spanning the world: beautiful bridges

January 20, 2008 9:55 AM

18 stunning bridges from around the world. (via Mira y Calla)

Two other "best of" nominations: the world's most breathtaking bridges and best bridges of the new millennium.

posted by madamjujujive (95 comments total)

...my fave is the Confederation Bridge, where was it in the lists?


posted by weezy at 10:00 AM on January 20, 2008

The water bridge is escheresque.
posted by langedon at 10:04 AM on January 20, 2008 [1 favorite]

They should have included this one. It may not boast the impressive stats the others have, but there is something to it, I think.
posted by Tullius at 10:04 AM on January 20, 2008 [1 favorite]

I've only been on one of those- The Ponte Vecchio.
posted by Jay Reimenschneider at 10:06 AM on January 20, 2008

Some nice stuff there; thanks for the post! I must, however, protest against their title of "18 stunning bridges from around the world," which implies actual bridges; three of them don't exist yet, and one of them strikes me as a pretty unlikely possibility:

The proposed Bering Straits bridge will hopefully act as a transcontinental link by land, connecting Asia, Africa and Europe with North and South America. Possible locations for the bridge have been suggested, with Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka, and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska looking the most likely sources. Some suggestions have called for a series of three bridges spanning over 50 miles in total, although the tough Arctic conditions which make the area so notorious will almost definitely hinder construction and maintenance.

posted by languagehat at 10:08 AM on January 20, 2008 [2 favorites]

I knew people who jumped off two of 'em.
Sigh. That's so depressing.
posted by miss lynnster at 10:10 AM on January 20, 2008

I propose removing the proposed bridges and replacing them with actual bridges like the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel in my home state of Maryland :)
posted by empath at 10:12 AM on January 20, 2008 [1 favorite]

15 stunning bridges from around the world, plus three that haven't been built yet...

Tower bridge is a lovely old place. I don't know if you still can, but when I was a kid you could walk across the top links. For a young kid it was the closest to flying I thought I'd ever get.

Milau gets my heart pumping every time I see pictures of it. Every year I make plans to go down there, but I keep failing.

Gateshead is only three hours from here but guess what? Yeah, I haven't mamanged to make it up there yet either... The picture doesn't do it justice, but this is what it looks like when it's been opened for boats to pass by.
posted by twine42 at 10:13 AM on January 20, 2008

That Mira y Calla blog is really interesting, though I don't speak Spanish. I thought the bridges were boring, but it was worth the FPP to discover that blog.
posted by desjardins at 10:14 AM on January 20, 2008

It's not as impressive visually, but for pure fun, the Galata Bridge in Istanbul is pretty hard to beat -- bridge, fishing pier, restaurant arcade, wharf, promenade, all wrapped up into one.

I also think they could have included some wooden train trestles, like this one close to home.

My favorite bridge is the abandoned Alexandra suspension bridge across the Fraser River Canyon. It lurks low, out of sight of the main road, and you can walk across its gridded deck and see the canyon whirlpools through your feet. In the late summer the Nl'akapamux people set their fishing nets from it and catch the migrating sockeye. Both sides of the on-ramps are littered with stone tools -- they've been doing that for 9,000 years and will probably (hopefully) keep doing that long after the old (and the new) bridge are gone.
posted by Rumple at 10:19 AM on January 20, 2008 [4 favorites]

Seen two of them (HK and Istanbul) and been on one (HK).

Which is curious in a sense, I suppose; traditionally, have never been on (or to) any of the locations mentioned in "best of"lists such as this. :-(
posted by the cydonian at 10:26 AM on January 20, 2008

Dammit. Only been on five of them...

I don't know if you still can, but when I was a kid you could walk across the top links.

Yes, you still can. It's part of the tour.

Despite the fact that it is in france, I do want to see that Tarn Valley one. Impressive.
posted by Brockles at 10:28 AM on January 20, 2008

Oh God miss lynnster, that's awful! Interesting how bridges are places of suicide, perhaps they feel like places of contemplation with all that space around? The survival stories are compelling but not painless. I guess the water looks like a better place to land that the ground? And some people still survive mind boggling great falls, a recent one across town: After a Window Washer’s 47-Floor Plunge, the Big Question Is: How Did He Survive? Fortunately, he was minutes, 2 blocks, away from what is probably the best hospital in NYC, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and he's been recovering well.

Heh, madamjujujive, we like some of the same things. :)
posted by nickyskye at 10:29 AM on January 20, 2008

There is also the Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls, which has a spectacular view.
posted by empath at 10:32 AM on January 20, 2008

I agree that counting 3 yet-to-be built bridges is cheating, although I liked learning about them. And while they may not be "spectacular", I would put Kapellbrücke in Lucerne and the Charles Bridge on a list of cool or charming bridges, love those old world structures.

The other lists have some entries that aren't on the first list. One is the Sundial Bridge, which I would like to see. And I am loving some of the bridges y'all are nominating and linking, thanks. Nickysky, how did I miss that post? That's great, thanks.

Glad you like Mira y Calla, desjardins, it's one of my favorite blogs.
posted by madamjujujive at 10:34 AM on January 20, 2008

I cycle over Tower Bridge every day - I work right next to it. What I don't understand about Tower Bridge is, what's the whole point of it being a drawbridge? It just means that a tall ship can get another 1500 or so metres upstream until it's stopped by London Bridge. It seems like a lot of cost and bother just for that.
posted by Flashman at 10:37 AM on January 20, 2008

Have to agree with languagehat. As cool as the proposal might be, I just can't see how the benefits will outweigh the numerous obstacles in the Bering Straight bridge. The extreme temperatures, very tumultuous water, miles of roadway that would need to exist to even get to the bridge, the fact that it will most likely have to be closed during certain times of the year etc. can't make any potential investors feel secure about it.

Bridges are cool. The utilitarian aspects are fascinating, no doubt, but like buildings you just know a good percentage of them are built because of bridge envy.
posted by purephase at 10:38 AM on January 20, 2008

what about the Alfred Driscoll Bridge on the Garden State Parkway - now that is a cool bridge
posted by Flood at 10:43 AM on January 20, 2008 [1 favorite]

As someone who frequently has his best dreams when they involve bridges, I'd like to thank you for the stunning new material for my subconscious to work with.
posted by Skygazer at 10:47 AM on January 20, 2008

Delightful collection. If the the point is distinctiveness, I'd say the Brooklyn Bridge should be there, as the first and last of its kind (stone suspension bridge). And I highly recommend David McCullough's The Great Bridge to bridge fanatics.
posted by QuietDesperation at 10:51 AM on January 20, 2008

A rail bridge across Bering Strait, connecting, say, Chicago to Beijing and Moscow, would be useful for freight. Almost no-one would drive that route, except for fun - and fun doesn't get bridges built, normally. I agree the cost/benefit ratio is out of whack, even with substantial rail traffic considering that long-distance shipping is not prohibitive. A Beringian tunnel probably would be lower maintenance anyway, and the water is only about 30 metres deep iirc.

I can't find a picture of it, but in NW British Columbia in the 1970s they built a railway deep into the Spatsizi Wilderness presumptively to access the Klappan coal fields, but really, to encourage general development. They built about 100km of rail grade, and a beautiful bridge across the Klappan River, but they never laid any track and abandoned the project. So, the grade and the bridge are still there -- I've walked across them -- in the middle of the most remote wilderness. It seems that it is popular for mountain bikers, if by popular, we mean the few who find themselves that far off the beaten track.
posted by Rumple at 10:51 AM on January 20, 2008

Can anyone tell which bridge is the bottom one in the header for the article: this one?

It's not one of the suspension bridges, but I can't tell at all which one it could be, or even if it's listed.
posted by cotterpin at 10:57 AM on January 20, 2008

Article and pictures of the ongoing construction of the new Oakland-Bay Bridge.
posted by fandango_matt at 11:01 AM on January 20, 2008

I think they forgot the 35W bridge from this list-
posted by localhuman at 11:01 AM on January 20, 2008

Pretty sure it's the Oresund, cotterpin.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 11:06 AM on January 20, 2008

never mind the bering strait, when the icecap goes bye-bye we'll be able to build a causeway right over the north pole.
posted by bruce at 11:11 AM on January 20, 2008

cotterpin, first thought it was this long one, Confederation Bridge or Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. But it's none of those. I think it's a box girder bridge and the answer may lie somewhere in this list of bridges.

It looks a lot like the Oresund Bridge in Denmark, but the base concrete supports seem to have a slightly different pattern. It certainly looks close enough though. Good find weapons-grade pandemonium.
posted by nickyskye at 11:29 AM on January 20, 2008

I would add the Chesapeake Bay bridge tunnel too!
posted by francesca too at 11:30 AM on January 20, 2008

Bruce, thats a great idea. Lets build a series of bridges right over the north pole and when the ice comes back, they can move along with the ice
posted by subaruwrx at 11:34 AM on January 20, 2008

Here's a larger version of the pic from the collage. From this thread.

Looks to be the Great Belt Fixed Link. Also Danish, but not Oresund. This one connects Fyn and Sjæland.
posted by CKmtl at 11:53 AM on January 20, 2008

This list is useless without pictures of Isfahan</a, Iran.
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:07 PM on January 20, 2008 [1 favorite]

(d'oh!)
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:11 PM on January 20, 2008

The frozen lakes bearing semi-trailers along Canada's Ice Roads are spectacular bridges in their own way.
posted by Rumple at 12:16 PM on January 20, 2008 [2 favorites]

It's amazing how much I love bridges.
posted by grouse at 12:18 PM on January 20, 2008

Sydney's Anzac Bridge isn't too shabby.

(the scene in the photo at the bottom is part of my regular weekend morning bike ride, just so's you know)
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:20 PM on January 20, 2008

When things go wrong on the ice bridges....
posted by Rumple at 12:47 PM on January 20, 2008

The story of Galloping Gertie has always fascinated me. Whee!

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I like bridges. Neat post!
posted by chihiro at 12:48 PM on January 20, 2008

Sorry, empath, but the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel is entirely in Virginia. It rocks, though; I'm looking at it as I type this.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 12:54 PM on January 20, 2008

madamjujujive, I've just spent the last hour poring over that amazing blog of your via link, Mira y Calla.
posted by nickyskye at 1:11 PM on January 20, 2008

Yeah, me too, mjjj. Thanks.
nickyskye, compare the Oresund bridge supports here. The top is different in this shot because it's under construction.
Rumple: here's some ice road trivia for you.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 1:28 PM on January 20, 2008

I love that islands are being connected to the mainland for the first time, it's such a physical statement of prosperity. Anyone see that they might be linking Africa and Europe some time soon?
posted by greytape at 1:31 PM on January 20, 2008

never mind the bering strait, when the icecap goes bye-bye we'll be able to build a causeway right over the north pole.

Somewhere within the beltway and without warning, Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) suddenly has an erection.
posted by hal9k at 1:35 PM on January 20, 2008

weapons-grade pandemonium: The top is different in this shot because it's under construction.

It's not Oresund. It's the Great Belt bridge.

Oresund has straight towers. The Great Belt bridge's towers have two cross pieces, making it into an A-ish shape.

The russian guy who runs that DenmarkFacts site has his bridges mixed up.
posted by CKmtl at 1:36 PM on January 20, 2008

The article claims the Golden Gate bridge is the most famous bridge in the world. I'd probably say the Sudney Harbour Bridge is more famous, but I guess your view is relative depending where in the world you sit when you type your article.

Still, some of these bridges are impressive stuff. Thanks for the post madamjujujive!
posted by Effigy2000 at 1:44 PM on January 20, 2008

Noted, thanks, CKmtl.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 1:46 PM on January 20, 2008

Effigy2000: "The article claims the Golden Gate bridge is the most famous bridge in the world. I'd probably say the Sydney Harbor Bridge is more famous, but I guess your view is relative depending where in the world you sit when you type your article."

I would think that the Brooklyn Bridge was the most famous but then I'm from the east coast of the US. How you can quantify "famous", I'm not sure.
posted by octothorpe at 2:10 PM on January 20, 2008

Speaking of the Tsing Ma Bridge, at one time the Hong Kong police wanted to deface the structure by stringing razor wire along the edges to "prevent suicides".

It never happened (thank goodness; think how ugly that would be), but at the time I pointed out that anyone determined to die would simply bring wire cutters.

Tsing Ma is cool to drive across, but during typhoons things get a little dicey and sometimes the bridge is shut down for a few hours until wind speeds drop.
posted by bwg at 2:14 PM on January 20, 2008

How you can quantify "famous", I'm not sure.

I can think of a few ways, none of which were probably done by the author of the article.
posted by grouse at 2:19 PM on January 20, 2008

Garfunkel and Simon
posted by Rumple at 2:22 PM on January 20, 2008

I would think that the Brooklyn Bridge was the most famous but then I'm from the east coast of the US. How you can quantify "famous", I'm not sure.

The same way you quantify anything:

Results 1 - 10 of about 3,510,000 for "golden gate bridge"

Results 1 - 10 of about 2,040,000 for "brooklyn bridge"

Results 1 - 10 of about 943,000 for "harbour bridge"

(but then you have to add all the results from people who can't spell):

Results 1 - 10 of about 135,000 for "harbor bridge"
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:22 PM on January 20, 2008

As the official judger of "fame" here is my opinion.

I think the Golden Gate bridge is the most famous. Even as an Australian, I think it probably pops into my mind more quickly than the Sydney Harbour Bridge in association with the word "bridge". I believe I have seem more photographs and paintings of the Golden Gate Bridge hanging in doctors' surgery waiting rooms than the Sydney Harbor bridge, and what metric could be better than that? Maybe it's just that wonderful red colour. Of course, I do try to block the very existence of Sydney from my mind most of the time.

When I think of "bridge" and "England", then the Tower Bridge is the first image I get.

I can't, off the top of my head, picture what the Brooklyn Bridge even looks like.
posted by Jimbob at 2:52 PM on January 20, 2008

Did y'all know that the (New) London Bridge is actually in Arizona now?
posted by carsonb at 4:01 PM on January 20, 2008

No idea what the Brooklyn Bridge looks like here, either. On the other hand, both Jack Kerouac & Hart Crane have written poems about it, which must be worth something.

I'd go with Tower Bridge, Ponte Vecchio, Golden Gate, Sydney Harbour & what's that little one in Venice - the bridge of sighs?

Also, blocking out the very existence of Sydney is necessary for mental health in Darwin, cultural capital of...hell, Darwin's not even qualified to be the cultural capital of itself. That title would be shared between Dili, Yogyakarta & Arnhem Land.
posted by UbuRoivas at 4:03 PM on January 20, 2008 [1 favorite]

Did y'all know that the (New) London Bridge is actually in Arizona now?

Poor London Bridge! Who'd have thought she would fall down so very far?
posted by UbuRoivas at 4:09 PM on January 20, 2008

Tower Bridge, which crosses the Thames in London, is named for its two distinctive towers

Idiots. It's called London Bridge.
posted by cillit bang at 4:15 PM on January 20, 2008

CKmtl, Nice one! It's the Great Belt Bridge, a cable stayed bridge, same principle as the incredible Millau Viaduct, just different version of the concept. Ooh, Sundays are so good for learning odd things about bridges.
posted by nickyskye at 4:19 PM on January 20, 2008

I've been across the Keddie Wye.
posted by ryanrs at 4:24 PM on January 20, 2008

I drive across the longest bridge in the world to get to work.
posted by localroger at 4:27 PM on January 20, 2008

nickyskye:

I'm not an engineer or bridge-nerd, but I think it's a suspension bridge and Oresund is the cable-stayed one...
posted by CKmtl at 4:30 PM on January 20, 2008

Idiots. It's called London Bridge.

Idiot. No it's not.
posted by UbuRoivas at 4:50 PM on January 20, 2008

I'm pretty sure that was a joke, UbuRoivas.
posted by grouse at 5:01 PM on January 20, 2008

CKmtl, Now I'm certain that image is the Great Belt Bridge (called Storebæltsbroen in Denmark), the photograph must have been taken as seen from Sjælland. Even found webcams of Danish bridges. And you're absolutely right, it's a suspension bridge. The information I got about it being cable stayed is from TrekEarth, where it says Theme(s): Cable Stayed Bridges and their page titled Cable Stayed Bridges.

Thanks for correcting that information.
posted by nickyskye at 5:09 PM on January 20, 2008

I'm pretty sure that was a joke, UbuRoivas.

Just when I thought all British humour was either Pythonesque or seaside postcard double-entendres.
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:21 PM on January 20, 2008

I have a weakness for the Ponte sul Brenta in Bassano del Grappa -- it's a pretty good replica of Palladio's own project, dating back to the mid sixteenth century; destroyed quite a few times over the centuries, both by natural events and by war, it's been rebuilt many times (the most recent, obviously, after WWII) on Palladio's blueprint.

it's very elegant and it also blends in very well with its surroundings. all due respect to Calatrava, you just don't fuck with Palladio.
posted by matteo at 5:25 PM on January 20, 2008

Ponte sul Brenta
posted by matteo at 5:26 PM on January 20, 2008 [1 favorite]

This article makes me want to play Bridge Construction Set again...
posted by hjo3 at 5:51 PM on January 20, 2008

Beautiful surroundings, too, matteo. I'm quite jealous of anybody lucky enough to live there.
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:54 PM on January 20, 2008 [1 favorite]

Why are all the distances given in imperial units and weights in the metric tonne?

It had me very confused.
posted by mattoxic at 6:31 PM on January 20, 2008

meh - six of one, half a dozen of the other.
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:19 PM on January 20, 2008

All the additional links in this thread are so cool, although I am still thinking about poor miss lynnster and her negative association with a few of these beauties - that's sad.

So many lovely bridges, but, ah, matteo, your selection wins, hands down. I am going to sell all my things and move to that town next month - it looks like paradise.

I forgot about one bridge surprise I had When I was driving from Camden to Bar Harbor Maine this past summer, a route I hadn't taken in years. I was astounded to find the new Penobscot Narrows Bridge - it was quite a beauty and quite a surprise - here is the Waldo Hancock Bridge it replaced. It's one of only 3 observatory bridges in the world. I prefer viewing bridges from afar, I am a bit uneasy about driving over them, and this one was both cool and horrifying to me - single lanes divided by the cables, which loom and create almost an optical illusion of spinning, really lovely and unsettling to me both at the same time. I've driven over a lot of bridges in my day, but this one was indeed an experience.

I'll have to send out the bat signal for lelilo, I bet he has driven over it.
posted by madamjujujive at 7:32 PM on January 20, 2008

Thanks for this post!
I flew over Oresund bridge last week and laughed my ass off at those whacky Danes for building a huge bridge that just ends on a tiny, useless strip of land, when it could have led to the much bigger island right next to it. They had obviously missed their goal by a few hundred meters.
And man do i feel stupid now for not having seen the tunnel. I am glad i forgot to laugh at my friends over there and ask them about it.
posted by morizky at 7:39 PM on January 20, 2008

One especially for nickyskye: U Bein's Bridge, a 1.2km long teak footbridge in Amarapura, Myanmar - just outside of Mandalay.

Watch out for the Buddhist nuns in their characteristic pink cloaks.
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:51 PM on January 20, 2008 [1 favorite]

oh, that was mjjj, not nickyskye.
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:53 PM on January 20, 2008

Oh that is just lovely, UbuRoivas, I love it! But I don't think I'd be wanting to walk over it - no railings, slats between the boards, and it looks pretty high. I'd probably make it over, but I'd need to be sedated afterwards.
posted by madamjujujive at 9:28 PM on January 20, 2008

I can't, off the top of my head, picture what the Brooklyn Bridge even looks like. OMG
posted by QuietDesperation at 10:42 PM on January 20, 2008

I've been across the world's longest suspension bridge, and busked on the ponte vecchio, but I will never forget the awe of peering through the wooden slats of the brooklyn bridge's walkway, and seeing the sun glint off the east river below

nor will I forget being five years old and one of these (80,000) people on the golden gate. yikes. never knew that suspension bridges were supposed to sway like that!

and, madamjujujive, since you bring up maine bridges, don't forget the deer isle bridge, designed by the same engineer as the infamous galloping gertie (but still standing)

thanks for the post!
posted by whahappen?! at 11:03 PM on January 20, 2008

Nthing the heaven of matteo's link. I'm a little in love with you for posting that matteo.

mjjj, Himalayan sway bridges, guaranteed to give one some vertigo and gasping.

Always liked this funky little bridge in the Himalayan foothill town of Mandi. This one in Vietnam must be trapeze artist training.

Adding to the bridges around the world theme. A beautiful and sometimes steep sided corner of the planet I know, with some cute little bridges. And what a bridge looks like when it goes down in that part of the world.

This one in Spiti, on the India-Tibetan border is called the Brooklyn Bridge in Spiti.
posted by nickyskye at 11:03 PM on January 20, 2008

I've been to Mandi! Cute little bridge...pity the town is now in the hands of dacoits, or Kashmiri separatists, or something (last I heard).

mmm...Lahaul-Spiti. Reminds me of the Leh-Manali highway. Um, probably because it passes through, or at least beside, that region.
posted by UbuRoivas at 11:22 PM on January 20, 2008

afterthought: i was thinking of chamba, not mandi. chamba's up past dalhousie; mandi - from memory - is between almora & lucknow. the photo looks a lot like chamba. are you sure about that one, nickyskye?
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:23 AM on January 21, 2008

Some beauties here, for sure. But how can no one have spoken up on behalf of the Mackinac Bridge, in Michigan, linking the lower (mitten) peninsula with the upper (UP, YooPee), eh?!

The bridge is beautiful, the setting is absolutely stunning: 5 miles of fresh water where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron join. I admit, I'm terribly biased here, having been raised in Michigan. But still, the bridge is special.
posted by Goofyy at 1:38 AM on January 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

The frozen lakes bearing semi-trailers along Canada's Ice Roads are spectacular bridges in their own way.

Yes they are and I had no idea about any of this. Thanks Rumple!

Nice post, btw. I loves me some bridges.
posted by ob at 7:28 AM on January 21, 2008

For those who can't visualize the Brooklyn Bridge - it looks like bunny ears.
posted by yarrow at 7:38 AM on January 21, 2008

oh wow UbuRoivas. Not many people I know have been to Mandi. I like Mandi, it's on the road between Chandigarh and the Kulu Valley, not a dacoity town. There's a dam there, Pandoh Dam, right here in that central box. Yup, that's Mandi bridge alright. It's an old classic British Raj type, built a 150 years ago approx. Once a year, when I was fed up taking glacial water bucket baths in the apple orchard, I'd bus it past Mandi to the beautiful Taragarh Hotel (former winter palace of the Maharaj of Kashmir) and have a 10 rupee bath (10 buckets of steaming hot water brought up from the kitchen stove). Ah, bliss.

Chamba is right in that area. Always wanted to go to Chamba, valley of milk and honey. I adore the houses in that part of the world (pity they're packed with huntsman spiders). Incredible how gravel is made by hand to build the bases for the bridges and the roads that go over the bridges (covered with prayer flags). Often it's little kids and women who do this gravel-making work.
posted by nickyskye at 8:15 AM on January 21, 2008

localroger wrote: I drive across the longest bridge in the world to get to work. [Lake Pontchartrain Causeway]

That reminds me of another interesting rail bridge I've traveled, the Lucin Cutoff, a thirty-two mile causeway across the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Constructed in 1902, the causeway originally consisted of twenty miles of fill and a twelve mile timber trestle straight across the lake. In 1955, the trestle portion was converted to fill. The filling of the trestle greatly limited water circulation in the lake, isolating the northern and southern halves. The effects of this are clearly visible in satellite photos.

The Lucin Cutoff was a great improvement over the previous steep and winding line over Promontory Summit, Utah. Built in 1869 as the final segment of the First Transcontinental Railroad, the Promontory route was eventually abandoned in 1938. In 1942 the historic line was torn up and the steel rails scavenged for the war effort.

Trestlewood is a more recent salvage operation focusing on timber from the old Lucin trestle. Their site has more information on the construction and salvage of the Lucin Trestle.

Today neither the Lucin causeway nor the Keddie Wye carry passenger traffic. But together they form Union Pacific's primary container freight route from San Francisco Bay to Salt Lake City and all points east. Unlike passenger trains, large double stacks must travel the Feather River Route through Keddie to avoid the small tunnels and snow sheds over Donner Pass. A lovely trip if you get the chance.
posted by ryanrs at 9:06 AM on January 21, 2008

ah, now i remember: passed through mandi en route from shimla to dharamsala, travelling north-westwards along that valley that runs along the base of the range where you find mcleod ganj & dharamsala - it'd be that broad, green swathe in your wikimapia link, just beneath the mountains. carry on.
posted by UbuRoivas at 10:24 AM on January 21, 2008

I grew up driving over the original of this bridge, but after the collapse, I've had a completely irrational fear of bridges. I almost hyperventilated when driving across Louisiana, and I ended up on that 25 mile long bridge. Good god. I was a trembling mess by the end of it.

For some reason, I don't get the same level of panic with old (200+) bridges. I guess I assume that if they've been there for that long, the odds are fairly low of them falling down while I'm on them. Heh.

And the town linked by Matteo? So moving there. I don't even know where there *is*, but I really want to be there.
posted by dejah420 at 5:04 PM on January 21, 2008

dejah420, well it'll be you, mjja and me all moving there. Or a vacation at least. :) Here's the place on the planet, Bassano del Grappa, northwest of Venice, in the Province of Vincenza, the foothills os the Italian Alps, on the River Brenta. It's the world's capital of where grappa is made, that potent clear aqua vitae. Basically heaven. found the best and most affordable hotels and everything.
posted by nickyskye at 5:52 PM on January 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'm coming too! grappa meetup!
posted by Rumple at 6:06 PM on January 21, 2008

Don't leave me behind!
posted by UbuRoivas at 6:36 PM on January 21, 2008

Oh YAYY, sounds like fun! It's Rumple, Ubu and let's invite matteo too. We could rent a farm, it's even more affordable. Check this out For Lease By Owner, for your holiday in the nearness of Vicenza we suggest a nice accommodation in a quiet farm house agritourism, this farm is near Bassano del Grappa.
posted by nickyskye at 6:49 PM on January 21, 2008

Oh man, wouldn't it be fabu to pull together a MeFi group to invade Italy? Like a tour group, only with people who probably won't wear socks with their sandals.
posted by dejah420 at 6:52 PM on January 21, 2008

only with people who probably won't wear socks with their sandals.

FTFY.
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:03 PM on January 21, 2008

aww, even though I've never worn socks with my sandals, and understand it can be anathema for some people, there're some lovely people who do. I may be a little in love with this guy for wearing these. I've always had a soft spot for people with a nerd fashion sense. They're often, in my experience, a lot nicer than the ones doing the Pucci Gucci thing. But if I'm going to be prejudiced, I'm not hanging out with anybody with a Louis Vuitton bag.
posted by nickyskye at 10:25 PM on January 21, 2008

wow, fun to come back and find out matteo is going to host us all on the Grappa & Paradiso meetup tour of Italy - count me in ;-) With some of my favorite people too, yay!

I am really loving this thread and all the delightful bridge links everyone is posting - big hugs and thanks to all you sharers!
posted by madamjujujive at 5:49 PM on January 22, 2008

I'll have to send out the bat signal for lelilo, I bet he has driven over it.

Wow. Good thing I'm not in charge of saving the world — it took me weeks to notice your bat signal, madam jjj. I'm hunkered down for the winter, also out of that part of the world for now but yeah, I've been over that river (new bridge and old) and through the woods dozens of times. The most interesting trip, many years back, was with an old, nutty woman who had had a dream that she was going to die on the original bridge, and absolutely refused to cross it.

She'd asked me to chauffeur her somewhere, can't remember exactly where, now, and it would have meant driving miles out of the way to get there without using the bridge. So I distracted her until it was too late and, since I had the wheel, she couldn't really do anything about it. She got completely quiet, hands on knees, staring at the floor of the car, until we were safely on the west bank of the Penobscot. Didn't die at all, even when we returned the same way... well, she's dead now, but it was chain-smoking cigarettes, not the bridge, that killed her.

The interesting thing about the new bridge to me is that the observation tower is more than twice as tall as the tallest building(s) in the whole state. Haven't been up on top there yet, since it costs actual money, but I'm sure you get a great view of the paper mill in Bucksport and the original Fort Knox.

My favorite U.S. bridge adventure (other than wandering through the natural bridges of Utah) probably was walking 20+ years ago over the beautiful Mackinac Bridge Goofyy mentioned; every Labor Day weekend they close off half of it for pedestrian use.
posted by LeLiLo at 9:25 PM on February 6, 2008 [1 favorite]