{"id":964,"date":"2005-09-03T17:56:43","date_gmt":"2005-09-03T22:56:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tommangan.net\/?p=964"},"modified":"2005-09-03T17:56:43","modified_gmt":"2005-09-03T22:56:43","slug":"something-more-than-a-footbridge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tommangan.net\/index.php\/2005\/09\/03\/something-more-than-a-footbridge\/","title":{"rendered":"Something more than a footbridge"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is my last post describing our trip to far northern California last week.
\n(Our camping trip here<\/a>;
\nmy Lassen Peak hike here<\/a>.)\n<\/p>\n

On Friday morning we left Lassen
\nVolcanic National Park<\/a> via the northwest exit and headed to Redding to check
\nout the way-cool Sundial
\nBridge<\/a>, which was designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and
\nopened to the public on July 4, 2004. I saw a documentary<\/a> about the bridge’s
\nbuilding earlier this year and knew I had to see the thing up close. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Here’s one look at most of the bridge, commissioned by the McConnell Foundation, which apparently wanted to build something
\nunforgettable and opened its wallet wide. Final cost: $23 million, of which the foundation supplied more than half. As much as
\nI hate to quote the Mastercard commercial, here’s one case where the result
\nis truly priceless. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The bridge has only one job: giving pedestrians and bicyclists a quick way
\nto cross the Sacramento River. You can’t see it from this angle, but the supporting
\nspire rises at the same angle as the riverbank, making it seem integral to its
\nsurroundings. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The spire practically begs a photographer to capture it from numerous angles.
\nThey’re all pretty cool. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Note the sun’s rays seeming like more cables from the bridge. I can’t imagine
\nthe architect had this effect planned out, but the guy is<\/i> a genius so
\none never knows. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I’m especially fond of the solar-eclipse effect. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

One more angle from the nearby shore. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Salmon spawn nearby, so the the bridge was designed to span the river without
\ntouching its waters. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A sculpture by the architect is beneath one end of the bridge. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Sacramento River glimmers in the morning sun. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

OK, one last look from the opposite bank. <\/p>\n

This one little project in a small city 200 miles from the nearest metro area
\nseemed to define why humans have had this perpetual urge to create wonderful
\npublic art. The art is never exactly necessary but once finished it seems absolutely
\nessential. <\/p>\n

It reminds me of the Sistine Chapel, whose ceiling would’ve required some kind
\nof a paint job. Any old painter could’ve put a nice, comforting tint up there.
\nBut one pope decided he wanted something special up there, so he hired one of
\nthe best artists of his time — Michaelangelo — to paint biblical scenes on
\nthe ceiling. <\/p>\n

I’m not saying the Sundial Bridge is in the same league as God’s finger touching
\nAdam’s, but the idea is similar: taking something that is merely useful and
\nmaking something amazing. Not all the motives were the noblest: just as the
\ncity of Redding enjoys the tourism dollars spent by folks coming to see the
\nbridge, it’s a fair guess that the pope who hired Michaelangelo was flattering
\nhis own ego and hoping to create an attraction that would fatten the Vatican’s
\nreceivables. But if greatness happens, all is forgiven.<\/p>\n

The documentary about the bridge’s construction featured interviews with befuddled
\npeople of Redding who didn’t quite know what to make of the bridge, particularly
\nduring the mess and tumult of its construction. Even after it was done, they
\ncouldn’t figure out what the fuss was about; some thought it was an eyesore.\n<\/p>\n

I practically shouted at my TV: People, one of the world’s greatest architects
\nis building something remarkable that he’ll get no use out of but you’ll get
\nto use as you please for years to come. It’s not costing you much. Try to
\nshow some appreciation.<\/p>\n

People usually get what they deserve, but the magic happens in those rare instances
\nwhen they get something better. <\/p>\n

(If you’re curious: a blogger from southern Oregon has a pair of interesting posts about the bridge here<\/a> and here.<\/a> The San Francisco Chronicle also has a review of the bridge<\/a>.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is my last post describing our trip to far northern California last week. (Our camping trip here; my Lassen Peak hike here.) On Friday morning we left Lassen Volcanic National Park via the northwest exit and headed to Redding…<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tommangan.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/964"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tommangan.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tommangan.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tommangan.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tommangan.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tommangan.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/964\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tommangan.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tommangan.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tommangan.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}