Middle of the Night Trip Through St. Louis/E. St. Louis - Guidance please (California: hotel)

[Puddy4LyF]

On X-mas day I moved from Ohio to California and took 80-W all the way out and it was ultra boring. I am back in Ohio to retrieve the other car and more belongings but this time want to take a more exciting route, so I'm going to take 70-W alot of the way and visit STL, KC, and Denver.

I plan to arrive in St. Louis in the middle of the night around 4-5AM in order to catch a night shot of the city from across the river in ESL and then go back for the sunrise at the arch with me, my camera, and my tripod.

I would imagine that the arch around this time is perfectly fine and safe as it's touristy and nearer the business district where people begin arriving for work, however, ESL around Front Street / Trendley Ave and Malcolm Martin Memorial Park I know nothing about. Will it be OK to visit this area and set up for some photographs at this time of night? I notice that it's incredibly industrial from what little I can see on Google Streetview and quite frankly - a little freaky. I'll let you guys answer first, but any advice of where I can safely get some good night shots of the beautiful skyline would be greatly appreciated. It's the perfect location photowise, but not looking real inviting.

[aragx6]

Can't speak for ESL, but I've been around the arch at sunrise and while empty, I never felt unsafe at all.

[anr_black]

I wouldn't recommend getting of the interstate in E. St. Louis at 4 am to take a photo. At that time, you should have such light traffic that you can slow down in the far right lanes on the Poplar Bridge to get of few pics of the downtown skyline.

[aaronstlcards]

Very honestly, although unlikely, you could get mugged or shot on the streets of East St. Louis (America's highest murder rate) at night.

[Puddy4LyF]

Originally Posted by anr_black

I wouldn't recommend getting of the interstate in E. St. Louis at 4 am to take a photo. At that time, you should have such light traffic that you can slow down in the far right lanes on the Poplar Bridge to get of few pics of the downtown skyline.

lol You must have a stable arm. I've got a tripod I'm going to need to set up for the picture - I'm going to run about 3 second aperture. Do people hang out at night near that area across the river? Would it be safer to put on my flashers on the Poplar Bridge and set up a tripod for a minute or two?

[anr_black]

Originally Posted by Puddy4LyF

lol You must have a stable arm. I've got a tripod I'm going to need to set up for the picture - I'm going to run about 3 second aperture. Do people hang out at night near that area across the river? Would it be safer to put on my flashers on the Poplar Bridge and set up a tripod for a minute or two?

Sorry, I missed when you mentioned the tripod...I was just thinking a few quick pics of the city I wouldn't recommend stopping all together on the Poplar...pretty sure you'd get a ticket for that! Not to mention there are a lot of semis running through St. Louis at that time, and the lanes on that bridge are pretty narrow.
If you have a telephoto lens (think paparazzi style-ha!) you might be able to get a few decent pics from Collinsville. There's a section where the interstate rises and you can see the arch and downtown St. Louis pretty well, although it's several miles from the interstate. There are lots of businesses where you could pull over there and get a shot off though> My other thought would be the parking lot of the Casino Queen which is in E. St. Louis, but secure. Not sure what the view is. There's a metrolink stop there, so maybe if you could get up to the platform, you might be able to get high enough to see over the road? Or you could always book a room in the hotel and stop there for the night, which as I remember has great views of downtown STL. Hope this helps.

[Puddy4LyF]

Originally Posted by anr_black

Sorry, I missed when you mentioned the tripod...I was just thinking a few quick pics of the city I wouldn't recommend stopping all together on the Poplar...pretty sure you'd get a ticket for that! Not to mention there are a lot of semis running through St. Louis at that time, and the lanes on that bridge are pretty narrow.
If you have a telephoto lens (think paparazzi style-ha!) you might be able to get a few decent pics from Collinsville. There's a section where the interstate rises and you can see the arch and downtown St. Louis pretty well, although it's several miles from the interstate. There are lots of businesses where you could pull over there and get a shot off though> My other thought would be the parking lot of the Casino Queen which is in E. St. Louis, but secure. Not sure what the view is. There's a metrolink stop there, so maybe if you could get up to the platform, you might be able to get high enough to see over the road? Or you could always book a room in the hotel and stop there for the night, which as I remember has great views of downtown STL. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the tips. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ki_montage.jpg In this montage from wikipedia is a picture from across the river with the water and the arch and city in the background. That's where the idea originated.

It's a shame that it's such a dump across the river!

Anyway, thanks for the advice - I'll try to appreciate your city as much as I can when I roll through.

[anr_black]

Maybe you could try stopping at this place: Gateway Geyser - World's Tallest Fountain, East St. Louis, Illinois

Looks like it's directly across from the arch. If you do, make sure you have a DIRECT way in and out of the city. Seriously, you don't want to be dawdling there, esp. at night.

[jtjmom]

Agreed... I'm not sure you could get the shot you want from the Casino Queen. My daughter works at the arch, and we are in agreeance that the Queen may be a little too offsides to get the shot you want, but it's also the safest bet. (I live in Granite City, right next door to EStL.) Hope this helps!

~D

[st. louie louie]

You can get your shots from the Casino Queen
or
From Eads Bridge (cross the river, hwy 70, exit memorial drive and follow that to the Eads Bridge.)
or
Route 3 south (cross the river, hwy 70, stay straight it turns into hwy 64, get out somewhere and get back on the hwy to cross the river heading east. Stay right, exit route 3, go for a short distance, stop at Pop's nightclub for a quick beer, get back on rt. 3 heading north and get back on the bridge. stop with flashers and a quick prayer no one hits you and you'll get a great shot of the arch/downtown.

Hope it makes sense.