The Presidio & the Golden Gate Bridge

Where: San Francisco, CA

When: October 11, 2010 / June 18, 2014 / April 8, 2017

With: Me / Dave / Dave and Dave Maier

In my San Francisco posts, I've spoken a lot about iconic images. But really, at the end of the day, the most iconic is clearly the Golden Gate Bridge. Spanning the most narrow gap across the channel connecting the Pacific Ocean to the San Francisco Bay, this bridge was an engineering marvel when it was built in 1937 and continues to be the most photographed and recognized bridge in the world. 

As the name may be deceiving, the Golden Gate bridge is not golden, but named for the strait over while it passes. The color of the bridge was actually not intended to be permanent. The steel arrived for building in this "international orange" after being coated in burnt red and orange primer to protect the steel from the corrosive effects of fog.  However, the builders found that the color stood out well in the fog and made a nice contrast to the surrounding landscape, and as such, left the color as is. Thank goodness!

There are a couple different ways to view the bridge. The most obvious is to drive over it, which may be traffic filled, but is absolutely surreal and amazing (granted I was never the one driving). Anyone else have the intro to Full House stuck in their head now?

A beautiful way to view the bridge is by taking a hike along the Land's End trail. Starting at the northeast end of the peninsula of San Francisco, it follows along the water's edge for some stunning views of the bridge and the Pacific Ocean. 

While he may not be a fan of hikes, our host Maier was suckered into this one. And he sort of enjoyed it for a little bit too.

The views of the bridge amid trees and rocks and ocean is hard to beat. 

If we were to continue walking east toward the bridge along the Lands End trail, we'd end up in a little section of San Francisco called the Presidio. Once a Spanish garrison, it was taken over by the US military until the 1990s when it was established as a park. 

One of the staples of the Presidio is Crissy Field, a former airfield turned beach with unmatched views of the bridge. 

I could just spend all day sitting here watching the sun go down with this view.

And dogs are allowed to run off-leash? Sold.

The Golden Gate bridge is one of those rare opportunities to see a true cultural and structural icon. And it certainly doesn't disappoint. I'll never get tired of this view!