Golden Anniversary

In the radiance of the setting sun or the swirling fog around San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge takes on an unearthly quality belying its 389,000 cu. yds. of concrete, 83,000 tons of structural steel and 80,000 miles of wire, much of it suspension cables a yard thick. From the Marin County headlands to the deck of a sailboat on the bay, the grand old span and its 746-ft. towers appear to be something they are not: floating, delicate, an awesome and ghostly setting appropriate for a James Bond thriller.

Next week the Bay Area celebrates the Golden Gate's 50th...

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