Suspension of Belief: An Architectural Masterpiece

May 13, 2008— -- I'll get to the bridge later. But, first, the salami.

Allow me to explain. Plop the Golden Gate Bridge on the moon and it would still inspire awe, but it would lose everything that makes it a true American wonder. The setting is the point.The two worlds it connects, stunningly beautiful opposites, are what elevate it to the sublime. When I was in my 20s, I lived close to San Francisco's center. On Saturdays, I'd usually wake up to fog, eat a quick breakfast, then get on my bike to meet up with one of two friends named Andrew. We'd pack a lunch of imported Italian salami from Lucca Ravioli Co., in the Mission District, and asiago from Country Cheese, on Divisadero. We'd ride downtown to the ferry terminal along Market Street, a chaotic four-lane artery split lengthwise by treacherous trolley tracks. When we reached San Francisco Bay, we'd board the ferry, bikes in tow, for the half-hour crossing to Larkspur, in Marin County. Lying out on the upper deck, we'd know we were getting close when we burst out of the fog and into the sun.

Marin was like another planet. It was 10 degrees warmer than the city -- now this is California! -- and maybe 30 decibels quieter. Suburban streets gave way to roads winding through live oaks, California bay laurel and pungent eucalyptus groves. And the roads took us to the trails -- and some tough decisions. Dark, mystical redwood canyons or open, windy headlands? The rocky, 2,571-foot summit of Mount Tamalpais, the crown of the peninsula or the beach? The jigsawed state and national parks of Marin offer a combined 180-plus square miles of protected natural areas crisscrossed by almost 500 miles of multiuse trails. There are big views, gushing waterfalls, lakes, seaside cliffs, sand dunes, surf breaks and tide pools. There are also hulking, World War I–era concrete gun batteries and 1960s-vintage hilltop antiaircraft-missile stations. It's a remarkable place to explore by bike, foot, car, horse, hang glider, whatever. It's also a place metaphysically opposed to a cramped urban apartment to the point of being a little overwhelming.