Turns out, there's an elevator
October 28, 2013 7:42 AM Subscribe
Is that dude wearing slip-on shoes?!
posted by echo target at 7:47 AM on October 28, 2013 [9 favorites]
posted by echo target at 7:47 AM on October 28, 2013 [9 favorites]
The elevator is a thing: http://www.shelterpub.com/_lloyd/bridge_top.html
posted by LarryC at 7:53 AM on October 28, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by LarryC at 7:53 AM on October 28, 2013 [2 favorites]
I'm not sure how it is that merely looking at some pictures makes my palms sweat and produces an unpleasant tickle in my nether regions.
I would walk through fire for someone I love, but if their problem is more than, say, 20 feet off the ground, they're screwed.
posted by Mooski at 7:59 AM on October 28, 2013 [8 favorites]
I would walk through fire for someone I love, but if their problem is more than, say, 20 feet off the ground, they're screwed.
posted by Mooski at 7:59 AM on October 28, 2013 [8 favorites]
These are beautiful! But now I have vertigo.
posted by Kitteh at 8:00 AM on October 28, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Kitteh at 8:00 AM on October 28, 2013 [3 favorites]
Top of the Transamerica Pyramid is cool, too.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:04 AM on October 28, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 8:04 AM on October 28, 2013 [3 favorites]
You know what's interesting about that? The Transamerica Pyramid doesn't have nearly the effect that the other pictures have (except for the fourth picture, where there's a clear view all the way down) - there's something about seeing a screen or enclosure that makes the height a lot less unnerving for me.
posted by Mooski at 8:10 AM on October 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Mooski at 8:10 AM on October 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
Doesn't bother me at all, it makes me want to be up there.
I was a notorious climber from nearly as soon as I started walking. It's something I miss a lot now that I'm disabled. Not that I was a rock climber — I'm just a tad too old so it wasn't really anything I'd heard of when I was at the prime age. But as a teen and young adult, I climbed a lot of structures. These photos inspire a bit of yearning in me.
And what great photos! The paint is such an intense orange.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 8:10 AM on October 28, 2013
I was a notorious climber from nearly as soon as I started walking. It's something I miss a lot now that I'm disabled. Not that I was a rock climber — I'm just a tad too old so it wasn't really anything I'd heard of when I was at the prime age. But as a teen and young adult, I climbed a lot of structures. These photos inspire a bit of yearning in me.
And what great photos! The paint is such an intense orange.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 8:10 AM on October 28, 2013
My anxiety level just shot up looking at those pictures. Nope. Nope nope nope nope nope.
posted by royalsong at 8:22 AM on October 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by royalsong at 8:22 AM on October 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
Oh, hell no.
On the other hand, from the safety of my office? Beautiful.
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:31 AM on October 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
On the other hand, from the safety of my office? Beautiful.
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:31 AM on October 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
The Golden Gate bridge is certainly impressive, but the Viaduct de Millau dwarfs it in every aspect.
posted by three blind mice at 8:35 AM on October 28, 2013
posted by three blind mice at 8:35 AM on October 28, 2013
I think those photos were taken by, Andy Freeberg. I was living in Marin for a brief period and he described the bridge photos and taking an elevator to the top. He was scared shitless, but had a tether on for what that is worth when you are dangling.
Here is a link to one of his photos.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:41 AM on October 28, 2013
Here is a link to one of his photos.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:41 AM on October 28, 2013
Half way down this page on the left is a video Freeberg made about his photos and the bridge at 75. Interesting.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:44 AM on October 28, 2013
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:44 AM on October 28, 2013
On the list of jobs I would never, ever, ever want to do, Golden Gate Bridge Painter is pretty damn close to the top. I get the heebie-jeebies just looking at the picture.
posted by COD at 8:48 AM on October 28, 2013
posted by COD at 8:48 AM on October 28, 2013
Yup, that's a nice bridge is what it is. I spent a moment being disappointed that I didn't see either of the bridge peregrines perching on the North Tower.
posted by rtha at 8:54 AM on October 28, 2013
posted by rtha at 8:54 AM on October 28, 2013
Yikes!
posted by marxchivist at 8:55 AM on October 28, 2013
posted by marxchivist at 8:55 AM on October 28, 2013
That's interesting, Ivan. I did a lot of rock climbing when I was at CU Boulder, often with hundreds of feet of exposure, and had some very harrowing experiences (such as rappelling down the back of the Third Flatiron with no equipment and being blown around a corner for 15 minutes by a sudden wind and rainstorm to a position where the landing was 75 feet beyond the end of my rope; when the wind subsided and I could start going down again, my left hand refused to unclamp for a full minute) and these photos gave me such severe vertigo (and fear) that I didn't finish the gallery.
Funny how things change; nowadays I'd probably have to negotiate the approach hikes to some of my former climbs on my hands and knees.
posted by jamjam at 9:03 AM on October 28, 2013 [3 favorites]
Funny how things change; nowadays I'd probably have to negotiate the approach hikes to some of my former climbs on my hands and knees.
posted by jamjam at 9:03 AM on October 28, 2013 [3 favorites]
These are beautiful! But now I have vertigo.
That would be appropriate for San Francisco.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 9:24 AM on October 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
That would be appropriate for San Francisco.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 9:24 AM on October 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
A friend of mine used to climb bridges for fun. We climbed the west tower of the bay bridge at night one time to watch a lunar eclipse. It took hours to climb and we did not have access to keys, so we did the whole climb on outside ladders.
Some other people climbed up while we were going down (we never even saw them) and base jumped. We freaked each other out when we met rather dramatically on the wharf at the base (black parachute coming out of night sky). They thought we were there to bust them.
posted by boilermonster at 9:29 AM on October 28, 2013 [2 favorites]
Some other people climbed up while we were going down (we never even saw them) and base jumped. We freaked each other out when we met rather dramatically on the wharf at the base (black parachute coming out of night sky). They thought we were there to bust them.
posted by boilermonster at 9:29 AM on October 28, 2013 [2 favorites]
"Funny how things change; nowadays I'd probably have to negotiate the approach hikes to some of my former climbs on my hands and knees."
I noticed by my early thirties that ledges gave me twinges of vertigo where, before, when I was younger, I never experienced vertigo at all.
No doubt that the photos inspiring in me a yearning to climb has a great deal to do with the fact that I cannot.
I generally don't think about, dwell upon, or otherwise feel much self-pity or resentment at the very, very narrowed physical territory I live within as a result of my disability; but, nevertheless, I'm sure that subconsciously it bothers me quite a bit and I truly did love to climb — I wasn't every very athletic, but I was very nimble and have great balance — and so I think I'm especially vulnerable to imagery that evokes my memory of the joy of the freedom and physical pleasure of climbing. Even though, like you, as I've aged I think I've become less immune to vertigo.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 9:33 AM on October 28, 2013
I noticed by my early thirties that ledges gave me twinges of vertigo where, before, when I was younger, I never experienced vertigo at all.
No doubt that the photos inspiring in me a yearning to climb has a great deal to do with the fact that I cannot.
I generally don't think about, dwell upon, or otherwise feel much self-pity or resentment at the very, very narrowed physical territory I live within as a result of my disability; but, nevertheless, I'm sure that subconsciously it bothers me quite a bit and I truly did love to climb — I wasn't every very athletic, but I was very nimble and have great balance — and so I think I'm especially vulnerable to imagery that evokes my memory of the joy of the freedom and physical pleasure of climbing. Even though, like you, as I've aged I think I've become less immune to vertigo.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 9:33 AM on October 28, 2013
Oh, also — and I'm curious if other people are like this — but I just some deep nonrational fascination with heights and altitude. Probably has to do with my love of the mountains established when I was a very young child.
But it's really weirdly emotional and nonrational — I'll intentionally read about towns and cities that are at very high altitude, such as some in South America, and I just immediately respond with some weird desire to live there. Even when they'd clearly be awful places to live. Something in me just says "higher is better". I absolutely love to fly, despite the discomfort, and I'm almost always glued to the window, watching the terrain.
I've been watching a lot of the GoPro vides since I got one last month. Some of the ones in the air are my favorites, like this one of Jeb Corliss. Or this skiing cliff-jump.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 9:50 AM on October 28, 2013
But it's really weirdly emotional and nonrational — I'll intentionally read about towns and cities that are at very high altitude, such as some in South America, and I just immediately respond with some weird desire to live there. Even when they'd clearly be awful places to live. Something in me just says "higher is better". I absolutely love to fly, despite the discomfort, and I'm almost always glued to the window, watching the terrain.
I've been watching a lot of the GoPro vides since I got one last month. Some of the ones in the air are my favorites, like this one of Jeb Corliss. Or this skiing cliff-jump.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 9:50 AM on October 28, 2013
Reminds me of these amazing photos by a crane operator working on Chicago's Trump Tower. Via SkyscraperPage Forum.
posted by Sock Ray Blue at 11:17 AM on October 28, 2013
posted by Sock Ray Blue at 11:17 AM on October 28, 2013
Only tangentially related, but I love this: there is a dentist's office at the very top of the Chrysler Building.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:28 AM on October 28, 2013
posted by Chrysostom at 11:28 AM on October 28, 2013
Reminds me of these amazing photos by a crane operator working on Chicago's Trump Tower.
Reminds me of this amazing photo (NSFW-ish) from atop the 1 World Trade Center antenna.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 11:38 AM on October 28, 2013
Reminds me of this amazing photo (NSFW-ish) from atop the 1 World Trade Center antenna.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 11:38 AM on October 28, 2013
"Reminds me of these amazing photos by a crane operator working on Chicago's Trump Tower."
I'd really love to see a photo of Donald Trump being thrown off the top of a Trump Tower. You know, a photo of the civic event, with maybe a congressional delegation and a live performance by Lady Gaga. I'm not picky about which tower, pick one, I'm pretty much okay with any of them, as long as it's an actually completed building. Aesthetically, I'd prefer Chicago.
Wow, would that be great. It lifts my heart just imagining it.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 12:47 PM on October 28, 2013
I'd really love to see a photo of Donald Trump being thrown off the top of a Trump Tower. You know, a photo of the civic event, with maybe a congressional delegation and a live performance by Lady Gaga. I'm not picky about which tower, pick one, I'm pretty much okay with any of them, as long as it's an actually completed building. Aesthetically, I'd prefer Chicago.
Wow, would that be great. It lifts my heart just imagining it.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 12:47 PM on October 28, 2013
I'm not sure what people are freaking out about. It's not like it's a series of pictures where the roadway is rapidly approaching...
posted by happyroach at 4:07 PM on October 28, 2013
posted by happyroach at 4:07 PM on October 28, 2013
Consider my scrotum fully retracted.
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:22 PM on October 28, 2013
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:22 PM on October 28, 2013
One of my friend's husband climbs tall things for a living, and he proposed to her on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. Nice home field advantage, I thought.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:09 PM on October 28, 2013
posted by kirkaracha at 10:09 PM on October 28, 2013
A friend who works on the bridge recently sent me a picture of him and another ironworker posing all nonchalant near the top. They're wearing gloves and helmets but only one is visibly tied off. Behind them is a layer of clouds and, way below that, the bay.
It must be glamorous and it's probably safe but I want my ironworker friend to have more choices of bridge work than this and the Bay Bridge.
posted by goofyfoot at 2:47 AM on October 30, 2013
It must be glamorous and it's probably safe but I want my ironworker friend to have more choices of bridge work than this and the Bay Bridge.
posted by goofyfoot at 2:47 AM on October 30, 2013
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posted by invitapriore at 7:45 AM on October 28, 2013