On May 27th, 1987, you were unveiled to the world — immediately becoming an iconoclast; the supreme element partner. We’ve never been the same since.
It’s clear you’re drinking your water. Minding your business. Applying SPF regularly — borderline religious with your retinol use and overall skin routine. You continue to seamlessly blend your Fenty foundation; your technique is on par with the most followed TikTok beauty gurus.
Morning yoga is no albatross to you — especially during a strong wind when you whistle and contort to contend with the stresses of everyday life.
Happy Birthday to the Golden Gate Bridge! Thanks for always being such an inspiration!@zimpix @hknightsf @peterhartlaub @RobMayeda @SFGate #totalsf #CAwx @Underscore_SF @GGBridge @GoldenGateNPS @presidiosf @MarinMagazine @nbcbayarea pic.twitter.com/Mh2Xn1NF6T
— Stuart Berman (@QuakesFanStu) May 27, 2023
That “International Orange,” a color akin to a deep sun-kissed peach, is symbolic of your ability to bridge people together, despite their differences and the regional zip codes that separate them.
At 81 years old, Martha Stewart became the oldest individual to grace the outside of Sports Illustrated’s annual Swimsuit Edition when her now-viral cover shot proved age is, truly, nothing but a number. We have no doubt you, too, could grace the magazine if the opportunity ever presented itself. (Any designer would kill to dress you. However, what’s not to say you should just go sans textiles? Your sunset hue is envied across this mortal coil; continue to free the nipple [read: suspension cables].)
Today is a bit of a confusing day. Because you actually were “birthed,” if you will, on January 5th, 1933 when your construction first began — more than three years after you debuted to the world.
In fact, the idea of bridging San Francisco with the land that would eventually become Marin County in 1850 was first popularized in the early 1800s. Alas, the technologies and infrastructures needed to see that idea to fruition didn’t exist at the time.
But as advancements grew, especially with wire ropes (which you have 250 pairs of), the dream of creating you later evolved into a feasible reality. And on May 27th, 1937 — a little over a month after your construction ended — you debuted to the world… on “Pedestrian Day,” marking the start of the weeklong “Golden Gate Bridge Fiesta.”
Some 200,000 people attended your inaugural birthday, with more partaking in the following day’s festivities. On your 50th an estimated 300,000 people made you flatten — although engineers subsequently iterated that there was never any real danger of you plunging into the cold ocean waters below. Two years later in 1989, you were able to gracefully bob and shimmy during the 7.1-magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake without incident.
Suffice it to say that you’ve solidified your resilience and strength over these eight-plus decades taking up 1.7-miles of space on this oscillated space rock.
Frankly, we can’t think of a better sentiment to end on for our lil’ ode to you on your 86th birthday.
HBD, our dear bb, beautiful bridge. Here’s to the decades of literally supporting our day-to-day commutes to come.
Feature image: Courtesy of Stuart Berman
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