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March 17, 2005
The raconteur in me acknowledges the tourist in you.
I saw a job on Craigslist this week that seemed spot-on for a fellow like myself. The official description is right here.
I mentioned it in passing to L on Tuesday, thinking that I'd get around to it after some rewrites of the screenplay.
"Why not do it today?" she asked. I couldn't think of a reason not to, so I put my behind in the car and drove to the GGB.
You can read what I came up with after the jump. I don't know if I'll get the gig, but it was an excellent exercise, and I'd like to thank L for her tireless support. Shoehorning an experience into 350 words ain't easy.
The Golden Gate Bridge
Take the ramp from the visitor’s lot up to the grove near the flagpole.
HOST:
Welcome to the Golden Gate Bridge. You're overlooking Fort Point, the bridge and the Marin Headlands.
NARRATOR:
Each second, this narrow strait funnels 17 million gallons of the Pacific into San Francisco Bay. Roiling currents and shark populations have kept people out of the frigid water -- except stir-crazy inmates of Alcatraz, to your right.
Early last century, this was "the bridge that couldn't be built." Many believed high wind, saboteurs or earthquake would bring it down, obstructing this ideal harbor. Nature lovers feared a span would mar the landscape. Ferry companies simply hated the idea.
In 1923, local columnist Annie Laurie skewered nay-sayers:
ACTOR:
What, bridge the Golden Gate! Throw a net-work of wire and steel across the entrance to the most magnificent harbor in the world?
Spoil our sunsets -- kill all the romance and beauty and mystery of the Gate loved round the world just for the sake of getting us in and out of Marin County?
Oh, the blasphemy of it! The desecration! The sacrilege!
NARRATOR:
Bridging the gap required innovative engineering, political maneuvering, and deep pockets. Work began in January 1933, and as the Great Depression cut a swath across America, workers literally fought each other for the chance to labor on this project.
On May 27, 1937, foghorns announced the opening. 200,000 traversed on foot – and on skates and stilts. The bridge opened to vehicles the next day and is now crossed about 40 million times each year.
An art deco icon, the bridge is one of the most recognized structures on Earth. The towers taper to accentuate their height, and their vertical fluting was designed to catch the light, creating dramatic, fluid shadows. The custom color -- International Orange -- was created to suit the natural palette and stand out in fog.
Today, bridge views mean real estate dollars and “I was there!” snapshots. Protestors flock here for exposure, and engineers marvel still at its elegant durability. Even ferry operators made their peace.
This bridge connects San Francisco to the world. This bridge is the soul of a city.
/end
Posted by Your Protagonist at March 17, 2005 11:04 PM