If you've never crossed the majestic Golden Gate Bridge at least once in your life, you're missing out.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/27/MNGA0Q2EQ91.DTL
On May 27, 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge was opened for business. I don't recommend walking across it (too windy and loud), but it is the most picturesque of the Bay Area bridges-- both of the bridge and from it. I recommend the vista point from the north end of the bridge.
Since its federally-funded, tolls are the most expensive and it is the best maintained of the five Bay Area bridges. It has sustained major earthquakes and become an international symbol of California. Of course, it needs some renovating to sustain the Big One whenever it comes, and the Bridge District has announced a $455 million plan to update the bridge for earthquake retrofitting and suicide barriers. Since 1937, there have been about 1200 suicides, and the bridge remains one of the most sought after suicide landmarks. The problem is, if they add suicide barriers, that compromises the safety of the suspension system because it adds wind resistance, which could prove damaging in extreme weather or an earthquake. That's why the earthquake/suicide thing goes together. Check out this SF Chronicle article for more about the bridge restructuring:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/05/28/MNGV7Q2QGI1.DTL
On one hand, it's just a bridge. On the other, it's an icon. I drive across it probably once every 6 months, but each time I am amazed at the architecture that has withstood both its functional and aesthetic terms. To add earthquake and suicide prevention structures is probably noble and necessary, but nostalgically kind of sad, because the views from street level will be obstructed and the character of the suspension will necessarily be changed. At least it'll still look the same from Berkeley, though.
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i love driving across it.im originally from california so growing p everytime we would drive across it we would try to hold our breath....that was impossible
My sister could hold her breath between the two big towers, but that's because she has a freakish lung capacity. The tunnels on either side are much more doable, unless there's traffic.
ya well we always went to visit relatives up there in the middle of summer so traffic was horrible!
Ah, summer will do that.
But, as some dead guy said, "the coldest summer I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco," and I guess that makes it an appealing place to be in the summer.