Bridgespotting Part 2 is a companion guide to the original Bridgespotting: A Guide to Bridges that Connect People, Places, and Times , which examined dozens of reasons that tourists visit bridges in pursuit of best available view of the landscape or riverfront, to indulge an interest in the history of the city, to appreciate the architecture and decoration, to walk or bike on long-distance trails, or to cross a world-renowned landmark off their bucket list. Every bridge is a complete record of everything that has ever happened, and ever will happen, at its location. Although they are often dismissed as a static piece of infrastructure, or even hated for causing traffic jams, bridges actually encompass the entire history of the city from its original settlement and growth up to today, and often into the future. Through their construction, demolitions, renovations, addition or removal of decorations and monuments, and changes of name, they capture decades or centuries of changes in local trade and commerce, interactions with faraway peoples, architectural tastes, political upheavals, and cultural history of a community. Building on the description of more than 350 of the most prominent tourist bridges in the United States, Canada, and Europe in the original Bridgespotting , Bridgespotting Part 2 describes walkable bridges and bridge tours covering an additional 320 locations in more than 60 new profiles. Combined, the two Bridgespotting books serve as a travel guide for anyone interested in exploring the history and cultural development of their next vacation destination, taking a side trip during their next out-of-town business meeting, or getting a better understanding of their own community. In addition, by describing the design decisions and features added to bridges by their designers to attract tourists and enhance the community, the Bridgespotting books serve as an a la carte menu of ideas to be considered by communities interested in constructing new bridges, or planning rehabilitation of their old, obsolete bridges. Bridgespotting is a niche travel guide that makes a strong case for considering infrastructure in new ways. Bridge enthusiast Bob Dover's history-minded travel guide Bridgespotting covers iconic and undercelebrated bridges across North America and Europe. Written for people who visit bridges for their scenic vantages, as parts of tours, or to marvel at their engineering, this curious guide places sharp emphasis on experiencing bridges on foot. Its conversational passages cover facts about the bridges' construction, related visitor's centers and gift shops, and tips. Beginning with the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and continuing to cover London's Tower Bridge and the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, the entries are characterized by offhanded observations and playful trivia. Often speaking directly to the audience, the chapters detail landmark and historic bridges alike. They share insights about their practical aspects, like their vulnerability to weather, their places within trade routes and at town centers, and their destruction during wars. There are also tidbits for hobbyists, as about the subsets of bridges. Indeed, some of the book's topics will only land with dedicated audiences, as with notes about lenticular truss bridges that were made by a specific company. Dover's passion for fine details makes this a thorough compendium, if also a dense one. The book both covers how bridges evolved and details the intricacies that mark them as belonging to distinct communities. A bridge's materials, for instance, often reveal the particulars of its locale, while its inscriptions, plaques, and ornamentation reflect the surrounding culture's stories. Indeed, the chapter on cultural bridges delves into bridges in Claude Monet's art, in music, and in literature in an effort to widen this niche topic. Treating bridges as gathering points as much as they are a means for conveyance, the book drops frequent comments about how much is missed when people limit their experiences of bridges to views from the interiors of cars. It seeks to impart the shared feeling that bridges are more than just utilitarian arches and decks: they are engineering marvels with romantic potential. The book celebrates their fanciful ironwork and sculptural cable designs, and notes the controversial tourist practice of leaving behind love padlocks. A few photographs are included to complement the text, but its ultimate emphasis is on the descriptions of its prose. Moving from iconic to local bridges, Bridgespotting is an in-depth travel guide for those engaged in the unusual pastime of visiting and pondering bridges. - Foreword Reviews