In Saint Louis, the flood wall just south of the Arch is an almost two-mile long canvas for graffiti artists. It's claimed that painting the wall here is legal but I have yet to track down where it officially says that. It is possible that the practice is tolerated but not strictly legal. Some of the works on the wall are created by skilled artists, and some by complete hacks, but the scale of the graffiti is worth a trip to wall alone. Many of the more ambitious paintings are put up during Paint Louis which occurs every year in June. That is to say, by this time of year much of the work that required forethought, talent and a lot of paint has either faded or been tagged over. This is especially true at the end of the wall closest to the arch because it has the highest traffic and graffiti density. The photos here were taken at the less trafficked section of the wall further south. Here many of the larger murals are still mostly unmolested, and a few even look fresh. I especially like the vibrancy of these faces.
This area of the flood wall is relatively safe, but it doesn't particularly feel that way. It can be reached by taking Chouteau Street east until just before you hit the river and taking a right at the wall onto South Wharf Street -- a left will take you to the river-side of the arch if the flood-gates are open. South Wharf Street is a rough bit of road that runs along the wall going south until you hit Arsenal street. This stretch of road is in a post-industrial neighborhood with a train yard next to it. Really, not much of anything goes on there, illegal or otherwise, but you could get into trouble on the off chance you ran into someone that means you harm. The train yard also limits the number of access points to the road so if desolation and lack of escape routes give you the heebie geebies, take a friend and go during the daylight hours. That said, I have biked the road by myself several times without any trouble.
-Vince
