Where Can I Get This Shot of the Gateway Arch?
August 5, 2008 8:49 AM Subscribe
PhotoFilter: When I'm visiting St. Louis this fall, I'd love to take this picture of the Gateway Arch and downtown.
Well, not that photo exactly. Lighting, et. al. are of course subject to change.
It appears that I need to go across the river into E. St. Louis, Ill., but this map doesn't show many promising places to take the photo. Frankly, it looks like a train yard. There's no street view to confirm or deny my assumption. Can any locals assure me that a trip across the river and into Illinois will yield a friendly place to get the photo?
Well, not that photo exactly. Lighting, et. al. are of course subject to change.
It appears that I need to go across the river into E. St. Louis, Ill., but this map doesn't show many promising places to take the photo. Frankly, it looks like a train yard. There's no street view to confirm or deny my assumption. Can any locals assure me that a trip across the river and into Illinois will yield a friendly place to get the photo?
I think you should probably take it from the sidewalk of one of the bridges. (Probably Eads, since the MetroLink station is very close by.)
posted by jrockway at 8:58 AM on August 5, 2008
posted by jrockway at 8:58 AM on August 5, 2008
Local here. Yes, you can go to East Boogie and escape unscathed... despite what National Lampoon's Vacation may have indicated to folks.
(That said, you can also get real fucked up going there, too... but it's not like it's automatic or a given or anything. It's not as dangerous as the North Side, that's for sure, but it will require a degree of vigilance on your part... but anyway, back to your question.)
One very common way to get something similar (but one that will be noticeably different than the example) is to go out on one of two bridges (Eads or the much less ped-friendly Poplar Street), walk almost all the way across to the Illinois side to square up the angle as much as possible, and then shoot back with a telephoto lens... Handsome photos have been taken this way.
But you wanted square-on, and for that, you're going to East St. Louis...
Follow directions to the (hilariously underwhelming) "Gateway Geyser", and walk about 1/4 mile towards the river. Simple as that. Nothing particularly sketchy about the place; as a matter of fact, I personally guarantee that you will not be killed by random street crime (or your money back).
Maybe poke around on Flickr or Panoramio and look for photos with locational metadata. Here's one, for example.
Another option I've seen but have no experience with: any of several competing, touristy riverboat-tours that can be found on the river-side of the arch grounds... look for the huge, gaudy signs (can't vouch for quality on that one, but [advertized] prices are very reasonable).
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 9:21 AM on August 5, 2008
(That said, you can also get real fucked up going there, too... but it's not like it's automatic or a given or anything. It's not as dangerous as the North Side, that's for sure, but it will require a degree of vigilance on your part... but anyway, back to your question.)
One very common way to get something similar (but one that will be noticeably different than the example) is to go out on one of two bridges (Eads or the much less ped-friendly Poplar Street), walk almost all the way across to the Illinois side to square up the angle as much as possible, and then shoot back with a telephoto lens... Handsome photos have been taken this way.
But you wanted square-on, and for that, you're going to East St. Louis...
Follow directions to the (hilariously underwhelming) "Gateway Geyser", and walk about 1/4 mile towards the river. Simple as that. Nothing particularly sketchy about the place; as a matter of fact, I personally guarantee that you will not be killed by random street crime (or your money back).
Maybe poke around on Flickr or Panoramio and look for photos with locational metadata. Here's one, for example.
Another option I've seen but have no experience with: any of several competing, touristy riverboat-tours that can be found on the river-side of the arch grounds... look for the huge, gaudy signs (can't vouch for quality on that one, but [advertized] prices are very reasonable).
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 9:21 AM on August 5, 2008
I've taken *almost* that shot, last year for the Lunar Eclipse. If you drive behind the casino, right off the Eads Bridge, the road pretty much breaks up at the grain elevator before you can get to a point that is straight-on. You're gonna have to go into "downtown" East St. Louis, make a right on Main, a right on Trendley, and a right on Front Street.
If you do this early in the morning - and the shot looks like a winter shot, about an hour befor sunrise, on a waning crescent - no-one will bother you.
If the timing's right, maybe we can make a 5am meetup out of it!
posted by notsnot at 9:37 AM on August 5, 2008
If you do this early in the morning - and the shot looks like a winter shot, about an hour befor sunrise, on a waning crescent - no-one will bother you.
If the timing's right, maybe we can make a 5am meetup out of it!
posted by notsnot at 9:37 AM on August 5, 2008
There is actually a new overlook platform that is either just open, or nearly open near the Gateway Geyser.
Link to blog posting with description and directions
posted by topher74 at 9:40 AM on August 5, 2008
Link to blog posting with description and directions
posted by topher74 at 9:40 AM on August 5, 2008
Also: thank you for your interest in our Arch. Not trying to be a booster here or anything, but it's pretty fucking amazing and I'm still constantly awed by it every time I see it... it never really starts to "blend in to the scenery" for me or anyone I've talked to about it. It stays awesome-looking the first time you've seen it, or the five-thousandth.
That view that you're pointing out... from the Illinois side, makes for an awesome skyline for what amounts to a pretty middling U.S. city, all-told (this from a guy who's seen and paid close attentions to hundreds of skylines all over the world... [An aside: Tulsa, Oklahoma skyline = "criminally underrated." Honestly.] ). The "reveal" when you're traveling at night, say, from Chicago... and round that bend that has been very serindipitously conspiring against you to occlude your view to the last possible moment... and then just get smacked full-on in the face by this huge, glorious... arch-shaped THING is just mind-bending.
(I'm not conflating this experience with anything sappy or sentimental whatsoever. Coming around that bend doesn't mean "being home" or "apple pie" or anything... to me, it's always just meant "holy shit...!!?". Hope you get some good shots...)
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 9:42 AM on August 5, 2008 [4 favorites]
That view that you're pointing out... from the Illinois side, makes for an awesome skyline for what amounts to a pretty middling U.S. city, all-told (this from a guy who's seen and paid close attentions to hundreds of skylines all over the world... [An aside: Tulsa, Oklahoma skyline = "criminally underrated." Honestly.] ). The "reveal" when you're traveling at night, say, from Chicago... and round that bend that has been very serindipitously conspiring against you to occlude your view to the last possible moment... and then just get smacked full-on in the face by this huge, glorious... arch-shaped THING is just mind-bending.
(I'm not conflating this experience with anything sappy or sentimental whatsoever. Coming around that bend doesn't mean "being home" or "apple pie" or anything... to me, it's always just meant "holy shit...!!?". Hope you get some good shots...)
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 9:42 AM on August 5, 2008 [4 favorites]
Response by poster: So, jjjjjjjijjjjjjj, I presume it would be worthwhile to stay at the Crowne Plaza right across the street from said Arch, for the wow factor?
posted by sjuhawk31 at 10:16 AM on August 5, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by sjuhawk31 at 10:16 AM on August 5, 2008 [1 favorite]
...worthwhile to stay at the Crowne Plaza [?]Honestly have no experience with that, and can't really remember offhand anyone's positive or negative experiences with staying in the various hotels downtown (always been part of a more "stay in an Econo Lodge off the interstate" sort of crowd...), but yeah... I bet it's gotta be a real nice view.
That said, downtown St. Louis is dreary enough to put anyone I know to sleep. No idea of your age/interests/expectations/traveling companions/etc., but unless you have one of the very few "reasons to be downtown" that'd make it worthwhile (ballgame, etc.), it's not a very happening place. If you gotta go that route, Washington Blvd/Garment District is about all you got, and it's pretty boring and white-bread (but it does have the City Museum which is the coolest goddamn museum in the world and I'll argue that point with anyone who wants to).
I'd say go stay somewhere a little closer to my 'hood. South Saint Louis is one of the funner places I've ever spent any time in... and we have all that museum/art/whatever shit, too... (we're just having too much fun drinking Busch and playing washers to ever go to them).
If you end up staying downtown, and are a person who's inclined towards experiencing "authentic[-ish]", "slice-of-life" sort of things. You'll be within spitting distance of the Pruitt-Igoe site [location]. Seeing it from the inside, should you choose to after assessing your risk-tolerance (your safety is not at all assured, but there are times and methods that make it more safe) will change your life if you go into it with knowledge of the backstory. It is the spookiest place you've ever been to in the United States. The site is the US's [non-nuclear] Chernobyl.)
[End Tour-Bus Microphone Narrator Voice]
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 10:50 AM on August 5, 2008
Response by poster: Yowza. I'm still weighing the difference between you hotel preference (I never mind any hotel, as long as they have internet) and staying in the downtown area. On the one hand, the Cards could be playing October baseball and I would love to make a trip to the new stadium; plus my friend's wedding is in the downtown area. On the other, it'd be cheaper (by a lot) to get a cheaper hotel and rent a car to get around.
I know I also wanna hit a few places in Forest Park, the brewery, and the City Museum.
Come October, look to MeTa for a meetup thread. I wanna meat some folks, and I'll be flying solo.
posted by sjuhawk31 at 11:30 AM on August 5, 2008
I know I also wanna hit a few places in Forest Park, the brewery, and the City Museum.
Come October, look to MeTa for a meetup thread. I wanna meat some folks, and I'll be flying solo.
posted by sjuhawk31 at 11:30 AM on August 5, 2008
Get a car. St. Louis transit infrastructure is next to nil. It's also the only way, unless you convinced another wedding-goer or a local mefite, to get to the spot to take the picture.
If possible, don't miss the Missouri Botanical Garden, in jjjjjjjjjijjjjjjji's hood.
posted by notsnot at 12:31 PM on August 5, 2008
If possible, don't miss the Missouri Botanical Garden, in jjjjjjjjjijjjjjjji's hood.
posted by notsnot at 12:31 PM on August 5, 2008
...the Cards could be playing October baseball and I would love to make a trip to the new stadiumNo October baseball for St. Louis this year, I'm afraid... though I certainly hope I get proved wrong on this point. I wouldn't plan for a ballgame, if I were you... (but I'd strongly support any miraculous series of events whereby you could be telling me "I told you so" in three months' time.)
Also: Strongly seconding notsnot... rent a car. If you're stuck downtown with no car and relying on what passes for public transportation, well... bring a deck of cards or something; you'll be playing a lot of solitaire after that first day.
Back to your original question... If you're looking for the other iconic "Gateway Arch Postcard Picture", just go West, turn your lens 180 degrees and shoot up Market Street with the old courthouse/fountains in the foreground.
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 12:22 PM on August 6, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
I am not a local, but the answer to that is "no".
You may need to get on a boat.
posted by allelopath at 8:58 AM on August 5, 2008