Alex, don't get me wrong --- love your Queen Mary and Disney content but is great to see you expanding the subject content of your videos even more. Your channel growing as time goes on due to your hard work. This was a very enjoyable watch. Thanks for keeping local and regional history alive.
Wow thanks, that's nice of you to say. I definitely enjoy making content about history in various cities and regions. There is so much history yet to be covered for this channel.
Alex- great to see you visiting Astoria. That bridge is high but not near as scary as the St John’s bridge in Portland. It’s high but much narrower. The pucker factor is 11/10 there. I’d give the Astoria bridge a 7/10 on pucker.
We spend an equal amount of time between Portland and Astoria between my job in Portland and my wife’s business in Astoria. It’s a special place, as it was where my last Coast Guard tour was and where my wife and I met. So awesome to see it as a video subject, with your great narration skills overlaying!
HI ALEX,, WOW!! WHAT A GREAT AND WONDERFUL VIDEO,, THE ICE CREAM WAS A TREAT MY SON MAX AND I LOVED CHRIS ICE CREAM SO MANY DIFFERNT COLORS .. WE LOVED THE BRIDGE RIDE IN THE CAR, AND PART TWO ON THE TROLLEY TRAIN,, GREATTT!!!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH....CHEERS !!!
Reminds me so much of my first experience going over the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro/Los Angeles overlooking the World Cruise Terminal. Crazy how tall they can make some of these bridges. Also reminds me of my first time at 8-years-old climbing up the stairs to the bridge aboard the Queen Mary. I was so scared at the height. I kept stopping at each step not wanting to venture any further. I remember telling my dad I really wanted to be on a sinking ship! It would be so cool! He straight up told me I did not want to be aboard a sinking ship. And going that high up the Queen Mary’s highest public accessible vantage point confirmed it to me. The wild heights of these places is deceptive, y’all! And that bridge is giving, “thrill-ride.” Like they made it intimidating on purpose. The two lane nature of the road is giving, PCH in the 1950s. Also, is that a BIKE lane?
This bridge is super unique! I grew up a mile away from the Gulf of Mexico, so I've been used to going across bridges as far back as I can remember, and for a couple years of my childhood I was actually terrified of them anytime my parents drove across one while I was in the car. When I moved up to Oregon and visited Astoria for the first time, I couldn't wait to cross this one. Last year for my birthday, I rode my motorcycle to Astoria and rode across the bridge to Long Beach, Washington. It was almost like gliding across the Columbia River with a large portion of the bridge being so close to the water. Definitely a fun experience on a motorcycle!
It wasn't too bad! Everyone was keeping to about 50-55 mph and giving plenty of room. The real fun bridges to ride across are the ones with steel grating, like the Hawthorne Bridge in Portland.
I live by Astoria Bridge and cringe everytime! Many locals hate the bridge and have aniexty going over it! Especially the last curve as you head up going from Astoria to WA. Nice video!! I hope you visited the fort n Long Beach after you crossed the bridge.
Great to see your video. I live 8 miles South of the Astoria Megler Bridge. I drive it quite often. The OR/WA coast is fantastic. Lived here most of my life.
Astoria’s beautiful. It also has a fantastic Saturday market, which is worth a trip all on its own. I grew up about an hour out of Astoria down Highway 30 and we went quite a few times. I’m glad you got the chance to appreciate the city!
We lived in Astoria for eight years. It is indeed a charming and fascinating city, and the summers there are GLORIOUS and the many historical parks and beaches nearby are really fun for families. But the other nine months can drive you crazy with the rain and wind, which sometimes seems endless. We eventually moved to the Willamette Valley to dry out...:-)
Lovely video! I first thought it was the Key Bridge in Baltimore, which was verrrry similar except for the length. It was bittersweet. I’m glad you were safe and got to enjoy it!
Love your videos Alex. I live in California and want to drive up to the coast Astoria. I just want to see the Goonies house in person and drive back haha.
Yo thanks for visiting, I live about 30 minutes north of there. When we used to go across the bridge once in a while I had a fear of heights so I would be anxious af
Last time I was in Astoria was the early 70's. And on Sunday mornings it was quite the regular thing to see National Guard pilots fly their Fighter Jets UNDER THE BRIDGE ! First time I saw it happen, I stopped a local "Townie" to ask if he saw it too. He said it was "No big deal! Them Jet Jockies do it all the time!"
Going over that bridge on a foggy morning is just plain scary. Done it many times. Only scarier thing is taking a small boat out over the Columbia bar.
What fun -- especially launching those Balsa wood airplanes off the Astoria Column! I'm going to-morrow, and I definitely want to check out the Maritime History Museum there! I'll also have to try to get some picture of my Jeep Cherokee XJ in front of the old jail!
The jail is now a museum with the original Jeep from the Goonies parked out front. It’s hard to find parking out front, but you can get a picture with the film used one in front of the jail! It’s called the Oregon Film Museum.
A couple years ago they finished the project that took 7 years to replace every single rivet in the bridge. And the funny part is they're going to have to do it again in about 10 years. There's so much wind it wears the rivets out over time. An unaccounted for design flaw
Crossed the bridge from the Washington side one November day with a straight truck after delivering furniture. Nasty, nasty crosswinds and water breaking across the bridge deck on the low part where it runs just above the river. Just a normal day
I travel from north of Seattle to the Oregon Coast three or four times a year, and I always cross the Columbia River at Astoria. And I have NEVER liked driving across that bridge!
Neat vlog, sir! If you move up there, you can call yourself “Alex the Astorian” (I looked through the comments to make sure nobody had already said that, and am just TICKLED that I commented first-I’m simple like that 🤪)!
Drove right past Gizmo's Arcade and the Gizmo's Arcade owners Jeep! You can spot it right here at 3:10 Cheerio's From Gizmo's arcade!! (even tho im just one of the workers lol)
I am in long Beach right now going to do some fishing mite be under that bridge tomorrow love the hole area you should do a video on long Beach lots to see and do
17:51 The 101 - You can take the Angeleno out of Los Angeles but you can't take the Los Angeles out of the Angeleno. It's "the 101" in So Cal but for the rest of the west coast its Highway 101 or just 101 without the "the".
Would be nice if Oregon cleaned out the drains on the bridge so the water didn't pool and cause hydroplaning at the bottom of high rise on the bridge deck in the rain and kept the shoulders clean so the Bikes didn't have to come out into traffic.
That place sits overlooking mt saint helens + it hangs next the cascadia fault. No way in hell id live there. Goonies or no goonies. Nice to visit but to livenope. Didnt like it
