(Photo) Gateway Arch Monument.

Piece 1: Gateway Arch and Museum. Located in downtown St. Louis MO just west of the Mississippi River within a 91-acre national park is the iconic Gateway Arch.

The idea of erecting a monument in St. Louis to recognize the western expansion of the United States began in the 1930’s. The preferred location was the western riverfront, which required some existing structures to be removed and a stretch of railroad to be taken underground.

A competition was held in the mid-1940’s to determine the monument design, and Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen’s idea of an arch was selected.

Construction of the monument began in 1963 and was completed in late 1965.

Public access to the apex of the Arch (a 630-feet high observation space) was aided in the late 1960’s by the installation of two unique tram systems, one operating within each leg of the monument.

The trams (accessed from the underground visitors center) are a chain of eight 5-passenger pods designed to operate as a Ferris Wheel-like elevator, and seats must be reserved in advance.

The pods are somewhat small; I felt like I was climbing into space capsule (with four other astronauts). One claustrophobic visitor looked inside the tram car and decided to stay behind. The ride up to the observation deck took several minutes and a window in the pod provided a view of the internal structure of the Arch.

The observation deck is crowded, with around 80 people in there at a time, but it does offer some memorable views.

Back down on the main level of the visitors center there is an interactive museum that covers over 200 years of American history and the construction of the Arch.

Take some time to enjoy the tree-lined walkways in the park, as well as the ornamental grass and flower gardens.

Graceland Mansion

Piece 2: Graceland Mansion. Located a scenic 4-hour drive south of St. Louis in Memphis TN is the home of the late music and movie star Elvis Presley.

Per the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the original 10,000-square foot mansion was built in 1939 by Memphis socialite Ruth Moore and her husband, and Elvis purchased the house and surrounding acreage in 1957 for $102,500.

As a young child in the mid-1960’s, I lived in the Whitehaven neighborhood of Memphis, which included Graceland. It was not unusual to drive by the mansion and see Elvis out in the large front yard riding a horse.

Coming back to the place decades later as a tourist, it struck me that the publicly accessible parts of the house appear stylistically frozen in the 1970’s, which seems appropriate.

The “Graceland complex” has progressively grown to include more retail, dining, lodging, and convention space across the street from the mansion.

As part of our tour, we looked inside two of Elvis’ private airplanes, the 1958 Convair 880 he named after his daughter, Lisa Marie, and the smaller Lockheed JetStar he called Hound Dog II.

Visitors can also see Presley’s personal and family automobiles, performance attire, recording industry awards, and other memorabilia.

We really enjoyed our visit here; brought back memories to me (both as a fan and former neighbor).

Rendezvous (Memphis TN)

Piece 3: Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous. Located at 52 South Second Street in Memphis is Rendezvous, a restaurant established in 1948 by city native Charlie Vergos as a simple sandwich and beer shop.

Charlie wanted to broaden his menu and decided to start offering barbecued ribs. He seasoned his slabs with a special dry rub and grilled them over a charcoal fire, basting with vinegar to keep the meat moist.

The same cooking method is followed today; best “dry rub” ribs around, no sauce required.

When at Rendezvous, take a moment to explore the walls of the restaurant. They are covered with interesting photos and collectibles.

NOW…READY TO START PLANNING YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE?

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