1210, 2011

St. Louis, Missouri Gardens

American Cities
348

Dozens of parks are hidden in the cityscape of St. Louis, Missouri. The most famous might be the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, the home of the Gateway Arch that also includes acres of landscaped grounds and two large ponds. However, the city also holds the Missouri Botanical Garden, the nation’s oldest continuously-operated botanical garden. Some views of the Missouri Botanical Garden featured in this video include the the park’s Victorian District and the domed Climatron, a tropical greenhouse that spans 24,000 square feet with no interior structural support. Earl Klugh is contemporary jazz guitarist originally from Detroit, Michigan. Since his first album in 1976, Klugh has received twelve career Grammy nominations and produced more than twenty

1010, 2011

Kansas City Fountains

American Cities
336

Kansas City, Missouri is known for barbecue, jazz, blues, and its fountains. Sometimes called “The City of Fountains,” Kansas City has hundreds of fountains. In fact, only Rome has more. Most of Kansas City’s fountains have unique sculptures in or around them. Some of them are over 300 years old! The variety and frequency of these landmarks offer ample opportunities to take a mental break from the stresses of metropolitan life. Today, the fountains are appreciated for their beauty, but when they first were built, they served a practical purpose. The Humane Society created them to supply clean water to animals, including the 70,000 horses that lived in the city during the early 1900s. Ken Navarro

2208, 2011

St. Louis (Gateway Arch at Dusk)

American Cities
406

The Gateway Arch is instantly recognizable, as is the St. Louis skyline that bears it. This 630-foot monument, standing inside the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, celebrates the United States’ westward expansion and the role St. Louis played in it. Nearby, on the Mississippi River, steamboats and ships pass by to their own relaxing beat, as they have since the first days of westward expansion. Grady Nichols is a smooth jazz saxophonist who is quickly rising in the genre. With four released albums and collaborations with legends including Jeff Lorber and Paul Brown, Nichols is becoming a presence on the smooth jazz charts and a popular opening act and sideman for legends including Bob James, David Benoit,

1907, 2011

Kansas City Rainstorm

American Cities
371

Kansas City is the largest city in Missouri and a state economic and cultural capital. This is reflected in the buildings of the downtown area. Prominent in the cityscape and featured in this eScapes video are the oblong headquarters of H&R Block and the historic Mainstreet Theater. Kansas City sits at the edge of the “Tornado Alley” of the United States. Though tornadoes in the city have been uncommon, it often experiences severe weather such as ice storms and flooding. However, less extreme storms like the one in this scene provide beautiful views of glistening city streets and dazzling lightning displays. Peter White is an English smooth jazz guitarist who played with several artists, including a