Last summer I went to St. Louis and I was able to witness the Gateway arch in person. One thing I did not expect was all the history that went behind the arch. I learned about the time in which they planned on building it and I learned a lot about the Mississippi River. It is symbolic for the wayward west in the 19th century. Me and my family got tickets to ride to the top and that was an experience I would never forget. I am not a big fan of heights and this ride to the top was scary. Four of us were squeezed into a small ball that took us to the top of the arch. It was dark and it took about four minutes to get to the top and it was the four longest minutes of my life. At the top, there is a standing area and windows on both sides to look out. It was cool to overlook the city and on the other side of the river. This impacted me because I learned how we were able to build a unique structure in the 19th century.