Golden Gate Bridge

Of all the amazing attractions in San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge is probably the most recognizable. The beautiful suspension bridge is almost 2 miles long and connects San Francisco with Marin County. It crosses over the area where the San Francisco Bay meets the Pacific Ocean, which is called the “Golden Gate”, hence the name Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge took about 4 years to build, with construction starting in January of 1933, just 6 months before the Bay Bridge construction began and the Coit Tower was completed. The bridge officially opened to the public on May 27, 1937.

Once called the “bridge that couldn’t be built”, the Golden Gate Bridge went through an incredibly long planning process that started in 1919. Trying to build such a large project, while staying within a budget was difficult, but after many proposals, the job went to Joseph Strauss, a drawbridge builder from Chicago. While Strauss was selected to build a functional, earthquake friendly bridge, designer Irving F. Morrow was responsible for the aesthetics. Morrow designed the art deco towers as well as chose the iconic color for the Golden Gate Bridge, International Orange. After 4 long years, the bridge was finally opened with a cost of $35 Million. The Golden Gate Bridge immediately became recognized at an architectural marvel, touting 746 foot tall towers, 7,000 feet of support cables and massive anchors on each shore. Today the bridge is still a major throughway for commuters and travelers as well over 2 billion cars have crossed since it opened. Over 40 million people travel across the bridge each year. Aside from commuting, the Golden Gate Bridge is a popular inclusion in bus tours and sightseeing tours. There is also a pedestrian throughway, which allows you to walk across or bike across the bridge.