The Golden Gate Bridge!

The Golden Gate Bridge is an amazing symbol for San Francisco and California.  We had fun finding places with great views of the bridge!  And we crossed it several times during our trip.

Do you know why it is named the Golden Gate Bridge?  I thought I knew because of something I had learned in school, but upon further study, I found the real reason.  See below for the answer!

And the next day it was fun to actually walk on the bridge!

Do you know why the Golden Gate Bridge is painted the International Orange color?  See below for the answer!

1.The Bridge is actually named for the Golden Gate Strait, the narrow entrance between the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay. The strait was named by explorer and U.S. Army officer John C. Frémont, who marveled at its beauty in 1846—two years before the discovery of gold in California.  It reminded him of a harbor in Istanbul named Chrysoceras or Golden Horn.  (I was always taught that the bridge spans the entrance into the California gold fields of 49er days and so it was the "golden" gate for future riches.)

2. The steel that arrived in San Francisco to build the Golden Gate Bridge was coated in a burnt red and orange shade of primer to protect it from corrosive elements. Consulting architect Irving Morrow found that he preferred the vivid hue of the primer to more conventional paint choices such as carbon black and steel gray. The “international orange” color was not only visible in the fog, but it complemented the natural topography of the surrounding hills and contrasted well with the cool blues of the bay and the sky.