My family and I recently traveled to a very beautiful part of the world, the Pacific Northwest! We visited Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and Seattle, Washington. On the way back home to Las Vegas, we spent a few days in San Francisco, California. The natural beauty of these places is breathtaking. Each of the cities we visited have some of the most amazing attractions to offer and yet each has its own character.

 

In Seattle, we particularly enjoyed visiting the Pike Place Market, The Space Needle, and the surrounding area of museums. We also took a harbor ferry tour. The drive from Seattle to Vancouver through lush forests was strikingly different and a welcome relief from driving in the Mojave Desert of Nevada, Arizona and California that we have grown accustomed to for many years. We thoroughly enjoyed the natural beauty of Stanley Park in Vancouver, the Butchart Gardens near Victoria and the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

 

Being a structural engineer, I could not help paying special attention to the spectacular structures we encountered during the trip. The area has some of the most recognizable and iconic observation towers, skyscrapers, bridges and other historic and significant structures in the world. Below, I would like to share with you one very unique structure from each of the places my family and I visited. 

Designed by architect William Pereira, The Transamerica Pyramid was completed in 1972 and at the time was one of the 5 tallest structures in the world. Today it remains San Francisco's most iconic structure and features a "virtual observation deck" in the lobby which has live feeds from cameras at the top of the tower that point North, East, South, and West.