHo" Extravaganza 2006

Yesterday’s word was:

panoply \PAN-uh-plee\, noun:

1. A splendid or impressive array. 2. Ceremonial attire. 3. A full suit of armor; a complete defense or covering.

Day two in St. Louis continued to be most entertaining. Today we decided to take a trip up the Gateway Arch. This arch has an interesting story behind it. Back in 1939 St. Louis decided they wanted to improve the downtown area. There solution was to demolish virtually every building in a section of land between the city core and the Mississippi River and replace it with park land. They also wanted to erect a monument of sorts to give St. Louis a new identity. They got the demolition taken care of fairly quickly but then World War II came along and that put things on hold. After the war, in 1947, they finally decided to hold a contest for what type of monument they should erect. They ended up with 171 different design ideas submitted. They ultimately chose Eero Saarinen’s “Arch” as the winning design. However, money was tight after the war and construction had to be delayed. So 16 years later … yes, 16 years, they finally started building the unique structure that would go on to become a defining symbol for St. Louis. The Gateway Arch was opened in late 1965 for visitors but the tram was not completed yet so you had to walk up the stairs! The tram was ready to go not long after and they are still using the same transportation system today which I would describe as something like a cross between a mining shaft and “2001 A Space Odyssey”. André-Paul, when he saw these little transport containers, said to me, “It looks like Apple computer designed these.” Not a bad description actually. Perhaps Eero was about 40 or 50 years ahead of his time. Anyway, the Arch is an impressive design. It is so simple yet so compelling when you see it in real life. As usual, I got a little carried away with pictures but is was so much fun to photograph. And you do get a great view from the top!

After that is was off to the Science Center as the kids were interested in checking it out. We didn’t leave ourselves nearly enough time but we decided to go anyway. My friend Andy, who lives here in St. Louis, was most generous in giving all four of us some free passes to the OmniMax theatre there where we ended up seeing the movie Adrenaline Rush. Very cool. And we couldn’t help but feel proud to see some of the main characters in the film wearing Canadian flags and then see “Quebec” and “Canada” in the credits at the end. Outside of the movie, we didn’t get a chance to see more than about 25% of what was available but we really enjoyed the engineering section which focused on structures and how things are built. We even managed to build our own version of the Arch out of specially shaped foam cushions. Let me tell you, it is not as easy as it looks. It could make for a good sobriety test. But I bet if you asked the kids what was the most fun, they’d probably say the intricate, multi-floor contraption in the main entrance that had balls rolling in all directions following along metal “tracks” and tripping all sorts of devices along the way. They could just stand there and watch the activity for hours. If you have ever passed through the United Airlines terminal at Boston’s Logan airport, you know what I am talking about. Maybe one other possibility of what the kids enjoyed most could be the radar guns they had set up on the pedestrian bridge crossing the highway. Our two sons were standing side-by-side, each manning a radar gun trying to see who could register the fastest speed from the on-coming cars. Future police officers?
But that is not all! Then it was off to Andy’s place for a far too short visit before we left town. There we met his wife Teresa and their daughter, Jenna, who has to be one of the cutiest little girls you will ever see. They treated us to some true St. Louis-style thin-crust pizza as well as a local favorite, “Toasted Ravioli”. Both were most toothsome and I would recommend either one to a visitor to this fine city. Andy also showed us his favorite Weber grill (yes, he has more than one!) and his “chimney” for starting the coals. When it comes to BBQing, Andy is a purist. Stopping in at Andy’s place also gave us a chance to see a new part of the city. He and his family live in a wonderful neighbourhood in a beautiful 80-year-old home with the most lovely arched front entrance and wooden door. But I think the highlight for my son was the piano. It was nice to hear André-Paul filling the house once again with his wonderful selections of classical pieces. Thank you Andy and Teresa for the lovely evening and the gracious hospitality.