Everyone who comes to San Francisco wants to see the Golden Gate Bridge. It defines the city. It defines America, it defines California and the west. Even with all the overcrowding and selfie-stick influencers of TikTok the area surrounding the Bridge remains stunningly pretty. Weather: the water, the wind and the earth controls the area. People seem insignificant there. I am seeing the Golden Gate Bridge for the last 25 years. Except the years of Covid, I have probably visited the bridge every year, if not a few times in a year, but the place never lose it’s charm!
Today the cloud is just about 100 ft above the sea level with high winds. In fact I have heard that it’s been like this for a few days. People can’t see the bridge at all! Well you guys can. Below is a picture from a different trip when there was not a single spec of cloud!
But today when I looked at this, especially with Fort point, it seems to me like a ghost bridge to nowhere! More on that later.
Originating from Spanish rule, the promontory known as Punta del Cantil Blanco was fortified in 1794 as Castillo de San Joaquín to defend the entrance to San Francisco Bay.
Amid the 1849 Gold Rush, the U.S. recognized San Francisco’s strategic importance. Between 1853 and 1861, engineers built Fort Point using robust Third System masonry design—the only such fort west of the Mississippi—with triple-tiered casemates and thick walls meant to repel naval attacks.
Advances in artillery rendered brick forts outdated and, over time, Fort Point was gradually decommissioned. It saw intermittent use as barracks, training facility, and even a detention site during WWI, before eventually supporting anti-submarine defenses in WWII. There is more to the submarine story but that will require a different post!
But today as I was looking at Fort Point I was thinking about Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. In the dramatic scene, Madeleine leaps into San Francisco Bay from the edge of Fort Point, but the actual jump was performed by stunt double Polly Burson onto a suspended parachute over the water. Kim Novak did not make that leap herself. I remember the build up into the scene and the jump made Scotty believe that Madeleine was “real”. It was such an iconic scene! In my mind that made Fort Point immortal to film lovers.
There is a nice trail that goes down from the Golden Gate Bridge to right down to the San Francisco Bay. It takes you down to the Warming Hut. It is aptly named! Now it is a cafe and a national park services gift shop.
It used to be century-old U.S. Army Engineer storehouse that’s been repurposed for public enjoyment. It is really cold and windy there by the bay almost always. So it is always nice to step inside a get a cup of coffee and browse at a few books.
It is charming inside and lot of people like to hang out here.
Just outside the trail continues towards Crissy Field. The U.S. Army established Crissy Field as Air Service Coast Defense Station—the first such station on the west coast. It became a hub of aviation innovation, serving as a launch site for pioneering flights like the transcontinental dawn-to-dusk journey and early Hawaiian attempts.
Today, the area is revitalized and its 100-acre area is part of National park services public land, featuring grassy airfield zones, dunes, marshes, a bay promenade, and ecological habitat—now seamlessly blending recreation with conservation. It became a flagship example of urban ecological restoration.
Up the trail is the key spot for the iconic panorama for the city of San Francisco!
If you look carefully you can see a lot of the major landmarks of the city. Also notice how low the clouds can be above water and the city can be in the sun! It’s amazing!
