Monday, May 28, 2012

Happy Birthday Golden Gate Bridge

I have not mastered how to take photos of fireworks.  And it is too late at night to think about uploading our daytime photos of today's celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge.

But, don't miss this slideshow at the San Jose Mercury News.  There were simultaneous fireworks from Crissy Field, off the bridge towers and a curtain of fire spilling off the sides of the bridge.  Simply spectacular.

25 years ago, I tried to walk on the bridge but was stopped by the gridlock while on the staircase just below the bridge.  There's a fun story about the day that the Golden Gate Bridge flattened.  It was the heaviest load the bridge ever held, and there were no cars!

3 comments:

  1. How interesting. I'm wondering if ignorance was truly bliss for those on the bridge, and if there would be more panic today -- another good reason for trying to prevent a repeat performance.

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  2. I'm glad you got to see that!

    I, on the other hand, was busy at home hemming DD1's work pants and maxi dress.

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  3. I used to work in the front office of a county highway department, a repository of knowledge about roads and bridges. The superintendent was especially knowledgable about bridges. There I learned a couple of things - first of all, that the lifespan of an average bridge is about the same length as the lifespan of an average person. Secondly, you have to engineer a pedestrian bridge to at least the same standards as a bridge designed for vehicle traffic. He would get very irked at suggestions that deficient bridges nearing the end of their lifespans could be repurposed as pedestrian bridges. If it's not safe for a car, it's not safe for pedestrian traffic either!

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