My Hometown A to Z Today: A

I was born on a cold February morning in 1952 in St Louis, Missouri.

I have never been sorry that I am a Midwesterner--and while I have loved living in other parts of the country, I have fought to retain the Midwestern characteristics that set us apart. (I admit I have tried to lose a few.)

Just like Johnny Carson, another Midwesterner, I don't think that I have an accent--but I think that every other part of the country endears itself by the accent. And although the Midwest will probably never again be my home, I cannot forget from whence I come--and so I have added to my rotating, repeating blog entries--a feature fondly called: My Hometown A - Z.

It is difficult, if not darn near impossible, to write about my hometown of St Louis, Missouri without A being the St Louis Arch which began construction in 1963 when I was 11 and Kennedy was president, Jackie was First Lady, Elvis was king of rock and roll and life was great. There were no Beatles, we were launching monkeys and beagles into space, and Roger Maris was homerun king. Along with all this good news, St Louis planned to memorialize the Mississippi waterfront so loved by Mark Twain with an ARCH.

St Louis was known for other things before 1963-- a memorable history of baseball teams, the world's largest brewery and the city's financial support for an ambitious aviator who changed the dream of transatlantic flight to reality by crossing the Atlantic non-stop in 1927.

The St Louis Arch JOINS those other things that make St Louis fabulicious and it certainly does not diminish them.

With all the jokes about the Arch being a stainless steel McDonald's arch or a croquet wicket, the St Louis Arch is really a work of art and the largest man-made monument in the country--and maybe the world.

A Midwestern characteristic is fierce loyalty--St Louis still cherishes baseball, beer and Charles Lindbergh. BUT St Louis's most recognizable feature is now the St Louis Arch.



There is nothing more fabulous on July 4th than that Arch illuminated by the riverfront fireworks. Its just breathtaking.










Why is the Arch there on the Mississippi waterfront?

Quite simply, it commemorates the end of the East and the beginning of the Western part of the United States--what I prefer to think of as the wild side!! The Arch stands close to the starting point of Lewis and Clark's exploration of the Louisiana Purchase and the move west of American explorers, pioneers and just wild, adventurous people who were tired of living in the rather predictable and staid East. (Another Midwestern characteristic---never let people East of the Mississippi River think they had anything on us--especially their claims of a sophisticated, refined lifestyle.)

Why an Arch???

In 1947, a group of civic leaders held a national competition to select a design for the main portion of the Memorial space. Eero Saarinen won this competition with plans for a 590-foot (180-metre) catenary arch to be placed on the banks of the Mississippi River. However, these plans were modified over the next 15 years, placing the arch on higher ground and adding 40 feet (12 m) in height and width. It is not a pure inverted catenary arch. But close.


The construction of the Arch began February 12, 1963 and was completed on October 28, 1965, costing less than US$15 million to build. As a child of 11, I watched the legs of the Arch being built on a rather dismal, undeveloped and trashy looking riverfront. The riverfront is still being developed, but it has not been dismal since the arch legs first appeared above ground. It took on an air of excitement and "becoming' that still exists there today.



As the two legs grew taller and taller, there was a certain anticipation and trepidation about whether the legs would meet at all.

I remember something about there being NO margin for error.




Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall dedicated the Arch on May 25, 1968.

There have been some airplanes that have dared to fly through the Arch--with other pilots who claim that the inverted catenary arch design serves as a magnet that draws small planes and sky divers toward it with an unrelenting force. Not substantiated--but another Midwestern characteristic--we love a good story.

There are 4 million visitors a year--so the Arch seems to be quite magnetic to tourists as well. In 2005, the Arch was illuminated at dark to make it a stunning sight for travelers crossing the Mississippi on Highway 70/64/44/55 which converge at the Arch. It stands proudly welcoming all adventurous travelers ready to leave the East behind and venture on because they still believe that America has a free, untamed, wild side.

Happy New Year!!

Coming soon-- Another new rotating feature--Susan's Favorite Recipes.
I have chosen The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER as the first recipe to appear in this blog feature.