Kuiper sits on the dock of the Bay.
On this day in 1933, construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge. It would open to pedestrians over 4 years later, on May 27, 1937. People on foot were given a one-day head start over cars, which were allowed to start crossing the bridge the following day.
The name of the bridge comes from the Golden Gate Strait, which was coined by American explorer John C. Fremont in 1846. “Golden” didn’t have anything to do with the gold rush, as gold wouldn’t even be discovered in California til two years later. Instead, it was a riff on the “Golden Horn,” the harbor in Istanbul (formerly Constantinople.)
Fremont noted in 1849, “The form of the harbor and its advantages for commerce (and that before it became an entrepot of eastern commerce), suggested the name to the Greek founders of Byzantium. The form of the entrance into the bay of San Francisco, and its advantages for commerce, (Asiatic inclusive) suggest the name which is given to this entrance.”
The area around the strait was designated the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 1972, and has a special interest for dogs and dog owners: it’s the only (as far as I know) National Park Service property in the entire United States where you can let your dog off leash.
This usage is restricted to specific areas, so be sure to check before you go. Even in designated off-leash areas, dogs are required to remain under “voice control,” which the NPS defines as “within earshot and eye sight of their owner/handler and respond immediately to commands to return to a leash when called.”
Have you (or your dog) ever been to San Fran?
Original post: https://www.instagram.com/p/BsR4SSBDNCO/