by Rachelle L'Ecuyer
Over the summer, just when I thought I had run out of activities for my kids, my three year old pulled a kite out of his closet. "Let's fly it!" he commanded. It was 6:30 p.m. on a Wednesday evening, but I said "what the heck," and we, along with my five year old, grabbed the kites and strolled over to the Arch grounds. The hot, humid St. Louis air seemed so thick I doubted anything would fly, but a breeze came over the levee and up the grassy hill between the arch and the Old Court House, and in a few minutes I managed to get the kites up. We watched in awe as they soared together within inches of the arch. Moments later we found ourselves the center of attention, surrounded by tourists with cameras not willing to pass up the photo-op we unwittingly created for them.
The kites remained in a holding pattern for sometime in the constant and easy breeze from the river. During that time I stood still long enough to drink in the urban landscape. Being just under the Arch gives one a unique view of St. Louis, the river, industry in East St. Louis, the bridges, the buzzing highway, and a vista of some our most treasured buildings; certainly, a unique perspective you don't see from many other points in this city.
How many public open spaces do we possess that actually fulfill their purpose of drawing the numbers of people and a diversity of outdoor activities? Places without specific function that make you feel good just being there, other than a park?
The space under the Arch is sort of a park but it is undefined enough that the feeling "of every man for himself" exists. The space offers the opportunity for many events to occur together, from large fairs to sitting in the grass and reading a book to playing Frisbee or football. It is a space that creates a feeling of safety, seclusion, and connectedness: the safety comes from the numbers of others that are there for sightseeing or recreation; the seclusion results from the natural "bowl" created by the hill that slopes down from Memorial Drive; and the connectedness is the vista of urban activity on the horizon.
Spontaneity is rare in our day and age. I relish the opportunity I had to take my children out into the city on a summer evening and enjoy a wide open space right in the middle of the it all.
Let's never change it!
