I’ve been to the Bay Area more times than I can count. Hella times. I’ve celebrated a Warriors win at the local pub, written my name on the walls at Facebook, and shared a beer with some of the brightest in Silicon Valley. #HumbleBrag

However, one Nor Cal staple had eluded me for years; San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. My desire to check it off, I’ll admit, may or may not have been exacerbated by the fomo-inducing pictures on my Instagram feed. Effortlessly gorgeous couples posing hand in hand. Perfectly timed boomerang videos of jumping tourists. Surely, I was going to have a hand in this too.

📷 @trishlist 2017

Little did I know, our quest to the Golden Gate would be illusive in more ways than one. As in, we would barely see it. The Bay’s notorious winds and often inescapable marine layer enveloped the bridge, almost in its entirety. So much so, that we made another trip out the following day in the hopes the bridgewould be more visible at noon. But of course, it was just as bad. If not worse. Than the day before.

Frustrated, dejected, but oddly tickled by our luck, we decided to go ahead and walk the 3.4 miles (there and back) across the majestic steel structure. The next three hours were filled with uncontrollable laughter and hilarious attempts to capture something that resembled a decent photo. Add my obsession of posing with my travel scarf and it was a beautiful disaster.(See below.)

📷 @trishlist 2017

It’s funny though but because the conditions weren’t ideal, we were forced to discover and seek out fresh, interesting angles to photograph. I would argue that they turned out better than if everything went as planned.

Moral of the story? Suck it up and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center 415-426-5220
customerservice@goldengatebridgestore.org
Open 7 days a week, 9 am-6 pm
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA (415) 921-5858

Trishna Patel aka Trishlist is a cultural curator, photographer, and host specializing in travel and the human experience. Follow her latest adventures as she explores New York City and beyond.

📷 @trishlist 2017