Golden Gate Bridge

You were probably wondering when we would finally talk about the Golden Gate Bridge. Well, here it is—now’s the time! For a start, If you want to know everything about how to visit it and the best vantage points for capturing a splendid photo of the bridge, head to the advice section of our app where you’ll find all the necessary information. Yes of course, the Golden Gate is the star of the show when you come to San Francisco. It’s a bit like the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Statue of Liberty in New York : you can’t leave without seeing it! Now here you are, It’s right there in plain sight, so let me tell you a few anecdotes about America’s most famous bridge. First of all, despite carrying the name, Golden Gate, it’s not made out of gold! Its name comes from the nickname given to the strait by John Frémont, who thought it bore a resemblance to the Istanbul strait, which was then named Chrysoceras, meaning the Golden Horn. And you know what? Its color is not even red either, but a patented color called International Orange! Should you ever want to paint anything in this color, you can go to the bridge’s website and download the color formula for free and take it to your local paint store! Originally, the bridge should have been painted in yellow and black stripes, like a hornet, for perfect visibility in the fog. However, during construction, the bridge was coated with a layer of rustproof red lead paint. As it stood out perfectly well in the blue sky and stayed visble in the fog, they decided to copy this color. The construction of this emblematic bridge is a true architectural wonder! It was inaugurated on May 27, 1937. For those of you who like numbers, it’s 1,230 meters long, its two pillars are 230 meters tall and 123,750 kilometers of cable was used. It’s enough to circle the Earth three times! Construction cost a fortune and took 4 years to finish. It was led by the best bridge engineer at the time, Josef Strauss. He was honored by ASCE, a professional organization of American civil engineers who compiled their list of the 7 Wonders of the Engineering World. The bridge is included in the list, along with the Empire State Building, the Channel Tunnel and the Panama Canal, for its technical and human achievements. What’s more, the construction was extremely well executed. There were “only” 11 deaths on the construction site, although 10 were caused by a falling platform, but otherwise, safety was top-notch. And this was the first construction site where helmets were compulsory! The chief engineer even had a net installed under the bridge, saving 19 lives. This net was installed again in 2014, because the Golden Gate Bridge has the unfortunate reputation of being the preferred location for suicides. Sadly nicknamed the Bridge of Death, it is the monument where the most suicides occur in the world. 1,600 people have thrown themselves into the cold waters of the bay, 67 meters below. For this reason, several public telephones are installed on the bridge. They are connected to call centers staffed by anti-suicide specialists. On a happier note, three children have also been born on the Golden Gate – all boys! I leave you with this quote from Sir Isaac Newton, who said that men build too many walls and not enough bridges. Something to ponder about.