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-   -   World's most famous bridge? (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/worlds-most-famous-bridge-492134/)

ballbuster Dec 23rd, 2004 09:07 PM

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?

crefloors Dec 23rd, 2004 09:39 PM

The Golden Gate hands down.

AR Dec 23rd, 2004 09:42 PM

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.

sheila Dec 24th, 2004 01:08 AM

Golden Gate, I think

flanneruk Dec 24th, 2004 01:23 AM

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.

Tallulah Dec 24th, 2004 02:46 AM

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....

Chatters Dec 24th, 2004 03:22 AM

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

francophile03 Dec 24th, 2004 05:53 AM

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

adamhornets Dec 24th, 2004 06:10 AM

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

ira Dec 24th, 2004 06:33 AM

The Bridge Over Troubled Waters?

((I))

Patrick Dec 24th, 2004 06:44 AM

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.

praguesam Dec 24th, 2004 08:04 AM

The Bridge on the River Kwai.

Grasshopper Dec 24th, 2004 08:07 AM

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

Patrick Dec 24th, 2004 08:37 AM

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.

soccr Dec 24th, 2004 10:46 AM

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.....

machin Dec 24th, 2004 10:57 AM

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

Intrepid1 Dec 24th, 2004 12:03 PM

The bridge of your nose.

Robespierre Dec 24th, 2004 12:28 PM

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.

giro Dec 24th, 2004 02:43 PM

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?

Walter_Walltotti Dec 24th, 2004 03:48 PM

The Bridge of the starship Enterprise?


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