photography, Rants and raves, San Miguel de Allende

The magic in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge

I’m looking out over that Golden Gate Bridge
On another gorgeous sunny Saturday.
— Doobie Brothers, “Listen to the Music”

Most bridges, if they lead into a city of any size, lack pizzazz. Oh, they may be architectural gems, but you barely notice this.

Why?

Because most bridges are surrounded by distracting urban clutter.

High-rises, highway on- and off-ramps, shipbuilders, warehouses, industrial stacks, skyscrapers, condo towers — the stuff that makes cities be cities. This stuff bustles up against the entrances and exits of bridges. Suddenly, you are crossing a span with little sense of its architectural might. Rarely do you get to appreciate the majesty of a span uncluttered.

The view from Crissy Field, San Francisco.

Notice, Carl Sandberg didn’t mention any bridges in singing his praise of Chicago.

“Hog Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders”

See? No bridges.

Now, what do you notice about the Golden Gate Bridge?

Yes, it is red.

You have got to respect a city that sets out Adirondack chairs for the public, so they can relax and admire the view. This spot in the Presidio sits atop a busy roadway through Fort Mason, which was buried and turned into gorgeous parkland. (Side note: Both my brother, Chris, and my son Chris are engineers who worked on this project.) In nearby Golden Gate Park, there are yellow Adirondack chairs scattered throughout. As you can see, people use them!

What else?

What you notice is that from every direction you can take in the full wonderment of the bridge. The view is not only unobstructed but buoyed by the verdant hillsides and lush parks in all directions. Where the bridge is present and visible, all else is in sublimation.

In an odd way, it reminds me of the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel in my hometown, San Miguel de Allende. No matter where you are, there it is. I discovered this some years ago while training for the Portuguese Camino. No matter where I hiked, the ruddy Gothic steeples of the church popped up on the horizon.

Even when the view is obscured, there is a nice symmetry to it. Here is the view from the St. Francis Yacht Club in the Marina District. Notice the generous and well-protected walking and biking paths, another San Francisco attribute that I admire.

The Golden Gate is like that.

You know what is thrilling? Running the San Francisco Half Marathon. The trail takes you over the Golden Gate Bridge and back in the early morning fog. The towers are enshrouded on your way to Marin, but by the time you circle back, the fog is lifting like the curtain on a massive and mystical Broadway production.

What a rush.

Bicycling across in a stiff wind is also a rush. Just not as pleasant.

The top two photos are views of the Golden Gate Bridge from Lands End Trail, a short but breathtaking urban hike in San Francisco.

Have any memories or feelings about the Golden Gate Bridge? Share them in the comments section below! Thanks for reading along!

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