San Francisco, CA Golden Gate Bridge

Golden Gate Bridge is one of the world's most famous bridges found only in San Francisco, one of the Top 5 destinations in the U.S. San Franciscans love their city and tourists from around the world love to see it and its icons– Alcatraz, Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, the Crookedest Street, Cable Cars, and Golden Gate Bridge.

You can see the bridge and ride under it on a variety of affordable boat tours such as Red & White Fleet, or Hornblower Dinner Cruises, but one of the most popular experiences is to park your car and walk on the bridge where the vistas are unbelievable, really!

There's a parking lot and small park on one side of the bridge where tourists can look at a statue, The Lone Sailor Memorial, and loiter to enjoy the scenery or walk across the bridge. The experience is like walking next to traffic on a busy freeway. Since the motor traffic goes over 50 miles per hour with around 118,000 cars whizzing by all day, that's exactly what it is. Although you are slightly separated from the traffic, the rush of cars, closeness to them and views of the ocean so far below can provide sensory overload if you aren't prepared. It's not a quiet, romantic experience to walk on the Golden Gate Bridge, except for the few times when they close it to traffic for special events. However, it is a rush of adrenaline and worth checking out. Many don't feel the need to complete the entire trek across and back, but if you do, you will walk 1.7 miles one direction, then return back for to your starting point for a total of 3.4 miles round trip.

This suspension bridge made of steel is the 2nd longest in the U.S. after the Verrazano-Narrow Bridge in New York City. An estimated 118,000 – 120,000 cars go over the bridge daily and a toll of $6 approx. is charged on the southbound vehicle lanes heading into San Francisco only. The bridge connects San Francisco with Marin County.

Golden Gate Bridge Facts:

Opened on May 7, 1937 with 200,000+ people crossing the bridge that day. It cost around $35 million to build, and 11 lives were lost during construction.

On its 50th Anniversary in May 1987, 1 million people tried to access the bridge, though only around 300,000 were able to physically get to the location. The center span of the bridge flattened out under the weight of this massive crowd.

International Orange, the color of the Golden Gate Bridge, was originally painted on the bridge as a sealant and wasn't designed to be its final color.

Golden Gate Bridge is the most photographed bridge in the world.

The bridge is located in 1-101 and includes 6 lanes of traffic and 2 walkways.

More suicides occur on Golden Gate Bridge than any other spot in the world. The deck is 245 feet above water, and it takes approx. 4 seconds traveling at 75 mile per hour to hit the freezing water below, where some bodies are recovered, and some aren't. At least several thousand people have committed suicide on the bridge.