Spruce Street Bridge
Category: Landmarks & Historical Buildings [Edit]
Spruce St & First Ave.San Diego, CA 92103
26 Reviews for Spruce Street Bridge
Only for the ORIGINALS, the locals from San Diego that know little secrets like this bridge. I dig this landmark, its freaky-scary and FUN! Recommendation: take a friend afraid of heights and play out the Temple of Doom scene from Indiana Jones (sans swording the ropes) shake the FU*K out of it while you got terrified buddies grasping for their dear lives. Then walk up to 7-11 and enjoy a Coffee-Monster. Once I hopped around and went below the bridge. I discovered a creepy house with even CREEPIER tenants... then literally let dogs loose on my friends and I - Good Times!!
I took me a second to realize that Spruce Street Bridge is what I call Suspension Bridge. I prefer my term, its straight to the point and can sound scary (for those who hate heights).
This is a number 1 destination for me to bring people who haven't really been to San Diego, or , if I know they hate heights.
I've taken many friends who cling to the side for dear life while I rock it back and forth like a mad woman. It's mean , but funny...At night it can be scary, and in the day it's just amazing. A piece of San Diego history that is still around for us to treasure.
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Running across the bridge, jumping up and down in the middle, swaying as I get closer to the other side...
One of the few places I can unwind and truly feel like a kid again. And for that, no amount of stars is enough to give Spruce Street Bridge the rating it deserves.
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Is it just me or is this bridge getting bouncier and bouncier? Maybe I'm just eating way too much these days and gaining weight.
I like the bridge. It's quiet and off the beaten path. Originally built in 1912, it's one of those secret gems of San Diego. If you haven't seen it before, I recommend that you check it out. It seems the nicest just after sunset.
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This one comes with all sorts of history. It was the first bridge project under the 1911 Improvement Act (dedicated in 1912) that introduced public works to locally raised bond funding. It came at a time that "connecting" was all the rage, and the suspension style really adds a flair of "it doesn't have to be a suspension bridge, but wouldn't that be cool to tell everyone about?"
At this point, it doesn't really serve much of a connectivity purpose since there isn't a lot of foot traffic period, and the experience of living and working in San Diego doesn't really involve a lot of commuting across Kate Sessions/Arroyo Canyon. And a lot of the ornamentation is clearly gone at this point as you can see the empty recesses for plaques and/or where it's been painted over. But it's nevertheless a nice connection (!) to San Diego's urban past.
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One of my favorite spots to go to in San Diego.
I love to run across it as fast as I can scaring my friends and others who are unsure about the 1912 built structure.
It's good to clear your head at/bring a nice lunch and sit smack in the middle of it, let your feet dangle off the side, climb over the wires and walk on the outside rim of it. It can be a little scary at nighttime, but it's monitored by video camera 24 hours a day, so that's always good. The view of San Diego through the trees is always really cool; and if you get really ambitious, scaling down the canyon can be quite the adventure with all kinds of cool things to explore.
Love this place.
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Nice place to go to scare your friends who are scared of heights. haha. Hey wait, I'm scared of heights, but usually I tend to be a bit inhibriated by the time we make it here.
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I can't give this bridge less than 5 stars, so I won't.
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Wow...what a refreshing, secret little spot to visit in the middle of SD. Like everyone has stated before, the bridge is fun to sway and walk across but the best part about the experience for me was walking through the damp, steep canyon. Those huge palm trees are gorgeous and I loved hearing the little animals below. My recommendation would be to check it out early afternoon when the sun is straight above you shining through the canyon so you can sit in the middle of the bridge for awhile soaking up the rays. When giving the typical San Diego tour to out of towners(Cabrillo/Old Town/ La Jolla Cove /Coronado) this will now be added to the agenda.
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Oh Gee ...
So much fun.
The suspension bridge is just awesome. A hidden treasure to explore.
Running on it is kinda fun because you never quite know where the bridge is going to be as you go and you might fall down.
I have seen fireworks at the Convention Center from here too ... very nice view down the canyon.
Yay for the Spruce Street Bridge
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It's cool to take people here who don't know the bridge exists. Then, when you are halfway across, let them know that the bridge collapsed once and this guy and his date fell but they were miraculously saved by falling onto the trees and plants below.
It's all B.S. but you might as well tell a lie anyway if you can get away with it.
This is a cool bridge and I'm glad more people don't know about it. Although I heard drug dealers dig the bridge. I guess they have pretty good taste, after all.
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Oh, the Suspension Bridge - the setting for many memorable moments of my high school/early college years. There was a period where my friends and I made it an unwritten law that 'The Bridge' would be our daily headquarters once we all got off of our work shifts. It was our clubhouse - late night gabbing & 420 sessions, storytelling, meeting random strangers. And, of course, the run-ins with the law - most of the time we were successful in hightailing it across the bridge to the "other side" and ran like hell until we lost the police, often ending up in neighborhoods foreign to us. All in all, it's definitely a landmark in this great city. Everyone should take a moment on a lazy afternoon and swing by Spruce Street, take in the green scenery and a look of our expanding downtown skyline.
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This is a beautiful spot. Part of me doesn't want to review it and let the secret out. It certainly wouldn't hurt if there was an easier way down into the canyon for runners. But it's definitely worth knowing about.
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Wow, I just went here today and was very happy I visited this place. I found it on yelp searching for random places to go. It is what people mention before, would be a great place to bring a date at sunset or at night. If you lived in San Diego for more than a couple years you should really check this hidden gem out!
Man, I love this bridge!
I remember back in the junior high days when i went to Roosevelt, we would ditch school and come hang out on this bridge, smoking joints, dang we were some bad kids, LOL!
I still come here on occasions just to chillax and get things off my head.
Very cool place to just mellow out at and a cool place to show to friends who have never been here before.
Its surprising how there are so many SD natives that have never even been here before and get amazed when I bring them here.
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Being a graduate of San Diego High School but commuting from the North County while going there, I relied on my friends who lived in the Bankers / Mission Hills area to show me the cool spots in their neighborhoods. This meant ice blocking at Presidio Park in the summer, harrassing the police horses stabled deep in the canyons of Balboa Park (I know, not cool), and enjoying those stolen beers, wine coolers, or booze on the safety of the Spruce Street Bridge.
The logic was as follows: If anyone came around who could possibly "bust" us we would just take off to the safety of the other side of the bridge! Meaning it would take a pretty well organized sting operation to wrestle those California Coolers or Keystone Lights from our grips.
It was also fun to see just how vigorously we could shake the 1912 suspension bridge before our friend Rob would throw up. Worked every time!
And now, reading Jeff J's rememberances of the Bridge, I realize that Rob's vomit wasn't the only bodily fluid left all over the planks. . .
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Whilst browsing the vicinity for a romantic spot to have relations with a certain gentleman (manhunt trick I had just met), we happened upon a lovely and charming enclosure near 1st and Spruce (stranger's garage), but our tender embrace was interrupted by a startling flash (automatic outdoor lights) that sent us scurrying away, whereupon we identified a fetchingly adorable pedestrian bridge. On this fine structure built by the industrious men of yesteryear, we besprinkled the bridge with the physical eventuality of our brief affair (we, ummm, nevermind). It was a magical evening I shall cherish in memory for many years to come (I never spoke to him again).
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Ha! I love coming here, even though everytime I freak out and feel like my non-existent balls shrink back into my body.
It's a great place to come and have deep conversations with that "special" somebody. When there's no one else there, we always go to the center and make the bridge rock and sway until it feels like it's going to break.
My fiance took me here when we were dating, he was showing me the hidden cool spots in San Diego. And how cool it is!
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Jeez, do I ever remember THAT first kiss on the bridge. I melted right there and dripped on home.
Thats all. Relationship lasted all of 1 year, but what a year it was!
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a good place to makeout ....
even though we didn't get to makeout because there were stupid junior high kids sitting in the middle of the bridge.
someday....
haha
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Ahhhhh... Lots of great memories here on the "Suspension Bridge"
I've been here on so many occasions and with so many different friends/loved ones... whether I was getting stoned, making out or just relaxing, this spot has never disappointed me. You know what's funny? In all the years I've been coming here, I've never walked off the bridge heading West. I have no idea what's over on that side, hummmm. It's been years since I've set foot on this thing. I think it's about time for a visit. Maybe for some manlove like Jeff : )
Four stars because I'm kinda paranoid about the spooge factor now!
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day or night this bridge is your friend . daytime full of many dog walkers and jogin folk. and at night the lights from near by houses light it up slightly but not so much the stars are out of eyes view. i have been coming to this bridge for many of moons and it never lets me down , i have only come to the bridge via the east side road and often wonder what lies on the west side but i guess that will just have to be another review .
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Love it!!!!!!! Laying there looking up at the planes going by and chillin' felt so good. Wanna go back at night after a few drinks.
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I have had some of the most amazing nights on this bridge.
With some of the craziest people I have ever met. And by crazy I mean stalker-status at this point.
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A hidden 1912 footbridge that sways when you walk across it? What fun! This pedestrian bridge was built way back when to connect Hillcrest and Banker's Hill and allow the Bankers Hillians access to a streetcar line.
My friends and I used to hang out on this bridge in high school. It spans a canyon and is next to really nice late 19th century houses. If you want to freak people out you can really make it wiggle once you're in the middle.
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