A number of linked rings, each $1$ cm thick, are hanging on a peg. The top ring has an outside diameter of $20$ cm. The outside diameter of each of the outer rings is $1$ cm less than that of the ring above it. The bottom ring has an outside diameter of $3$ cm. What is the distance, in cm, from the top of the top ring to the bottom of the bottom ring?
[asy] size(7cm); pathpen = linewidth(0.7); D(CR((0,0),10)); D(CR((0,0),9.5)); D(CR((0,-18.5),9.5)); D(CR((0,-18.5),9)); MP("$\vdots$",(0,-31),(0,0)); D(CR((0,-39),3)); D(CR((0,-39),2.5)); D(CR((0,-43.5),2.5)); D(CR((0,-43.5),2)); D(CR((0,-47),2)); D(CR((0,-47),1.5)); D(CR((0,-49.5),1.5)); D(CR((0,-49.5),1.0));  D((12,-10)--(12,10)); MP('20',(12,0),E); D((12,-51)--(12,-48)); MP('3',(12,-49.5),E);[/asy]
$\textbf{(A) } 171\qquad\textbf{(B) } 173\qquad\textbf{(C) } 182\qquad\textbf{(D) } 188\qquad\textbf{(E) } 210\qquad$
The inside diameters of the rings are the positive integers from $1$ to $18$.  The total distance needed is the sum of these values plus $2$ for the top of the first ring and the bottom of the last ring. Using the formula for the sum of an [arithmetic series](https://artofproblemsolving.com/wiki/index.php/Arithmetic_series), the answer is $\frac{18 \cdot 19}{2} + 2 = \boxed{\textbf{(B) }173}$.