World's most famous bridge?
 

What would you say is the most famous bridge in the world?

I was thinking either the Golden Gate or the Tower Bridge?

The Golden Gate hands down.

How long is a piece of string?
What about the Brooklyn or Sydney bridges? It's all subjective. Possibly it'll end up being the new French bridge.

Golden Gate, I think

Few of the 6 billion people on this planet are likely to take much interest in the bridges of the world's smaller countries.

But every Chinese learns at school about how his people built a bridge by hand when let down by the Soviet Union's dishonoured promises.

The Nanjing Bridge must be known by far more people than anything we gweilos have built.

I'd suggest that Tower Bridge probably is more famous, in so far as it is so synonymous with London, appearing on every postcard and in every film set here, rather like Routemaster buses or postboxes... I'd say that there would be a fair few people who wouldn't be able to place the Golden Gate if shown a picture out of context....

Tower Bridge in London, Rialto Bridge in Venice, and Golden Gate in San Francisco.

Living in the city by the bay and seeing how many tourists visit it, I'll agree: the Golden Gate Bridge.

As a Brit, The Golden Gate wins hands down. I think it's because of the setting.

The Bridge Over Troubled Waters?

((I))

I see two different issues here. Yes, I'd agree that the Golden Gate probably conjurs up more wonderful images to people and is more "famous" as a bridge itself. But, like Tallulah, I'd be willing to bet that if you showed pictures of the Tower Bridge and the Golden Gate to a hundred people from around the world. More would not be able to recognize the Golden Gate as being in San Francisco than those who wouldn't know Tower Bridge was in London.

The Bridge on the River Kwai.

How many tourists to London wrongly assume that the Tower Bridge is the London Bridge?

Remember when that city bought the old London Bridge -- Havasu City? And the rumored story was that they thought they were buying the Tower Bridge. I've never known if that were true or not.

For those arguing about the Golden Gate vs. the Tower bridge, I'm currently preparing for public offering a span between two boroughs of New York. I've had some financial difficulties when I turned all my Euros into dollars 4 years ago, so I'm willing to part with this bridge for 10 cents on the Euro.....

For one thing the bridge is not golden, so many tourists are disappointed to see the GG.

The bridge of your nose.

The Golden Gate is the channel leading to San Francisco Bay. It was named ~100 years before the bridge was built. If tourists are vexed by the fact that the bridge is orange, the fault lies in their ignorance, not in the paint job.

I would suggest that more people (throughout history) have sung "London Bridge is falling down..." than have even heard of the rest put together.

The way I heard the Lake Havasu City bridge purchase is that the billionaire developer Del Webb was the one who made the mistake, and none of his minions had the guts to inform him that he wasn't buying Tower Bridge.

I believe it it wasn't Dell Webb, but McCullough, (sp) as in the chain saw who brought the bridge over. I don't know whether it was a mistake or not.
What about Pont d'Avignon (if we're going to sing school yard diddys) or even pont du gard?

The Bridge of the starship Enterprise?

bump

Don't know about most famous - but when push comes to shove, Golden Gate may be beautiful but it's just a boring old suspension bridge - two a penny. Tower Bridge is sort of ugly, but unique.

Only one mention for Sydney Harbour Bridge? Almost unique; never misses an appearance in publicity for Australia, and seen whenever NYE comes around in places where the celebrations of others merit a few seconds of TV time.

"...Golden Gate may be beautiful but it's just a boring old suspension bridge..."

Obviously we have different priorities, but I can look all day and night at the very beautiful Nicole Kidman and it won't bother me even if I get bored. Now, that's what I call one beautiful Aussie, and just like the Golden Gate Bridge, doesn't need a once-a-year event like NYE to be noticed as beautiful

A vote from the Brooklyn girl for the Brooklyn Bridge - or the Verrazano Bridge.

I wonder if you would get a broader range of answers if you posted this on some of the other boards.

Ponte Vecchio in Florence was the first bridge that came to mind when I read the title.

All this post proved is that everyone has a personal opinion as to what is the 'world's famous bridge'. So quit arguing about a trivial thing on Christmas day and the days that follow.

Gee, francophile, did you get up on the wrong side of the manger this morning? No one is arguing here. What's your problem?

You are.

The story about Robert McCullough buying the wrong bridge is a myth.

Much like the stories that there are construction workers entombed in the cement in the Hoover Dam and Mackinac Bridge.

Keith

ballbuster, my vote goes to London Bridge. When I was in Kindergarten we sang a little ditty called "London Bridge is Falling Down". We had never heard of The Golden Gate Bridge. It wasn't built until 1937.

My favorite bridge is the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay. On the bridge there are two fishing piers which total 2 1/4 miles in length and no fishing license is required.

Jim N

My question is, if the guy didn't believe the London Bridge was really the Tower Bridge, then why in the hell did they buy it???

The way this legend goes is: American developer sees Tower Bridge, but thinks it's the famous London Bridge of the nursery rhyme, directs his people to negotiate the sale, has the bridge dismantled, shipped to Arizona, uncrated, and reassembled.

Only <u>then</u> does he figure out he's paid for the wrong structure.

Though in fact the bridge was already being offered for sale and it was clear what was being offered.

The relocated bridge is considered to have been a great success.

Keith