Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco

Saturday morning, we woke up feeling fresh and excited. Dear hubby and I decided that our first destination would be the historic Golden Gate Bridge. Yeah..you know, that big red suspension bridge with two towers which is a visitor attraction recognized around the world. Surprisingly, it was only about 10 minutes drive from our hotel. From the bridge, we could also view the Alcatraz, one of the most famous prison in the world (no longer a prison now, I think).
From the park, we walked to the bridge. Yes, we are allowed to walk across the bridge. There's a pedestrian walk. I was focusing the camera to snap the pictures of Abah and the kids when suddenly I felt a pat on my shoulder. I was surprised to look up and see a friendly Mat Salleh face asking "Would you like to be in the picture too? I can snap it for you." Of course, happily I said yes. So, this was the picture taken by the kind-hearted Mat Salleh :D

So that was one of the few examples of how friendly an American is. When I first came here, I was quite skeptical on how they would address me, you know....me wearing a Hijab as it has been portrayed that Americans don't respond well to Muslim people (with the 9/11, Osama Laden and all...haihh). But for the past almost 4 months I've been here, I can safely say that I've been treated well and fair. And you won't believe how polite they are! For example, when you're paying for your stuffs at the counter, the first thing that the cashier will say to you is, "Hello, how're you doing?"and before we leave, they will say "Have a nice day, will ya!" with that big bright smiles. Now, tell me if you've ever seen that in Malaysia (yang 'terkenal' dengan adat resam dan budi bahasanya?? Agak-agak pernah tak jumpa cashier yang tanya Apa khabar? Kalau yg muka masam tu banyak la kan) (chuckle)

Anyway, back to the Golden Gate Bridge. Below is some info that I have googled.

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay onto the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and State Route 1, it connects the city of San Francisco on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula to Marin County. The Golden Gate Bridge had the longest suspension bridge span in the world when it was completed in 1937, and has become an internationally recognized symbol of San Francisco and California. Since its completion, the span length has been surpassed by eight other bridges. It still has the second longest suspension bridge main span in the United States, after the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City. In 2007, it was ranked fifth on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects.

The Golden Gate Bridge spans the Golden Gate, a narrow, 400-foot (120 m) deep strait that serves as the mouth of the San Francisco Bay, between San Francisco at the northernmost tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, and the Marin Headlands at the far southern end of Marin County. Although close by proximity, the two sides of the strait are separated by significant natural obstacles. Crossing the strait directly by boat is dangerous because of strong currents and lack of suitable landings. Ocean tides drive an average of 528 billion gallons (2 billion cubic meters) of water every six hours, at peak currents exceeding 5.6 miles per hour (2.5 m/s). Circumnavigating the Bay, however, involves a trip of several hundred miles and crossing several major rivers.

You can visit the bridge's official homepage at Golden Gate Bridge.

Above is the statue of Joseph Baermann Strauss who was responsible for the building of the bridge. He was the Chief Engineer in charge of overall design and construction of the bridge project. Construction began on 5 January 1933. The project cost more than $35 million. Strauss remained head of the project, overseeing day-to-day construction and making some groundbreaking contributions. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, he had placed a brick from his alma mater's demolished McMicken Hall in the south anchorage before the concrete was poured. He innovated the use of movable safety netting beneath the construction site, which saved the lives of many otherwise-unprotected steelworkers. Of eleven men killed from falls during construction, ten were killed (when the bridge was near completion) when the net failed under the stress of a scaffold that had fallen. Nineteen others who were saved by the net over the course of construction became proud members of the (informal) Halfway to Hell Club. The project was finished by April 1937, $1.3 million under budget.

Below are some snaps taken from the bridge. Look at the amazing construction and engineering. It was built in 1937 . Made me sad to think how far behind our country was in 1937 :(

Unfortunately, the Golden Gate Bridge is also a favorite place for suicide. So much so that now they're having a study on how to prevent the suicide here. The Golden Gate Bridge is the most prevelant place in the USA to commit suicide and one of the most popular in the world. The deck is approximately 245 feet (75 m) above the water. After a fall of approximately four seconds, jumpers hit the water at some 86 miles per hour (138 km/h), which is nearly always fatal. As a suicide prevention initiative, this sign below promotes a special telephone available on the bridge that connects to a crisis hotline.

Later, we crossed the bridge by car and went for a scenic drive in Marin Headlands. The Marin Headlands is a hilly area at the southernmost end of Marin County, California, above the Golden Gate. The Headlands are located just north of San Francisco, immediately across the Golden Gate Bridge. Again, another kind-hearted Mat Salleh offered to take our family picture.

Oh, before we went up there, we stopped at the store. It was lunch time and we were quite famished. So we grabbed some snacks and had lunch on top of the hill while viewing the great Golden Gate Bridge. Haihh...I wish we can do that often. Now, we will have to move to San Francisco if we want to do that, won't we? ;)

We stayed there for almost one hour. Thought of wondering about the city, but then Adik Hannah had some business in the car, hehe.. So we had to go back to Travelodge to finish up the 'unfinished business' of Adik Hannah.