Stretching across the narrow strait of the Golden Gate above the swirling union of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, this elegant Art Deco suspension bridge remains one of San Francisco's most beloved symbols. Yet it elicited passionate emotions and aggressive resistance at every stage of its conception. Joseph Strauss, a tireless and innovative engineer who already had built more than 400 bridges around the world, claimed that he could span the unspannable passage for a mere $27 million. Some naysayers claimed that the deep and turbulent waters of the bay were too treacherous for such an undertaking, and others decried Strauss' estimate as being nearly $75 million too low.Parties on both sides wrangled until A.P. Giannini, founder of the Bank of Italy (now Bank of America), announced that his bank would finance the bridge. Ground was broken in January 1933, and the bridge was completed on May 27, 1937, at a cost of around $35 million. There are two parking lots on the San Francisco side of the bridge, one on either side of the roadbed; the east lot is metered parking and the west lot is $5 per day. Keep in mind that, with only 150 spots between them, they can fill up on nice days. At the city end of the bridge, the Roundhouse, built as a restaurant in 1938, is now a popular gift shop. Cross to the Vista Point on the Marin County side for lovely views of the bridge from the north, backdropped by the forested hills of the Presidio.