Sung by Tony Bennett, Tony Bennett
Words by Douglass Cross and Music by George Cory
The loveliness of Paris seems somehow sadly gay
The glory that was Rome is of another day
I've been terribly alone and forgotten in Manhattan
I'm going home to my city by the Bay
I left my heart in San Francisco
High on a hill, it calls to me
To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars
The morning fog may chill the air, I don't care
My love waits there in San Francisco
Above the blue and windy sea
When I come home to you, San Francisco
Your golden sun will shine for me
In June, my daughters and I hope to
spend four or five days in San Francisco. We plan on meeting a couple
from England on holiday in California. Andy Cook is a heart transplant recipient. He received his new heart Fall 1998. As you may know, two of my daughters, Shivan (11) and Lindsea (9), also had heart transplants (2001 and 2003) and are doing well.
Andy’s fiancée, Lynn, will join him on the trip. We plan on walking across the Golden Gate Bridge together, touring Alcatraz Island & Prison, eat some seafood at Fisherman’s Wharf , and see the Conservatory of Flowers at Golden Gate Park
IÂ’ve never met Andy, but we correspond regularly. HeÂ’s a landscaper at Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
I already feel like Andy is like a
family friend. Those in the transplant community are like a big
extended family, as theyÂ’ve gone through the fire, faced death head-on,
and passed through to the other side to cherish life.
IÂ’ve always wanted to walk across the
Golden Gate Bridge even since I was a teenager and I was in awe of the
suspension bridge as Dad drove across it. I saw pedestrians and thought
how fun it would be to leisurely stroll across the bridge and look at
the San Francisco Bay below. Now my dream will finally come true.
To prepare for the walk, I designed a
lesson plan for my girls. I thought IÂ’d share the links with all of
you, as the information is so interesting.
GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
A few interesting facts from the Public Broadcasting Service, Inc:
Ocean tides flow through the Golden
Gate four times a day -- twice coming in and twice going out. The
quantity of salt water in motion between high and low tides averages
390 billion gallons.
Worker Albert "Frenchy" Gales was atop the unfinished south tower at the time of a June 1935 earthquake.
The two main cables of the bridge weigh 11,000 tons apiece, and each main cable contains 25,572 separate wires.
The amount of concrete used on the bridge would be sufficient to build two 10-foot-wide sidewalks from Chicago to Omaha.
See images of the Golden Gate Bridge.
See the multimedia images of the bridge.
See this image of the more than 300,000 people who walked across the Golden Gate Bridge on its 50th anniversary in 1987
Historic photos of the bridge.
Current bridge photos.
Gallery of on-site construction photos (slideshow)
Virtual Bridge Walk
Bridge facts-- Before the Bridge, During Construction, After Construction
Other facts
Panoramas of views from the Golden Gate Bridge. Open-up in large format
Live views of San Francisco sites
Webcam view of GG Bridge
View of Golden Gate Bridge from Alcatraz prison
This is what it will look like when we start the walk.
CLICK ON THE LINK TO DISCOVER THE ANSWERS:
1. Why the name "Golden Gate"?
2. How long did it take to build the bridge?
3. When did the Golden Gate Bridge open?
4. How many people worked on the Bridge during its construction?
5. How many workers died during construction and what were their names?
6. What would it cost to build the Golden Gate Bridge today?
7. Facts--
Suspension bridge: Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
Main span length: 4,200 feet
Year opened: 1937
8. Is the Golden Gate Bridge painted from end-to-end each year? (share more than just “no.” Write the next sentence, too.
9. How many ironworkers and painters maintain the bridge?
10. How many rivets are in each tower of the Golden Gate Bridge?
11. How many vehicles have crossed the Golden Gate Bridge?
12. List 5 of the movies: What movies include the Golden Gate Bridge?
13. Has the Golden Gate Bridge ever been closed? Just list the three dates.
14. When are pedestrians allowed on the bridge when weÂ’ll be there in June? List the times--
15. How many people have committed suicide from the bridge?
Read this poem about the bridgeÂ’s completion:
The Mighty Task is Done by Joseph P. Strauss, Chief Engineer
Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District
Finally, see this absolutely beautiful photo of the Golden Gate Bridge
