The Gateway Arch was the 9th National Park I’ve had the opportunity to visit. While the title of National Park is interesting for the arch, the monument is simply awe-inspiring. Walking through the city district of St. Louis to the lush paths within the park, I was amazed when the Gateway Arch came into sight. I always find it impressive when something exceeds expectations and the arch did exactly that for me. Leading up to this visit I reread Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief because in that novel the main characters visit and go up into the arch. Also I had completed a final project for my solid mechanics class where I had to conduct structural analysis for the arch under high wind loads and earthquakes. I thought my expectations wouldn’t be met because of these experiences with the Gateway Arch but that wasn’t the case. Taking the tram up to the highest point was such a fun experience and it felt just like a theme park ride! I spent hours afterwards in the museum since it had tons of great information involving all aspects of the arch. I would highly recommend visiting it if you happen to be passing by St. Louis since you can enjoy a lot of it in just an hour or two.

The use of 304 stainless steel gives the Gateway Arch a futuristic look that is toned down by the natural arch formation. The arch is modeled after an inverted, weighted catenary which is simply how a rope or vine would rest when connected between two points. The arch uses the largest amount of stainless steel for a single project thus giving it an exclusive look. My favorite monument now is the Gateway Arch because of its unique presence. I look forward to driving by it again and remembering how I amazed I felt being towered by it.