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The year 2003 marks the 67th birthday of possibly the most beautiful, and
certainly the most photographed, bridge in the world often half - veiled by
the city's trademark rolling tog, San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge spans
tidal currents, ocean waves, and bathering winds to connect the city by the
Bay with the Redwood Empire to the north. With its gracefully swung single
span, spidery bracing cables, and zooming twin towers, the bridge looks more
like a work of obstract art than one of the 20th century's greatest
practical engineering feats construction began in May 1937 and was completed
of the then colossal cost of $ 35 million. The mile - long steel link, which
reaches a height of 746 feet above the water, is an awesome bridge to cross.
Traffic usually moves quickly, so crossing by car won't give you too much
time to see the sights. If you drive from the city park in the lot at the
foot of the bridge on the city side and make the crossing by foot. Back in
your car, continue to Marins Vista Point, at the bridge's northern end. Look
back, and you'll be rewarded with one of the greatest views of San
Francisco. Millions of pedestrians walk or bike across each year, gazzing up
at the tall red towers, out at the vistas of San Francisco and Marin
Country, and down into the stacks of oceangoing liners. You can walk out
into the span from either end, but be prepared it's usually windy and cold,
and the bridge vibrates. Still, walking even a short distance is one of the
best ways to experience the immense scale of the structure. |
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