| Date & Weather | 6/8/02 (Sat), Sunny | Departure | 10:00 AM (CT) |
| Milage & Route | 248 Miles (Kansas City - St. Louis) | Arrival | 7:30 PM (CT) |
| Motel | Motel 6 | ||
| Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (Gateway Arch) Although I haven't had a clear objective of coming here to see "Gateway Arch," it's clear now  to me thanks to yesterday's visit of Western Historic Trails Center, Iowa.
So, here was really the gateway to westward frontiers, not only Lewis &
Clark but also a tremendous number of people. In addition, it is also clear
why this memorial was named after President Jefferson. According to a brochure,
the arch was constructed in 1962. It says the arch is much higher than
the statue of liberty and Washington Monument. It  really fit with the other scenery including downtown building, mississippi
river, and memorial park. itself. I heard the state law prohibits the building,
which might be higher than the arch. Such law is one of the better things
in the U.S. than Japan, I think. Although it was very good day for visiting
the arch and I walked around, I didn't ride the tram which led us to the
top of the arch. For one reason I thought it was not important for me to feel frontier spirit.
For another reason I just scared closed spaces like that. It is unbelievable
to go up while being inside such narrow box for as much as 10 minutes.
Anyway, if I had wanted to do so, I could not have done so because there
were a lot of people who waited for the tram. Two Kansas City and St. Louis Kansas City where I stayed yesterday is not in Kansas but in Missouri. In addition, although  St. Louis where I visited today is in Missouri, another St. Louis (accurately
speaking, "East St. Louis") where I am staying tonight is not
in Missouri but in Illinois. These things were confusing to me. Until now,
I haven't understood why these two cities extend over two states. Only
one thing I could know about them is that while one city has some tall
buildings and looks clean and developed, the other one looks rust town.
I am wondering how the people in these cities are thinking about this fact.
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