For more than a year, the Golden Gate Bridge has been making an ethereal humming sound on windy days that has aggravated neighbors, charmed fans and sparked countless jokes.
Now the strange noise, which has been described as akin to both a wheezing kazoo and a ghostly chant, has inspired its own album.
This week Los Angeles guitarist and songwriter Nate Mercereau released a series of duets that utilize the bridge’s din as a backing track. Mercereau, a songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist, teamed up with Bay Area sound engineer Zach Parkes to record four tracks, layering the sounds the bridge makes in high winds with haunting melodies from Mercereau’s guitar synthesizer.
The project, titled Duets | Golden Gate, also included a video of him improvising the instrumental tracks with wind at his face and the bridge humming in the background.
What has changed? I am surprised this noise has not been going one for decades.
There was some new railing installed on part of the bridge's walkway a while back and the bridge geniuses discovered that it hums when the wind hits it at a certain angle. Worse than that the toll to cross the GGB is now $9.05. For that price we should get something better than a humming bridge. It should play a variety of songs like a jukebox.
Worse than that the toll to cross the GGB is now $9.05. For that price we should get something better than a humming bridge. It should play a variety of songs like a jukebox.
You think that's bad? Here it costs 16 bucks to cross the Goethals Bridge and you just end up in Staten Island.
You think that's bad? Here it costs 16 bucks to cross the Goethals Bridge and you just end up in Staten Island.
Holy Shit!
Re: Take it to the bridge!!
Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2021 1:31 pm
by Jarlaxle
A car over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is $18.
Re: Take it to the bridge!!
Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2021 2:15 pm
by Big RR
Sure, but the Cheasapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel ia over 17.5 miles, the Goethals Bridge is about 1.5 miles (aand unless you want to stay in Staten Island you'll pay another $16.00 for the Verazanno Bridge (2.5 miles) to get off it and into Brooklyn (with potentially more to get into the other boroughs).
Sure, but the Cheasapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel ia over 17.5 miles, the Goethals Bridge is about 1.5 miles (aand unless you want to stay in Staten Island you'll pay another $16.00 for the Verazanno Bridge (2.5 miles) to get off it and into Brooklyn (with potentially more to get into the other boroughs).
I thought Staten Island was a largely working class lower middle class borough? How can people afford to live there and travel off to work or other activities at that outrageous price? Do residents get a reduced rate? Is there another way off and on that is more affordable? Is the ferry cheaper?
Is this gouging or is there some legitimate policy objective to charging so much for using such a short stretch of roadway?
Re: Take it to the bridge!!
Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2021 2:54 pm
by Big RR
I am not certain, but I do believe there is a discount for Staten Island residents who make multiple trips within a certain period. But I do think it is gouging as well as an encouragement to use public transit for entry into NYC. And the city keeps wanting to increase that pressure, looking to put tolls on the few free bridges between the Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx and the Borough of Manhattan.
Sure, but the Cheasapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel ia over 17.5 miles, the Goethals Bridge is about 1.5 miles (aand unless you want to stay in Staten Island you'll pay another $16.00 for the Verazanno Bridge (2.5 miles) to get off it and into Brooklyn (with potentially more to get into the other boroughs).
Yes, but the new Goethals Bridge is veeeerrrrry fancy!
(To be fair, the old Goethals Bridge was a freakin nightmare.)
Re: Take it to the bridge!!
Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2021 5:16 pm
by Big RR
The only thing I would call a nightmare is the traffic, and I doubt it's much better now than it was. Kind of like the Tappan Zee Bridge--it looks nicer, but the only real benefit (for the cars, I imagine it is easier for the boats to navigate the river) are less potholes (but give it time).
