Valentine’s Day Discount on Tandem Bike Rentals
Tourists on Bike and Roll San Francisco bikes (Christopher Reynolds/LA Times)
A bicycle built for two might make for a romantic spin around San Francisco. Bike and Roll offers a discount on daily tandem bike rentals for Valentine’s Day — and lots of suggestions on where to pedal. Maybe over the Golden Gate Bridge, which turns 75 this year?
The deal: Ride With Your Valentine on a Bicycle Built for 2, as the promotion is called, offers tandems for $45 a day instead of the usual $60. There’s also a $5 damage waiver charge. Reservations are required, and the deal is based on availability. Bike and Roll has five rental kiosks around the city that are open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily in winter.
When: The offer is good Feb. 11-17 only.
Details: Check out Bike and Roll’s self-guided routes around San Francisco and beyond. From the rental office at 899 Columbus Ave. in North Beach, you can take a 9-mile ride on easy terrain over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and return to the city by ferry. Another ride, about 25 miles one way, takes you to Muir Woods National Park before returning via ferry.
Contact: Bike and Roll, (415) 229-2000, Ext. 1
San Francisco to Play Bigger Role in Tour of California
GETTY IMAGES FILE PHOTO: San Francisco was the start of a stage for the Tour of California in 2010 but was left out of the race in 2011. The Marina and Presidio will be included in 2012.
(originally posted by Will Reisman, San Francisco Examiner Staff Writer)
Professional cyclists will zip through the Marina, the Presidio and portions of western San Francisco in this year’s version of the Tour of California, which returns to The City in 2012 after a year’s absence.
Route details of the annual pro cycling event were announced Wednesday, with this year’s version featuring the most extensive coverage of San Francisco since the 2007 event.
Cyclists will start at the Marina Green and travel up to the break wall of the San Francisco Bay before making their way through the Presidio. From there, the cyclists will hook up with the Great Highway and travel southbound out of The City.
Last year, the cycling tour completely skipped over San Francisco. In 2009 and 2010, the tour included through The City, but the riders only traveled down the western portion of San Francisco.
The last time the race featured San Francisco extensively was 2007, when The City was the site for the opening individual time trial.
The 2011 Tour will begin on May 13 in Santa Rosa, home of the three-time champion Levi Leipheimer. The event will conclude in downtown Los Angeles on May 20.
For the first time in the event’s history, cyclists will scale Mt. Diablo in the East Bay, during the Stage 3 competition from San Jose to Livermore.
American Chris Horner is the defending champion of the eight-day bike tour, which started in 2006 and is the nation’s largest cycling competition.
Along with Leipheimer and Horner, fellow American Floyd Landis and Australian Michael Rogers are past champions.
71% Increase in the Number of People Cycling in San Francisco
from the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
This afternoon, Mayor Edwin M. Lee announced an exciting finding: the number of people biking in San Francisco has risen an impressive 71% in the last five years, according to the just-released 2011 San Francisco Bicycle Count Report.
“These counts back up what is apparent on our streets everyday — that San Franciscans love bicycling, and that bicycling has never been more popular in our city,” said Leah Shahum, Executive Director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, a 12,000-member nonprofit that promotes the bicycle for everyday transportation.
“Whether people are biking to work, to school or just to have fun, these latest bicycle counts demonstrate that San Francisco is a national leader in bicycle ridership,” said Mayor Lee. “We are using innovative strategies such as bike sharing, and installing sharrows, dedicated bike lanes and bike boxes, to make sure that our road network is safe and convenient.”
[Read the Mayor's press release on the 71% counts here]
Each year the SFMTA conducts a citywide manual bicycle count to measure bicycle ridership trends. This year’s findings were impressive: at each of the 23 count stations, the numbers increased—often dramatically.
Fell and Scott Streets also showed one of the highest growths: 108% increase of ridership in the last five years. The automatic bike counter at this intersection shows an average of 15,000 bike trips per week year-round.
“This huge increase in the number of people bicycling on Fell Street is a clear indication of the need and desire for better conditions on this critical bicycling connection between our neighborhoods,” says Shahum. “These new counts support the urgent calls – more than 200 letters sent already — for physically separated bikeways on Fell and Oak Streets between the three blocks of Scott & Baker Streets. This much-needed safety improvement cannot wait.”
Market Street—with its green, protected bikeways completed in 2011—showed the greatest growth of ridership: 115% increase from 2006, and a massive 43% increase since last year alone.
Townsend Street, a bike lane that was striped this year, and connects bike riders to Caltrain and booming business districts in SOMA, the waterfront and downtown, also showed dramatic numbers: a 54% increase since just last year.
Page and Scott, along the popular Wiggle bike route, also had staggering counts. The number of people biking through this intersection increased 53% since 2010, and an incredible 180% since 2006.
The Bicycle Count Report isn’t the only great news for San Francisco biking this year. In the last year alone, more than 17 miles of bike lanes have been striped, including 2.5 miles of buffered bikeways, and 15 bicycle corrals were added to city streets, making it easier and safer for people of all ages to bike on our city streets.
Carlina Hansen, Executive Director of the Women’s Community Clinic, said the bike corral has made a positive impact on her business. “The bike corral gives us greater capacity to provide a safe place for everyone to park their bikes when they come to the Clinic. Most importantly, it encourages staff, volunteers and clients to ride to work.”
“These significant increases prove that a relatively small investment of resources in better biking pays off hugely in making our city more accessible, affordable, healthier and cleaner,” says the SF Bicycle Coalition’s Shahum. “More people bicycling is a win for all San Franciscans. Now we look forward to helping the City reach its goal of 20% of trips by bicycle by 2020.”
To reach that goal, the SF Bicycle Coalition has put forward a vision for Connecting the City with a 100-mile network of inviting, family-friendly bikeways connecting neighborhoods, commercial corridors and transit centers. Find out more at connectingthecity.org.
The Executive Summary of the Bicycle Count Report says it best: “One thing is certain, more and more San Franciscans are riding bicycles every year.”
Love on Wheels: San Francisco Bike Coalition’s Dating Game
Bike Love Abounds at Love on Wheels!
Lovelorn lovebirds each quiz three possible dates (hidden from their view) and choose one to ride off with, on a date provided by one of our fine sponsors.
DJ Jamie Jams will set the soundtrack for phone numbers, emails, and bike stats to be exchanged all over Public Works by single cyclists.
Meanwhile, those not-so-single cyclists cheer on their single friends and win sweet raffle prizes like a hot night on the town, all from our awesome sponsors.
How do you roll? Boy-Boy? Girl-Girl? Girl-Boy? Boy-Girl? We’ve got a ride for you. Come on down!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
PUBLIC WORKS, 161 Erie St. (at Mission)
Complimentary valet bike parking, courtesy of the SF Armory (map)
Doors open at 6 p.m.; game at 7
$5 for SF Bicycle Coalition Members (bring your card)
Non-members $10, or become an SF Bicycle Coalition member at the door and get in free!
Ages 21 and over
To be a contestant email love@sfbike.org and say which way you roll (Girl-for-boy, boy-for-girl, girl-for-girl or boy-for-boy).
Too shy for the stage, but you want to help out? There are lots of ways you can volunteer, sign up at sfbike.org/vol_sign_up_love.
Download a poster! Spread the word in the name of bike love by printing some posters or stopping by our office to pick some up and hanging one in your favorite cafe, shop, and laundry mat.
The Golden Gate Bridge’s Accidental Color
(from NPR, April 26, 2011)
You’d think the color of the most photographed bridge in the world would have a more exciting name than “international orange.” Something like “vermilion” or “terra cotta” or “burnt sienna” might seem more appropriate.
Whatever you call it, it’s the vivid, unmistakable color of the Golden Gate Bridge, which turns 75 next year. But back in the 1930s, the now-iconic hue was a radical choice.
(Photo courtesy of goldengatebridge.org: A painter at work in 1937, the year the Golden Gate Bridge opened. It was the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time; painters had to cover more than 10 million square feet of steel.)
First, to set the record straight, the bridge is named not for its hue, but for its location. It’s built above the Golden Gate Strait, the entrance to the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean.
The color came about thanks to Irving Morrow, the Golden Gate’s consulting architect, who noticed the striking reddish-orange primer painted on some of the steel.
Morrow designed the bridge’s lighting and its art-deco styling. He also championed the unusual color. Most bridges were gray, silver or black. It was expected that the Golden Gate Bridge would follow suit.
“He had to convince the Department of War, the permitting agency at the time, that the largest suspension span ever built at the time [should] have this wild crazy color,” says Golden Gate Bridge spokeswoman Mary Currie.
The bridge’s construction began in 1933. Two years later, Morrow made the case for the wild color in the 29-page document, Report on Color and Lighting, which he presented to the bridge’s board of directors.
“The Golden Gate Bridge,” Morrow wrote, “is one of the greatest monuments of all time. Its unprecedented size and scale, along with its grace of form and independence of conception, all call for unique and unconventional treatment from every point of view. What has been thus played up in form should not be let down in color.”
The primer would need some added tones, but Morrow felt it was an ideal complement to the gray fog, the golden and green hills, the blue water and sky.
(Photo courtesy of goldengatebridge.org: A painter touches up one of the bridge’s cables. When it came time to decide the paint color for the bridge, consulting architect Irving Morrow wanted a warm hue to contrast with the cool grays, blues and greens of San Francisco Bay.)
There are more than 10 million square feet of steel to paint on the bridge. It’s constantly touched up, not just to keep up the color but to protect it from the salty weather.
Currie says one of the big myths is that the bridge is painted from one end to the other rather than continually touched up.
Paint superintendent Rocky Dellarocca jokes: “Yeah, you start at one end, and when you get to the other end, you retire.” That’s how long it would take.
Dellarocca spent two decades painting the bridge. Now he oversees some 30 bridge painters.
“Rocky dreams in international orange,” Currie says with a laugh.
Painting the bridge is tough work. Only rain stops Rocky and his crew. But the bridge is wrapped in fog almost 70 percent of the time. And the winds can blow 60 mph — which can cause problems because workers usually use spray guns.
“There’s some places it’s so windy you have to hold the spray gun next to the steel — otherwise the paint will blow off at a 90-degree angle. That’s why, to be a structural steel painter — bridge painter — you’ve got to be a little off-center,” Dellarocca says.
A Special Brew
(Photo Cindy Carpien/NPR: A bit of “international orange” paint on Susan Stamberg’s fingertip.)
Buckets of paint are stored in an underground bunker near the bridge. Dellarocca estimates that 5,000 to 10,000 gallons are used yearly.
You can’t just walk into a paint store and buy the Golden Gate Bridge color. You may find something called “international orange,” but it’s not this international orange. This is a special mixture formulated just for the Golden Gate.
“Over the years, I’ve had so many people call me,” Dellarocca says. “They want to get this color because they want to paint their bikes, the trim on their house, their fence, their dog house. They love the bridge.”
Dellarocca spent a good deal of time mailing chip samples to anyone who asked. Now you can find the exact paint mixture on the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District’s website.
Color? I Can’t See The Bridge!
San Francisco is regularly wrapped in the kind of fog poet Carl Sandburg described as coming “on little cat feet.” When that happens, it’s hard to see the color of the paint on the bridge. The cables curve upward but go nowhere, disappearing into the fog.
(Photo Cindy Carpien/NPR: Golden Gate Bridge spokeswoman Mary Currie and paint superintendent Rocky Dellarocca stand on the bridge. The orange cables behind them are obscured by thick fog. From July to October, foghorns blare for more than 5 hours a day on average.)
“But when this fog goes away,” Currie says, “you’ll see the beautiful Marin Headlands and golden hills as they reflect against this beautiful international orange.”
It’s an understatement to say that Currie and Dellarocca take great pride in watching over this bridge.
“People took care of this place before I got here, since 1937,” Dellarocca says. “I’m going to take care of it, and when I retire, someone’s going to come right behind me and keep taking care of this bridge.”
Can he imagine the bridge any other color?
“No, it’s the most beautiful bridge in the world,” he says. “The Navy wanted to paint it black and yellow so it was more visible, but the [Golden Gate] Bridge District said no way.”
No way, indeed.
Fun Facts: Bridge Towers
The Golden Gate Bridge towers are 746 feet above water. That’s approximately the height of a 50-story building!
The Navy proposed yellow and black horizontal stripes for the Bridge; the Air Force wanted orange and white stripes. Orange vermillion, “International Orange,” was chosen by architect Irving Morrow, who wanted a warm color to contrast with the cool grays, blues, and greens of the water, sky, and clouds.
Each tower contains 21,500 tons of stell, weighs 44,000 tons and supports a 61,500-ton load from the main cables.
There are approximately 1.2 million rivets in the two towers of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The length of wire in the two cables is 80,000 miles. If it were one wire, it could circle the Earth at the equator three times.
Top Ten Golden Gate Bridge Views by Bike
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Bridge Plaza: Look for the Strauss statue, cable cross-section and access the walkway and bike path here - Golden Gate Overlook: The newest overlook in the Presidio, on the west side of the Bridge, will open in Spring, 2012.
- Fort Point: See the Bridge from the bottom up.
- Crissy Field: Ride the promenade and enjoy spectacular views of the Golden Gate
- Alcatraz Island: The island offers a 360-degree panorama of San Francisco Bay and one of the best views of the Bridge.
- Lands End, USS San Francisco Memorial Parking Lot: Look at the entrance to the Golden Gate from the west.
- Fort Baker: Ride around a tiny cove right under the Golden Gate.
- Conzelman Road: Enjoy a scenic ride along the Marin Headlands.
- Hawk Hill: Bike a short distance for top-of-the-world views from a coastal highpoint in the Marin Headlands.
- Bridge Vista Point: See the San Francisco skyline from the north side of the Bridge.
Golden Gate Festival
The Golden Gate Festival is the center point of the Bridge’s year-long 75th anniversary program. With the theme of “Bridging Us All,” the free community event seeks to honor this amazing landmark in a way that reflects the ingenuity, inclusiveness and creativity of the entire San Francisco Bay Area.
The festival will offer thousands of people the opportunity to reflect on the beauty of the Bridge, learn about its history and be inspired through music, dance, entertainment, art and exhibits.
Bridging Us All
The 75th anniversary public celebration will be a spectacular event on May 26-27, 2012, spanning the waterfront from Fort Point to Pier 39. Major program venues include Crissy Field and the Marina Green; additional activities and events will be held at the Presidio, Fort Mason Center, Ghiraradelli Square, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39. While the Bridge will be open to auto traffic only and there will be no Bridge walk, there will be numerous vantage points and ways for the public to share in the Festival experience.
Preliminary Festival Plan
Hours, performers, transit information and other details are being developed and will be posted here over the coming months.
Saturday, May 26
Take in magnificent views of the Golden Gate, to learn about the Bridge’s history and significance and enjoy the national parklands anchored by the famed span.
- Art installations at Fort Point
- Interpretive talks and self-guided walks
- Bike trips to the bridge for youth, a YMCA program
- Displays of historic bridge artifacts
- Bridge-related art show at SFMOMA’s facility at Fort Mason Center
- Photographic exhibition in the Presidio
- Music and displays at Fisherman’s Wharf
- Film night in the Presidio with movies featuring the Bridge
Sunday, May 27
- Presidio – photography exhibit on military history at the Golden Gate (also open Saturday)
- Fort Mason Center - Outdoor art installation (also open Saturday)
- Ghirardelli Square – Panel exhibit telling the story of the Golden Gate Bridge
- San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park – Tours aboard the Alma, music, photo displays & vintage cars (also open Saturday)
- Fisherman’s Wharf – Music, historic images, vintage automobiles and maritime history (also open Saturday)
- Pier 39 – Music and dance festival highlighting the 1930s
Entirely funded by private contributions, the year-long Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary is made possible by several private sector corporate partners, including lead underwriters Genentech, the Bay Area-based founder of the biotechnology industry; Hewlett-Packard (HP), the world’s largest information technology company; and Wells Fargo, a diversified, community-based financial services company founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco. Supporting corporate partners are Kaiser Permanente and Odwalla, with additional support provided by Hanson Bridgett LLP, and Levi Strauss & Company.
75 Tributes to the Golden Gate Bridge
The 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge on May 27, 2012 marks a major milestone in the Bay Area’s rich history, connecting communities and people from around the world. To celebrate this achievement, the 75 Tributes to the Bridge, a Community Partners Program is uniting a wide range of organizations and talents together for one reason – to honor this beloved engineering marvel by bringing forward unique and innovative tributes in recognition of the bridge’s rich legacy.
Download the latest version of events in PDF
JANUARY 2012
January 1 – December 31: Antenna Theater – Golden Gate Sunset Sundial: Map of the places and times sunset can be viewed between the two Bridge towers
January 15 – May 31: Golden Gate University – Making Connections around the World: Online photography contest
January 28 – September 1: Marin History Museum – The Golden Gate Bridge, An Icon That Changed the World: Exhibit
FEBRUARY 2012
February 26 – October 14: California Historical Society – A Wild Flight of the Imagination: the Story of the Golden Gate Bridge. Exhibit featuring artwork, photographs, and historical Bridge artifacts.
February 23 – 26: San Francisco Orchid Society – Salute to the Golden Gate: Pacific orchid exposition gala and exhibit
MARCH 2012
March 1 – May 24: Port of Oakland, Oakland Museum of California & Oakland International Airport – Golden Gate Bridge to Oakland: International trade photo contest
March 1 – May 25: Port of Oakland & Oaklandish – Golden Gate Bridge to Oakland: Trade and tourism art contest
APRIL 2012
April 1 – October 31: Marine Mammal Center – Bridging Marine Science and the Public: Talks on marine life in the Golden Gate
April 7: San Francisco Carnaval – Golden Gate Jubilee: Music bridges cultures as Carnaval presents a tribute using dance as a way to bridge the bayApril 14: The Golden Gate Brass Band – 75th anniversary tribute performances at the Corte Madera Recreation Center
April 23 – May 31: Jewish Community Center of San Francisco – Show Us Your Golden Gate: Children and teen art contest and exhibit
April 28: Bay Area Ridge Trail Council – Ridge to Bridge: Guided hike on the Bay Area Ridge Trail from the Presidio, across the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin
April 28: San Francisco Children’s Art Center – Architectural Sculpture: Building Bridges: A one-day workshop for children ages 5-10
April 28: Slide Ranch – Golden Gate to Slide Ranch coastal hike and family farm day
MAY 2012
May 1 – May 31: Green’s Restaurant – Golden Gate Bridge Cookie
May 1 – May 31: Reader’s Bookstore at Fort Mason – Section of the store will be devoted to used books and memorabilia about the Golden Gate Bridge
May 1 – October 31: YMCA, San Francisco and Point Bonita – Golden Gate Bridge education programs, and bike trips for youth and families
May 6: Golden Gate Brass Band – Pre-performance for Marin Symphony’s Golden Gate Opus, Marin Center, San Rafael
May 8: Golden Gate Brass Band – Pre-performance for Marin Symphony’s Golden Gate Opus, Marin Center, San Rafael
May 14 – August 4: San Francisco Arts Education Project – International Orange Project: Art created by San Francisco youth in collaboration with artists-in-residence
May 2: Kathryn Roszak’s Danse Lumiere – Open rehearsal of Bridge Dance, Ashkenaz Dance Center, Berkeley
May 3-June 9: George Krevsky Gallery – Artistic Visions of the Golden Gate Bridge
May 4 – 6: San Francisco Museum & Historical Society – My Vision of my Favorite Bridge: Art contest among Bay Area middle and high school students at the Old Mint
May 5: Art Deco Society of California – Swinging on the Golden Gate Bridge: Ball themed with Bridgeera music and displays of Bridge work
May 5: Community Music Center – Crossing Bridges: A musical performance combining youth programs from San Francisco’s Mission District and San Rafael in LaPena, Berkeley
May 5 – June 3: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco – Artwork with imagery of the Golden Gate Bridge
May 6 & May 8: Marin Symphony – Golden Gate Opus: Commissioned work by Rob Kapilow based on the sounds of the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Center, San RafaelMay 6: Marin History Museum –Golden Gate Bridge Garden Party with Bridge building activities, trivia contest and music
May 11: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco – Golden Gate Bridge Birthday Salute, part of a Friday Nights at the de Young program
May 11: San Francisco Unified School District/Young at Art – Bridging Us All Festival: Art exhibit and performances at the de Young Museum
May 16: San Francisco Public Library – On Location – The Golden Gate Bridge on the Silver Screen: Movie clips and a discussion of the Golden Gate Bridge in film
May 18: San Francisco Giants – International Orange Friday at AT&T Park
May 20: San Francisco Mandolin Orchestra – Bridge-Themed Music: Concert at All Saints Church, Palo Alto
May 22: Jewish Community Center of San Francisco – Architectural Symposium: Lecture by Paul Goldberger, architecture critic for the New Yorker. Co-hosted with the American Institute of Architects and the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association. Tickets on sale here.
May 22 – 25: Bay Area Discovery Museum – Happy Birthday Bridge: A week-long celebration including art-based activities
May 23 – October 28: Presidio Trust – Before the Bridge – Sight and Sound at the Golden Gate: An immersive exhibition – combining large-format images with sounds of the ocean, foghorns, birds, sailors shouting, soldiers marching and cannons firing – will tell the story of life on and around the Presidio before the bridge was built
May 24: California Academy of Sciences – Nightlife at the Academy: A Golden Gate Bridge-themed evening exploring aspects such as color and scientific elements
May 24: Commonwealth Club of California – Golden Gate Bridge at 75—What makes an Icon: Lecture
May 25 – October 28: FOR-SITE Foundation – International Orange art installations at Fort Point
May 26 – December 31: Roebling Museum – Spinning Gold – the Roebling Company and the Golden Gate Bridge: A special exhibit, birthday celebration and lectures at Roebling Museum, New Jersey
May 26: Presidio Trust: Golden Gate Bridge Movie Night: Screenings of popular films featuring the Golden Gate Bridge, the Presidio
May 26: Jewish Community Center – Sunrise on the Golden Gate: Early morning yoga session for people of all ages
May 26: Petaluma Museum – A Golden Relationship, a Bridge to the Agricultural Bounty of Sonoma County: ExhibitMay 26: National Park Service with American Institute of Architects, American Society of Civil Engineers and San Francisco City Guides: Interpretive talks about the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate National Parks
May 26: St. Francis Yacht Club – Boat parade at the Golden Gate and display of historic boats
May 26 – 28: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art – Sounds of the Golden Gate: A film of a live sonic duet of the Golden Gate Bridge and Farallon Islands produced by Bill Fontana, Wattis Theatre
May 26 – June 30: SFMOMA – An exhibition of local artists’ interpretation of the Bridge at Fort Mason Center
May 26 – July 31: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art – Reflections on artwork and writings about the Golden Gate Bridge, posted on the SFMOMA blog
May 26-27: Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District – Music, historic images, vintage automobiles and maritime history exhibits at Hyde Street Pier and Pier 45
May 27: Bridging Us All – Community celebration at Crissy Field, with activities all along the San Francisco waterfront
May 27: LaborFest – Songs and photographs honoring the workers who built the Golden Gate Bridge
May 27: Bridge Rail Foundation – Whose Shoes? A visual exhibit of 1,500 shoes representing lives lost at the Golden Gate Bridge and used to raise awareness of suicide prevention and mental health
May 27: Community Music Center – a performance of Latin music by Mission District young musicians
May 27: Fort Mason Center – Outdoor art exhibition of of35 unique seats from which to enjoy views of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay
May 27: Ghirardelli Chocolate Company – Panel exhibit telling the story of the Golden Gate at Ghirardelli Square
May 27: Golden Gate Brass Band – Brass & Steel: An Overture for Brass, Steel Girders and Suspension Cables: Performance for the general public
May 27: Golden Gate Park Band – Lady of the Golden Gate: Concert of San Francisco Bay Area themed music
May 27: International Orange Chorale – San Francisco, Open Your Golden Gate: The premiere of a commissioned work that pays homage to the Golden Gate Bridge
May 27: Kathryn Roszak’s Danse Lumiere – Bridge Dance: Public performance with professional dancers and youth
May 27: Oakland Symphony Chorus – Family Sing-along of California and Golden Gate songs
May 27: Pier 39 – Music & Dance: Festival celebrating the era in which the Golden Gate Bridge was built
May 27: San Francisco Mandolin Orchestra –New Music Competition: Performance of the winner’s piece of music at various venues. May 20, May 27, June 2 and June 3, 2012
May 27: San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park – Special 75th anniversary tours at the maritime park
JUNE 2012
June 2: San Francisco Mandolin Orchestra – Bridge-Themed Music: Concert at All Souls Church, Berkeley
June 3: San Francisco Mandolin Orchestra – Bridge-Themed Music: Concert at Mission Dolores
June 6: The Golden Gate Brass Band - 75th anniversary tribute performances at the Corte Madera Bandstand / Gazebo, “Old Town”
June 16: Bay Area Open Space Council – The Triple Threat: Bike challenge to summit three of the tallest peaks in the Bay Area
June 16: Walt Disney Family Museum – The Golden Gate Bridge: A Film Icon, A film series to showcase how the Bridge captured the imagination of Hollywood and the hearts of movie goers and became a cinematic icon (showing films the third Saturday of the month, June 16 – September 15).
June 19 & 24: Headlands Center for the Arts – Screening of In the Shadow of the Bridge, a film by artist Ned Kahn
June 25-July 6: Crissy Field Center – Architechies: Golden Gate Bridge Edition: Summer camp for young builders and inventors exploring all things Golden Gate
JULY 2012
July 1 – September 30: San Francisco Parks Alliance – Park Views of the Bridge: Photo contest
July 5 – 29: ArtSeed – 75 Reasons Why We Are the Bridge. Exhibition at the Thoreau Center for Sustainability in the Presidio with opening and closing receptions
July 14: South End Rowing Club – Golden Gate Bridge Splash and Dash: Club-sponsored swim and run
July 23-August: Crissy Field Center – Architechies: Golden Gate Bridge Edition: Summer camp for young builders and inventors exploring all things Golden Gate
July 29: San Francisco Marathon – a full marathon and a half marathon crossing the Golden Gate Bridge with an additional half marathon, 5k race, and a race for children
AUGUST 2012
August 1–October 1: American Institute of Architects—San Francisco Chapter Postcards from the Edge: Exhibition of views of the Bridge
SEPTEMBER 2012
September 1 – 30: American Institute of Architects—San Francisco Chapter Architecture and the City Festival: A series of events that celebrate the Bay Area’s architectural heritage, including the Bridge
September 9: NatureBridge – A Bridge to Nature: Family-oriented hike, Marin Headlands
OCTOBER 2012
October 21: San Francisco State University, Romberg Tiburon Center Bridge-building activity for the public at the center’s annual Discovery Day
Additional Tributes in 2012
The following organizations are also offering tributes to the Golden Gate Bridge in 2012. Event dates are pending and will be posted on the website (www.goldengatebridge75.org) when available.
American Institute of Architects
- Tours of unique homes in Marin County built in anticipation of the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge
American Society of Civil Engineers
- Dedication of a plaque acknowledging Charles Ellis’ role in the design of the Golden Gate Bridge
- Bridging the California Dream: Lecture discussing the significance of the Golden Gate Bridge in California history, as the gateway to the Pacific, and as an exemplar of innovation
- Building of a model of a suspension bridge
- Showing of documentary films about the Golden Gate Bridge
- Presentation on the difficulties of building the Golden Gate Bridge, from a hydrodynamic, geologic and weather perspective
- Sailing trip on San Francisco Bay for youth Coastwalk California
- Trails Bridging the Golden Gate: Overnight camping trip in the Presidio and hike across the Golden Gate Bridge. Cosponsored with Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
- Musical Bridges to 1937: Concerts featuring the top 40 hits of the period from 1930 to 1937
Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
- Trails Bridging the Golden Gate: Overnight camping trip and hike across the Golden Gate Bridge. Cosponsored by Coastwalk California
San Francisco Architectural Heritage
- Spanning Space and Time Symposium co-hosted with National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Presidio
San Francisco Unified School District
- Marching Band Concert: Performance with students from SFUSD
- An educational presentation about public transit and the environment for classrooms in Marin and San Francisco, brought to schools via the Golden Gate Transit ‘tribute’ bus created by George Sumner
UC Berkeley, Space Sciences Laboratory
- Design and fabrication of heliostats to reflect sunlight from the Bridge to various locations in and around the bay
Lasting Tributes at the Golden Gate
California State Coastal Conservancy
- Lead state funding agency for three trails that cross the Golden Gate Bridge – the California Coastal Trail, San Francisco Bay Trail and Bay Area Ridge Trail
- Outdoor exhibits at the Bridge visitor plaza focused on bridge movement, cable suspension and related science, technology, engineering and mathematics
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and National Park Service
- Major improvements to the visitor experience at the Golden Gate Bridge, including a new Bridge Pavilion, guided tours, enhanced visitor services, improved trails and new overlooks.
San Francisco Bay Trail Project
- Support for completion of a Bay Trail segment adjacent to the Golden Gate Bridge and promotion of trail connections to the Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge Celebrates Its 75th Anniversary in 2012
Officials from the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, in partnership with the National Park Service and the Presidio Trust, today announced details for The Golden Gate Festival, the official public celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge. The multi-faceted two-day event will be held over Memorial Day weekend, May 26-27, 2012 and span the San Francisco waterfront from Fort Point (below the Golden Gate Bridge) to Pier 39.
Under the theme “Bridging Us All,” The Golden Gate Festival is the center point of the Bridge’s year-long 75th anniversary program. Harkening back to the spirit of the Golden Gate Fiesta when the Bridge opened on May 27, 1937, highlights of the 2012 celebration include an historic watercraft parade, multiple music and dance stages, art installations, history and educational presentations, display of cars from 1937 to the present, and Bridge-related activities on Crissy Field and the Marina Green. These activities will be complemented by Bridge-themed events and performances at waterfront venues including Fort Mason Center, Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Pier 39, among others. On Sunday evening, May 27th at approximately 9:30 pm, the weekend celebration will conclude with a spectacular 75th anniversary fireworks display and grand finale.
“The Golden Gate Bridge stands today as a testament of innovation and imagination, a bridge built by the people during the Great Depression,” said Janet Reilly, president of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District Board of Directors. “In honor of its 75th anniversary, we are reaching out to the people of the Bay Area and beyond to join us in a community-based celebration along the San Francisco waterfront. The Bridge is not the stage this time; rather, the community will come together to celebrate this engineering wonder together in a festival atmosphere.”
The year-long Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary is supported by several corporate partners, including lead underwriters Wells Fargo, a diversified, community-based financial services company founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco; Genentech, the Bay Area-based founder of the biotechnology industry; and Hewlett-Packard (HP), the world’s largest information technology company. Supporting corporate partners include Kaiser Permanente and Odwalla, with additional support provided by Hanson Bridgett LLP, and Levi Strauss & Co.
In addition to The Golden Gate Festival, the year-long 75th anniversary features:
- 75 Tributes to the Bridge, a series of public programs being presented throughout the year by Bay Area museums, cultural centers, universities, arts organizations, children’s groups, and others.
- Construction of a new 3,500-square-foot Bridge Pavilion to serve as a welcome and interpretive center and to provide a museum store featuring a wide range of commemorative and interpretive Bridge merchandise;
- Renovation of the historic Round House into a program staging and visitor education center;
- Upgrades to the Bridge Café, including a new menu with locally sourced and sustainable items;
- A “green screen” photo area where visitors can picture themselves in dramatic and publically inaccessible Bridge locations, such as the top of the tower;
- New personally guided Bridge tours, including the first-ever night tours, utilizing the latest in audio technology; and
- Enhancements to the Bridge Plaza and the adjacent national parklands, trails and overlooks within Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA).
For additional information about the Golden Gate Bridge 75th anniversary and downloadable images of original Bridge construction and current day operations, please visit the PRESS ROOM at www.goldengatebridge75.org.