This cold, foggy morning marks the 75th Anniversary of the International Orange symbol of San Francisco, The Golden Gate Bridge. For 8 decades this marvelous steel structure has wowed commuters and tourists each day, connecting the Marin County suburbs to the north with Baghdad by the Bay with 6 lanes of traffic and 2 pedestrian lanes.
Traffic was much lighter 65 years ago in this 1947 shot than it is today, before the growth of a number of Marin cities into actual commuter suburbs during the 1950s and 1960s.
This shot from 50 years ago shows how the suburban flight in the Bay Area was leading to some interesting possibilities, political controversies and some plans many of us currently living in the Bay Area wish came to reality.
While adding a lower deck would have deprived one direction of drivers of spectacular views of entering the city or entering the Marin Headlands, it would have negated the decades long debate over the moveable central barrier to prevent head on collisions.
But the truly epic “could have happened” scenario appeared when the Bay Area Rapid Transit System, or BART was in the planning stages in the 1950s. One idea to serve Marin Country was to run tracks on a lower deck of the bridge. But that fantastic public transit voyage was gone when Marin County pulled out in 1962.
So we’re left with 6 lanes of capacity that became the symbol everyone associates with a city that welcomes everyone no matter what with open arms (whether that’s true or not).
And trust me, it’s even more epic to behold in person than it is in pictures. I still have to focus REALLY hard driving across. Hence why this picture I took is from the passenger seat of a friends car. I like to rebel every so often, but driving at the center of an undivided bridge with a camera in hand is a bit dumb. And yes I’m calling every tourist that’s done that dumb.
I guess I should count myself lucky that I see such a engineering marvel and thing of beauty on my way home, and on super clear days from the roof of my house. For something that has an innate purpose of just getting me over a body of water in my car, it’s a beautiful thing to behold.
Wonderful Laurence, great to see all that history. It’s very cool to see a perfectly symmetrical view down the middle of that beauty.
Never knew about the lower deck idea, could it still happen? We have two double-deckers in Portland, one top deck is northbound, the other is southbound, great views from each. No bridge can match the Golden Gate.
No chance in hell. In the minds of the people who control it, the bridge exists to funnel rich people from homes in Marin to jobs in the SF financial district. Any usage aside from that is actively resisted. The latest upcoming act of brilliance? Harass occasional users by eliminating ALL human toll takers. The only offered options are an interest-free loan to the bridge district (AKA FasTrack), or buying a one-time toll at a convenience store or other retail location before entering the bridge.
They do that on “scenic 88” from the QC to Chicago – no manned toll booths. If you don’t want to get trapped, you need to either bring $20 of quarters with you or take I-80 instead. When my brother and sister went to NIU in DeKalb, I’d get off 88 at Dixon (just one toll) and get on the two lane instead. It is actually a rather pretty drive.
Always a spectacular sight, the Oakland Bay bridge is pretty cool too, I always love the little tunnel island in the middle at Yerba Buena Island.
Only crossed this once. However, it was one of the worlds wonders or should have been. I used it for years as a lesson when I taught technology. One of the more interesting construction projects of which I am aware.
One of my fondest memories is from 1999, when I was leading a visiting friend on a motorcycle ride to various places around the bay area. I didn’t tell her where we were going, and she was content to just follow along. I led up to the bridge by going through the Presidio, and then around and under the toll plaza to get onto the northbound lanes. So she had no idea we were going to be crossing the bridge, and suddenly it was RIGHT THERE… 😀
I used to visit this area regularly. Once when I was taking my wife (b4 we were married) I told her I was going to take her to lunch at a restaurant with one of the best views from SF. You could see part of the GG bridge and Alcatraz. She was a little befuddled when we arrived at Burger King.
That last picture is a beauty~! What is the name of the beach (w/ black sand) at the foot of Marin Highlands? If I recall, there were WWII era pillboxes sitting up on top of those highlands.
Mind you this was in 96…. great town, SF. Part of my visit included a 2 day drive down to past Monterrey…. man, i’d love to do that once again!
You’re right on the money with your description, since that’s the official name:
http://www.weekendsherpa.com/issues/beaches-in-the-bay-area-black-sand-beach-bean-holl/
And that last picture was taken last Thanksgiving Day. One of the reasons it’s so hard to consider living anywhere else.
Love your take on the Golden Gate, LJ.
Off topic, i admit, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed for your treatment on Buena Vista Park.. another place near and dear to my heart.
I drove across the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time in August, 1970.
Four buddies and me hopped in my avatar – 1964 Chevy Impala SS convertible, drove down from Beale AFB to the City, promptly got on 101 and drove across. We turned around at Sausalito, drove back across and visited the little souvenir shop and walked around the visitor’s area, left and visited the rest of San Francisco for the day. A lot of fun.
The last time I drove across was in 1972 on a weekend visit to a former room mate then stationed at Hamilton AFB.
Finally – after so many years, I took wifey across the bridge on our first visit to the Bay Area in 2006. We also walked across as well. Experiencing that finally with my wife was a dream come true!
We last drove across in 2009.
It is a wonderful structure; to me, the most beautiful bridge ever built.
Oh, you can get the color at Sherwin-Williams, it’s called “Fireweed”. I’m mulling getting a gallon and painting a wall in the house, somewhere.
Wonderful article, Laurence! Some really nice pics in there.
I’ve never driven across the Golden Gate, but I rode a bicycle across in 2001, which is a great way to experience it. I now live 4 or 5 hours from the Bay Area, I think I’ll have to go back soon!
Really enjoyed the article thank you! The Golden Gate is such a wonder of engineering and technology – and very nicely covered in a documentary that pops up on Discovery Channel occasionally. If I ever get to visit the US, the Golden Gate is on my list of must-see places – but til then photos and articles will have to suffice.
“Golden Gate” is more than just a phrase. When the sun sets, the strait that leads to San Francisco Bay has an incredible golden glow. One of the best places to absorb the setting sun is at the Buena Vista Cafe on Fisherman’s Wharf. This bar claims to have invented “Irish Coffee”. Whether this claim is true or not doesn’t really matter. After a bunch of Irish Coffees even the most skanktastic hag looks bedable. I love SF.
Nice Corvair in one of the photos there. From the bench seat and the chrome beltline, I’ll say that’s a 1960 model 700.
I totally picked that picture for the Corvair more than the picture of the bridge.
I saw that too, it has to be 700 with that belt line trim and the fat whites most likely point to a 1960.
We get down there a couple of times a year, and the sight of it never fails to thrill. Thanks for the nice shots and writeup , Laurence.
But the lack of a manned toll booth will be less than thrilling; that sucks.
According to the most recent news story I could find, the plan is to phase them out completely by Feb 2013.
Spent about a year based on a carrier, docked at NAS Alameda.
Every weekend I had off, I was in SF. Across the Oakland Bay Bridge…
Only drove across the Golden Gate Bridge once. I had no business in Marin. Before I was stationed at Alameda, I was on a ship based in Coronado, which was up in the Bay Area for Fleet Week…on my liberty, I was gonna walk across. Alas and alack…a fog bank rolled in that morning; stayed all day. What would be the point?
I have not had the pleasure of seeing the Golden Gate in person, but I hope to do so someday. Thanks for the cool piece, Laurence.
Very cool writeup, Laurence. Truly one of the seven modern engineering wonders of the world, it is a stunning masterpiece. Thank the lucky stars the double decker idea was stillborn. Being a Southern California boy, I never missed a chance to cross the Golden Gate whenever I came to the Bay Area, it has never ceased to thrill me. The viewpoint with the ’55 Chevy could have been our family, somewhere there’s a picture of us standing next to our ’59 Ford Galaxie with the bridge in the background.
Oh, Marin! Where progressive self-righteousness ends at property values!
I wholeheartedly endorse this comment.
Me too. What a shame, but there sure are lots of good places to eat, especially at Paradise Bay in Sausalito, sitting dockside, having a Boont Amber Ale and a great sandwich for lunch, as wifey and I did three years ago.
Born in SFO, raised in San Rafael. There was a time when San Rafael, in fact Marin (save Belvedere and Tiburon) wasn’t that pretentious. 4th Street San Rafael used to pass for any old Main Street USA. My Dad commuted to the “city” daily. The bridge was a part of my life. During my USCG days, would cross under it back and forth to Alaska, Hawaii, San Diego, and points south. Custom was on your last patrol leaving the ship, you’d throw a pair of shoes under the bridge over the side as you came back in.
The avatar of my 1974 Ford Courier was taken on the side of our family home, then at the corner of Belle Avenue and Clyde in the Dominican neighborhood of San Rafael. Some girls decorated the truck for my 18th birthday in 1977.
I rather like suspension bridges (including the odd footbridge across small rivers), and the GGB is one of the nicer ones. I grew up in Michigan (St Claire Shores) as they were building the Mackinac bridge, and though I never got to drive across it, it impressed me a lot. I think I was 13 last time. Come to think of it, the film of Galloping Gertie (the ill-fated Tacoma Narrows bridge) was part of the “Introduction to Engineering, Suckers” class. For a full story on that, see To Engineer is Human. It also has a chapter on the Flxible bus fiasco (aluminum frames and NYC potholes don’t mix).
In the mid-70s, I took some night shots of the Golden Gate bridge and SF from the vista point. When I can, I’ll scan them and get them to the Cohort site.
Have crossed the GG Bridge twice a day for the past 15 years (and no i dont live in Marin, keep on going!) and I never tire of the view. It’s also one of the happiest places on earth, every pedestrian on the bridge is smiling, hugging someone, taking a picture, its a good way to end the day. I also marvel at the foresight of the builders to make this thing 6 lanes wide 75 years ago! You’d think traffic would back up regularly on the bridge but in reality it rarely does (well except if you are entering the city on a Friday afternoon which I never am).