Americans have always strived for excellence. They even have appropriate names. For example, the Golden Gate Strait, which is one of the most colorful places in San Francisco. It is to this fabulous place that we will go today. But the main purpose of our tourist visit is not at all to get acquainted with the delights of the North American continent. This time we are going to visit one of the most impressive practical architectural structures. This is a suspension bridge connecting both sides of the above-mentioned strait, and has the same name.
Golden Gate
The bridge is considered one of the most recognizable structures in the world, which, like a giant guard, greets all those who enter the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. This is a kind of entrance to the New World. Despite all its scale, the bridge was built in only four years - from 1933 to 1937. At one time, its scale amazed even seasoned engineers, and the very idea of American designers seemed so daring that it was hard to believe in the success of their adventure.
Despite all the contradictions and doubts, the bridge turned out to be surprisingly durable and became the largest suspended structure in the world. Soon, the iron giant will celebrate its next anniversary, while thousands of cars pass through it every day. There are six lanes for car traffic at once.
An interesting feature of the bridge is that only motorists who are moving in a northern direction, that is, leaving the city, can move along it for free, but it will not be possible to make a trip in the opposite direction for free. The cost to use the bridge will be several dollars. You can also avoid paying on weekdays and provided that there are more than 3 people in your car.
An excursion into history
As mentioned above, the idea of building a huge suspension bridge had many opponents. But nevertheless, the common sense and assertiveness of the engineers under the leadership of Joseph Strauss outweighed the skepticism of some citizens and gave us a truly delightful structure that perfectly reveals all the possibilities of the human essence.
Read how to apply for a visa to the United States yourself in our life hack.
But the author of the project, Joseph Strauss, had to wait several years before his proposal was approved by the city of San Francisco. Interestingly, it was originally supposed to build a bridge on supports. That is why the project did not find support from the authorities. Therefore, the engineer had to ask for help from those who had at least some idea about the specifics of suspension bridges. And such a specialist turned out to be Leon Moiseev, who is considered one of the co-authors of the equally famous Manhattan Bridge in New York.
In addition to them, Charles Ellis (responsible for calculations) and Irving Morrow (engaged in architectural design) took an active part in the development. By the way, it was the latter who had the original idea to paint the bridge orange.
There were many influential people among the opponents of the construction of the bridge, including military personnel. Generals of the US Navy have repeatedly expressed concerns about possible sabotage, which will prevent warships from entering the Pacific Ocean. The railway companies, which before the construction of the bridge were monopolists in transporting citizens across the strait using ferries, also opposed it. But the main test that fell to the lot of the "Golden Gate" was the Great Depression, which almost ruined the grandiose architectural project. The US authorities have decided to complete the construction by issuing loan bonds.
As a result, more than 200 thousand people came to the opening ceremony of the bridge, and today everyone can visit the unique structure, which seems to float in the air several tens of meters above the dark waters of the strait. The total length of the bridge is 2,737 meters, and the length of its suspension part is 1,966 meters. The width of the bridge is 27 meters and accommodates six lanes for car traffic and two sidewalks. Well, the last figure worth focusing on is the thickness of the main cables, which is 92 cm in diameter.
A metal giant native to Northern California
The bridge is considered not only one of the main thoroughfares of the state, but also its popular attraction, which has long been chosen by more than one generation of tourists and lovers of impressive architectural structures.
The number of tourists who annually come to see this miracle of human creation with their own eyes reaches several million people. The picturesque landscapes of these places, combined with the original orange color of the "iron giant", puts this architectural masterpiece in the top three contenders for the title of "the most photographed bridge in the world."
Even if you find yourself in San Francisco on a working visit or just passing through, find a couple of hours to visit the Golden Gate Bridge, plunge into the historical era and feel with your heart how creative human thought can be, which is born in the hot heads of the bright minds of mankind.
After stopping your car in a designated area (Americans react very painfully to violations of law and order), walk across the bridge. Walk to the first pillar, and best of all to the middle of the bridge. Look down at the raging ocean waves, appreciate the scale of the structure, and gaze out over the city at night.
What else to see?
Afterwards, hurry to the coastal cliffs of Marin County. There are simply breathtaking views of the city and the bay from there. In addition, there are three other notable places worth visiting. The first is the Battery Spencer, the closest of a whole battery complex built back in 1897. and were intended to protect the harbor. You can inspect the structure from a special site, which is located above the cliff. The battery consists of 16-inch guns, a salvo from which is capable of turning the ship. Such guns were installed on military battleships during the Second World War.
The second place, which cannot be deprived of your attention, will be another symbol of the city - the building-pyramid of the Transamerica corporation, which is better known as the "eye of a needle". The pyramid received this name due to the fact that the spire located at its top falls, as if in the "eye of a needle" of the northern support of the Golden Gate Bridge. And you can capture such an amazing picture only in one place - at the bend near the eucalyptus thickets. Hundreds of professional photographers already have pictures of this architectural action in their photo albums.
Well, the third stop for you should be the top of Falcon Hill. It is from here that you will see the divine and immense landscapes of the valley, Cape Bonita, which adorns the lighthouse. Further, the vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean appear before the eyes, which beckon to plunge into their waters, burning their faces with sharp gusts of oceanic wind. This place is a favorite for all those who want to be alone with their thoughts and fully enjoy the grandiose view that opens on the "foggy city of Frisco".
Such trips should be planned taking into account one small feature of these places - fogs. Usually, this climatic phenomenon envelops the valley and the strait at night and completely dissipates closer to noon. The fog is quite thick here and represents a significant obstacle to fully enjoying the breathtaking views.
Be sure to take a look at the Golden Gate test pylon on display at the nearby tourist pavilion. This is a 3.5-meter replica of the bridge support, which is completely made of stainless steel and was used in engineering calculations in 1933. Another exhibit related to the history of the bridge is on display not far from the pavilion. This is a cut of the main rope, which is 92 cm in diameter (according to other sources - 93 cm). To create it, more than 27 thousand small cables, several millimeters in diameter, were needed.
The total length of the cable used on the bridge is 2331 meters, the total length of all cables is 128 km, and the weight of the cable is 24.5 tons!
Needless to say, the Golden Gate Bridge represents a true masterpiece of architectural thought, the historical and engineering heritage of all mankind. Everyone should definitely visit the strait, see the scale and grandeur of the structure!
