Old Courthouse - Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

Continuing our July 2014 visit to St. Louis, we spent some time at the Old Courthouse two blocks west of the Gateway Arch.  The historic building is part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.  The building houses offices, a bookstore, a small theater room, restrooms and four wings of St. Louis history on the main floor as well as two restored courtrooms on the second floor.

This is the building where Dred Scott sued for his freedom from slavery.  A 20 minute film provides context for the case.  While he won his freedom during the second trial in 1846, the United States Supreme Court ruled in 1857 that African Americans could not be citizens and thus Scott had no standing to sue.  The 7-2 ruling has been cited as one of the worst decisions made by the court as it ignored many precedents in trying to craft a ruling that would actually settle the slavery issue.  Instead, the ruling became one of the catalysts for the American Civil War.

The Old Courthouse

The copper-clad dome was based on the dome in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome

This statue of Dred and Harriet Scott was unveiled in 2012

East entrance to the courthouse

Looking up at the three galleries surrounding the dome

A model of the 1851 courthouse showing the included 1828 building

Lookup up through one of the winding staircases

One of two restored courtrooms

1904 St. Louis Motor Carriage automobile

Gateway Arch from a courthouse window

There is no entrance fee to visit the Old Courthouse.

The park website is http://www.nps.gov/jeff/index.htm.

Gateway Arch - Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

In late July 2014, we headed to St Louis, Missouri for a short vacation.  Our first stop was at the Gateway Arch on the grounds of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.  The memorial includes the original town site on the banks of the Mississippi River.  The arch is 630 feet high and 630 feet wide, making it the tallest man-made monument in the United States.  Ground was broken in 1959, the foundations were begun in 1961, construction on the arch itself began in February 1963 and the keystone was set in late October 1965.  Additional work on the museum, visitor center and tram delayed the public opening until summer 1967.  Although an actuarial firm predicted that thirteen lives would be lost during construction, there were no fatalities on the project. 

We bought tickets to both of the movies shown at the memorial as well as tram tickets for a ride to the viewing area inside the top of the arch.  We watched Monument to the Dream in the Tucker Theater.  This 28-minute film is an excellent documentary of the construction of the Gateway Arch.  Be aware that the footage was shot in the early 1960s and is not the same quality as more recent productions.  We also watched the 42-minute Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West in the Odyssey Theater.  This 2002 release from National Geographic provides a live-action overview of the multiple year journey of the Corps of Discovery.  For those who prefer watching on a small screen or cannot make a trip to St Louis, low resolution versions of both films are currently viewable on the Internet.

Besides the two theaters, the visitor center also houses the impressive Museum of Westward Expansion with exhibits and artifacts of the past two centuries as well as a bookstore, replica General Store, information desk and restrooms.

Although the park recommends buying movie and tram tickets online to avoid summer sellouts, neither theater was very crowded and tram tickets were available for admittance to the queue within 30 minutes almost all day.  The tram is operated by the Bi-State Development Agency or Metro.  This is the same organization that operates the light rail and bus system in the area.  If our tram experience is typical, the ticketing system needs to be updated.  From the stated time on the ticket until we reached the tram was one hour.  Each leg has its own tram system and waiting lines.  The tram consists of eight pods capable of holding five people and operates on a 10 minute cycle.  This provides an opportunity for 240 people per hour per leg to visit the observation level.  Thus approximately 240 people were already in line before we were admitted to the queue.  Because I haven't heard of many complaints about the wait and after talking with a ranger after our visit, I suspect that a mechanical problem may have caused the tram to have been shut down or slowed down earlier in the day creating the backup.  In any event, plan for a long wait and note that there are no water fountain or rest room facilities in line or at the top. At the top, sixteen small windows on each side provide magnificent views of downtown St Louis to the west and the Mississippi River and Illinois plains to the east.

Gateway Arch from the top of parking garage

The arch was constructed in numerous sections with an outer stainless steel layer

The stainless steel skin panels of the arch are clearly visible

Gateway Arch from the Memorial Drive sidewalk

Directly under the arch near the entrance to the visitor center

Tram doors and stairs to the viewing area

The equilateral triangular shape of the arch allows visitors to see under the arch itself

Downtown St Louis

The Old Courthouse is part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

Busch Stadium

The Poplar Street Bridge carries traffic from both I-55 and I-64

The East St Louis, Illinois riverfront

The Eads Bridge with the Martin Luther King Bridge in the background

Due to high river flows, the riverboat was not in operation during our visit.  Riverboat tickets are $14 for adults and $8 for children ages 3 to 15.  Tram tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children.  Movies are $7 per adult and $2.50 for children.  Note that there are two theaters showing two different movies.  Each adult tram or movie ticket includes a $3 entrance fee which is waived for holders of the $80 America the Beautiful Annual Pass, $10 America the Beautiful Senior Pass, or the free America the Beautiful Access Pass, Volunteer Pass and Military Pass.  Parking at the Metro operated garage at the north end of the memorial is $6 per day regardless of the length of time.  The Arch-Laclede's Landing MetroLink light rail station is just north of the garage in the base of the Eads Bridge.

The park website is http://www.nps.gov/jeff/index.htm.

Third Creek Greenway

The Third Creek Greenway follows Third Creek 4.5 miles upstream from Neyland Drive through Tyson Park to Forrest Park Boulevard in Bearden.  It connects with the Neyland Greenway at its eastern terminus and with the Bearden Village Greenway at its western end.  The route is paved and includes several bridges over Third Creek and its tributaries.  Although there are a few small hills to climb, the route is fairly flat for Knoxville.  We biked the route in mid-July 2014.

Athletic fields, Alcoa Highway and the Tower at Morgan Hill

The greenway and Third Creek pass under Kingston Pike

Third Creek

Interstate 40 spans the creek, the greenway and Tyson  McGhee Park Street

Picnic pavilion at Tyson Park

Playground equipment at the park

Lighted tennis courts

Crossing East Third Creek

Near the side trail to Safety City

Crossing Third Creek on a shingled bridge

The trail provides lots of shade along the creek

Crossing Third Creek for the third time

The hills and curves increase as the greenway approaches Bearden

Norfolk Southern spans Third Creek and the greenway with this masonry arch bridge

There is no fee to access the greenway. While the city and its wastewater utility are making improvements, be aware that Third Creek is posted as not suitable for human contact.

The greenway website is http://www.cityofknoxville.org/greenways/thirdcreek.asp.

World's Fair Park

Knoxville hosted the 1982 World's Fair in the Second Creek valley between downtown and Fort Sanders.  The area is now home to a city park with the Court of Flags play fountain that still retains the Sunsphere and the Tennessee Amphitheater from the fair.  On the north end of the site, a STEM high school now occupies the former L&N railroad depot and the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial.  A new, larger convention center is located on the east side of the park between Clinch and Cumberland Avenues.  The park is also the terminus of the Second Creek Greenway that runs up the creek from the Neyland Greenway.  We visited on a beautiful summer day in mid-July 2014.

East Tennessee Veterans Memorial

Former L&N Depot

Iconic Sunsphere from the World's Fair

Pedestrian bridge to the new convention center over the shallow water feature

Another view of the Sunsphere with the awnings of the Tennessee Amphitheater

Another view of the pedestrian bridge

The new convention center

The bell tower of Church Street United Methodist Church

Except for special events, there is no fee to visit the park.

The park website is http://worldsfairpark.org/.

Knoxville from the James White and Neyland Greenways

The James White Greenway begins at Governor Ned McWherter Riverside Landing Park and heads west for just less than a mile to the pedestrian bridge over First Creek where the greenway changes names to the Neyland Greenway.  The Neyland Greenway runs three miles along the Tennessee River and Neyland Drive to the University of Tennessee Undergraduate Admissions Visitor Center on the corner of Neyland Drive and Kingston Pike.  It crosses Neyland Drive twice at crosswalks and twice via underpasses.  The underpasses are located at Second Creek and Third Creek.  The route is not the most picturesque, but it does have some nice views of the Tennessee River and the bridges that cross it.  The greenway is paved with either asphalt or concrete.  A couple of portions run on sidewalks immediately adjacent to Neyland Drive, but most it provides some separation from the roadway.  Except for a short climb to the Visitor Center in the west and the two dips for the underpasses, the route is fairly level.  To reduce opportunities for vandalism, most of the directional signs are located a bit too high for easy visibility while on a bicycle.  Additional visible signage at the road crossings and underpasses would be an improvement.  Mileage is marked every ¼ mile on short posts with the zero point at the eastern end of the two greenways at Governor Ned McWherter Riverside Landing Park.  According to the markers, the total length of the two greenways is 3.85 miles.  Parking to access the greenways is available at several locations including the Outdoor Knoxville Adventure Center, the Governor Ned McWherter Riverside Landing Park under James White Parkway and a small lot near the KUB waste water treatment plant.  Although there are signs marking the greenway in several university parking lots, those lots are restricted to faculty, staff or students.  We biked both greenways in mid-July 2014.

Governor Ned McWherter Riverside Landing Park is located under the James White Parkway bridge over the river

Playground equipment in the park

The Knoxville skyline from the beginning of the greenway

The greenway squeezes between the Knoxville & Holston Railroad and Riverside condominiums

The end of the James White Greenway and the beginning of the Neyland Greenway is on this bridge over First Creek

Part of the Knoxville skyline visible from the Neyland Greenway

The greenway passes near the site of the Treaty of the Holston as depicted in this statue

Looking back at the iron Gay Street Bridge

A Norfolk Southern train crosses the river

Reflections from the water create a green hue on the underside of the Henley Street Bridge

Another view of the recently rebuilt Henley Street Bridge

Engines 1269 and 2002 of the Knoxville & Holston Railroad haul a short train

Paddleboarders near the Henley Street Bridge with the Gay Street Bridge in the background

Norfolk Southern railroad bridge

Clearance is limited as the greenway passes under the K&H RR and Neyland Drive at Second Creek

After passing parking garages and the Thompson Boling Arena,
the greenway crosses Neyland Drive at Lake Loudon Boulevard 

Riding under the CSX railroad bridge

A second look at the CSX railroad bridge

River Towne condominiums

Low clearance on the underpass at Second Creek

A miniature cloverleaf brings the greenway up from creekside to cross the bridge

The bridge over Second Creek is too narrow for meeting anyone

The second grade crossing of Neyland Drive is at the Joe Johnson Drive entrance to the University

After the final crossing of Neyland Drive, the greenway continues under Alcoa Highway toward the Visitor Center

There is no fee to walk, run, or bike any of the greenways in Knoxville.

The greenway website is http://www.cityofknoxville.org/greenways/neyland.asp.