Golden Gate Bridge travel guide describes the Golden Gate Bridge as "possibly the most beautiful, certainly the most photographed, bridge in the world." At the time of its opening in 1937, it was both the longest and the tallest suspension bridge in the world, with a main span of and a total height of . Before the bridge was built, the only practical short route between San Francisco and what is now Marin County was by boat across a section of San Francisco Bay. A ferry service began as early as 1820, with a regularly scheduled service beginning in the 1840s for the
MV Golden Gate As the "Chinook", the ferry had previously been mothballed at the WSF Shipyard at Eagle Harbor, Bainbridge Island for four years when she was placed on eBay for auction on February 20, 2008 with an asking price of $4.5 million (USD). MV Golden Gate MV "Golden Gate (previously MV "Chinook) is a passenger-only fast ferry operated by Golden Gate Ferries. The vessel is the second passenger ferry to hold the name and was purchased from Washington State Ferries by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (along with ) and entered service with Golden Gate Transit in May 2011