(3) The Bridges of San Francisco

The Golden Gate Bridge is the most easily recognizable view associated with San Francisco. The bridge was built in the 1930s and at the time had the longest suspension bridge span (the longest suspended roadway between the towers) in the world. The bridge is 2.5 km long, and its towers are 48-story high. The bridge spans the strait which is called the Golden Gate - it connects San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. Surprisingly, the Golden Gate was never seen by the Spanish explorers from the Ocean and it was only in the 18th century that a European exploration team found it as an obstacle in their way north. This picture was taken from the ferry:

The Golden Gate Bridge can be crossed by car (six lanes altogether, three in each direction, it costs $4 to drive to San Francisco, it's free when you drive out of SF), by bike and on foot. I took this picture walking towards SF:

The Bridge is painted the color called international orange for two reasons: first, it makes the Bridge visible in the frequent fog; second, it helps prevent corrosion. Here is a nice view on the Bay, with the Rock (Alcatraz) visible between the gigantic ropes:

When you walk over the bridge and look carefully around, you may spot the following notice:

Originally, I found the warning of the fatal and tragic consequences of jumping from the bridge amusing, given that it takes just one look down the bridge and you can guess it yourself. But then, the Bridge is frequently covered in thick fog, so maybe a potential desperate swimmer has to be informed of his/her precarious location:

The majestic tower's peak hidden in the fog. The picture below was taken from the ferry, just click on it...

And, finally, driving along the Golden Gate Bridge:

The Golden Gate Bridge may be the most famous bridge in America, but it is the Bay Bridge (the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge) that was to be the longest in the world when it was completed a year earlier than the Golden Gate Bridge (1936). This Bridge is 13 km long and it took three years and the lives of 27 workers to construct it. Here the steel figure of a huge spider welcomes you on the way to the pier from which to view the Bay Bridge:

The Bay Bridge can be crossed by car only (the above-water sections), if I remember correctly, there are 5 lanes for the cars to drive along. This picture was taken on the way to San Francisco - another $5 or so:

The Bay Bridge is a complex structure: the top above-water section leads to SF; when you drive out of SF, you go along the lower section so you feel almost like in a tunnel. The invisible under-water section of the bridge is actually a BART tunnel which connects SF with Oakland.

The view from the Bay Bridge is impressive - on the Financial District in the background and the historical Ferry Building. When it was constructed (1903), the Ferry Building served as a harbor - ferries carried about 50 million people a year. Even now a few ferries to Oakland or Sausalito depart from the Building - to continue the tradition. Very romantic;)