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People Who Hate The Golden Gate Bridge

Updated: Sep 20, 2022 12:00
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The Golden Gate Bridge is iconic. It’s a legend, a thing of beauty, the star of the show, a marvel, and everything in between. When I lived in Boston for a short period of time for college, I would come home from college and swoon every time I’d see that beautiful bridge from the car window. It symbolizes home for me. It’s hard to explain. Each of us locals probably feel similarly about some piece of the landscape here in The Bay.

I wondered… “Does anyone hate the Golden Gate Bridge?” 

The Golden Gate Bridge 50th Anniversary Bridge Walk in May 1987.

The Golden Gate Bridge 50th Anniversary Bridge Walk in May 1987 – photo from SFGate by Ed Perlstein/BayArea80s

Do you remember during the 50th birthday of the bridge when they shut it all down and the sheer number of people on top of the bridge flattened the thing? Or when those teens climbed to the top just before the GGB’s 80th birthday and were playing on the cables like it was no big deal?  We love our bridge for sure.

Turns out. Many people find it to be a tourist attraction worth skipping when visiting and have written some hilariously mean reviews. I find their reasoning to be pretty hilarious and worth sharing.

Reviews complaining about The Golden Gate Bride’s classic color:

I’d say a bulk of the complaints are on the color of the bridge. Just for those who aren’t sure why it’s called the Golden Gate Bridge. Well, the name is actually not from the color. Rather, the name comes from the Golden Gate Strait which is the stretch of water below the bridge that links the Pacific Ocean to the inner portion of the bay.

I’m not a fan of the color red. Also, the thing is just freakin’ huge, ya know. Just take the long way around it,” – Michael R.

“This “bridge” was neither golden nor a gate. I can understand why some people might find it useful for commuting, however it is just not for me. In the future I will choose to swim across the bay.”- Colby W.

Derek D, says, “Hated it, I mean really it’s red not golden, a total disappointment. Thinking I’m going to ask my travel agent for a partial refund. It does though, make a pretty good bridge.”

“The Meh Bridge. Not golden, no gate, short, not nearly as big as pictures make it look,” boasts the Google user Lisa Lindemann.

Wonder if Lisa actually walked across, too? Personally, I get across half of it and I’m exhausted. I suppose 1.7 miles isn’t that long but The Brooklyn Bridge is only 1.1 miles long. When built in the 30s, it was the longest suspension bridge ever built.

Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge in October 1935 – photo from Getty Images

The Golden Gate Bridge isn’t special enough for some:

Jared H. from Hawaii may not have ever seen a bridge before or more likely he was trying to be funny when he said on Yelp,

The bridge just….. sat there.  It didn’t do anything. I thought it would be more fun.  They put nets on the sides to prevent people jumping off to go for a nice cool swim.”

We all know living in The Bay Area costs a ton. We can also all agree that toll here is definitely pretty damn expensive. That being said, this review by Anoose Killmore gave me a bit of a chuckle,

Literally just a bridge that’s expensive to cross. Nothing pretty about a dirty tourist trap.”

If anything, these reviews thought me that beauty might be in the eye of the beholder… naw, they just taught me that those people are ridiculous. Most reviews are overwhelmingly positive, obviously. Our GGB’s beauty is everlasting and we will all always feel more at home when we gaze upon those golden red pillars.

 


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Katy Atchison

Katy Atchison

Katy has lived in The Bay Area since the age of 3. While other kids were attending summer camp & soccer practice, she was raised selling wares at craft shows with her working artist parents and spent vacations in a small 1920s Montana log cabin. This has all given her a unique perspective on the ever-changing texture of San Francisco and the Greater Bay Area. Currently a blend of all that is The Bay Area - she's a web designer at a tech-company, artist and DIY teacher.