September 12th, Gateway to the West

St. Louis, Missouri

When we drove into St. Louis on Thursday we saw a great view of the Arch but since we were on the interstate and a bridge to boot there was no way to get a good photograph of it.  Later on during our stay in the city, we managed to go find a place to catch a full shot of the Arch.  The only problem was,
as non-locals, we weren’t necessarily aware of which areas were deemed undesirable.  Cathy had spoken about lots of crime throughout the St. Louis area but in the Central West part where she lived it was tree-lined streets, lovely homes and small condo complexes, fine dining within walking distance and other nearby businesses, parks and a very large hospital with a teaching university attached.   Joyce and I wanted to catch a few photos around the city to post and knew no journal entry for this city would be complete without a picture of the unique architectural apparatus that greets all visitors coming from the East.  On our venture to locate a good camera spot, we dropped a pin on our google maps app at what looked like a little park across the Mississippi River from the Arch.  As we made our way according to the GPS instructions the surroundings were looking more and more derelict. It was pretty obvious we were in those ‘undesirable areas’ Cathy had mentioned with weed-covered empty lots, boarded-up stores and massive bars on the businesses barely operating. 

It was daytime though so we chanced a quick run into what was a deserted park and I stayed in the car with the engine running while Joyce caught a couple of shots.   I slowly cruised right behind her as if I were a getaway car.  In those brief moments I found myself figuring on how I would get out of this boxed-in area in a hurry if I had to and checking GPS for the quickest route back to the interstate.  I suspect that even in these downtrodden areas the likelihood of something bad happening is rather remote but as I watched expensive cars rolling along deserted streets I was feeling anything but safe.  Joyce has often told me that she believes most people are inherently good and I think that’s a good philosophy for the most part.  I don’t know if I have a philosophy about people in general but my inclination is to always be watchful and listen to the vibes I get from my surroundings.  Those surroundings said meth labs, drug buys in the open and a place that law enforcement has abandoned.  It was pretty astonishing actually to see communities like this and I realize how sheltered I am living where I do in the Northern Virginia/West Virginia panhandle as well as Joyce’s place in Greenbelt, MD.  The whole area that surrounds DC was not touched by the recession in ways the rest of the country has been.  This little photographic jaunt has me wanting to find out on this trip how the rest of the country has fared.  For Missouri, it’s a mixed bag.