Britain's Bridges Ain't Got Nothing on America

[@eaglescout1984]

Laurence has met his greatest foe: French inspired names.

[@deannacrownover3]

Well... English and French don't have a calm history LOL

[@Chipper6811]

Eaux eaux eaux.....Guitrau, Gautreaux, Trahan, Boudreaux & Thibodeaux, Thidodaux, (city), Broussard, Naquin, Foret, Hebert, Prejean, Guidry, Richard (not pronounced as people expect). Our names throw people off.

[@NicholasIstre]

(looks at my last name...)

[@kdrapertrucker]

Well, he spent his early years in the U.S. in the State of Indiana, so learned to pronounce Lafayette, the way Hoosiers pronounce it when talking about the city in Central Indiana, county seat of Tippecanoe county, and home to Purdue University.

[@EricT3769]

@LouisianaLady2015 - Don’t forget these two, which are spelled differently but pronounced the same way: O’quain and Aucoin.

[@jasonremy1627]

Louisiana is only marginally not ocean, so it's not surprising that they have so many long bridges.

[@haroldwilkes6608]

lOL - Best description of Louisiana I've ever heard - "marginally not ocean" - ought to be on license plates.

[@macmedic892]

Every map of Louisiana is a lie, showing land where there is coastal marsh and open water.

[@Kylora2112]

Louisiana is basically just Cajun Netherlands, with more jazz and fried raccoon and less pot and fewer prostitutes (legally, anyways).

[@haroldwilkes6608]

@@Kylora2112 And gumbo and mud bugs and Sazerac cocktails but I'm not sure about the prostitutes, especially during Mardi Gras. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

[@Kylora2112]

@@haroldwilkes6608 That's why I said "legal" :P

[@kencramer1697]

Fun tip. A couple of smart people built some gas stations at either end of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. Not really for fuel, but for the restrooms. That bridge is miles and miles of "Thump-Thump, Thump-Thump. I have yet to cross it without the women in the car with me needing to desperately use a restroom by the time we reach the other side. :)

[@webbtrekker534]

Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, just a little over 24 miles!

[@joechino9022]

I peed at a cup while crossing the lake pontchartrain causeway once. True story. It was bumper to bumper traffic. 🤷🏻‍♂️😏😅

[@clsanchez77]

The gas station on the southshore also used to have one of the highest alcohol sales in the state. I cannot recall the reference for that though.

[@markswisher3709]

It's also a toll bridge. The charge you to go into New Orleans, but it's free if you want to leave. Survived hurricane Katrina too. I-10 just to the east of it, did not.

[@smspirate]

@@clsanchez77 yep - I was gonna say, try not to drink before you head out on the bridge.... easier coming from the north side - coming from the south side, out of new orleans... well, thats a real problem.

[@cmillivol98]

The attempt at pronouncing “bayou” was extremely british. So british, in fact, that I started wanting a piece of plain bread

[@lairdcummings9092]

No marmelade?

[@cmillivol98]

Laird Cummings ah you’re right lad, I’ll have to run to the shops for that

[@LillibitOfHere]

Laird Cummings mmmmmm bitter jelly.

[@kathy2trips]

@@lairdcummings9092 Lemon curd

[@PsRohrbaugh]

For those who don't know, it's pounced "bye - you"

[@Bayougirl78]

As a Louisiana native, not a bit surprised we have so many of the "longest bridges" in my state. We have a lot of water, and a lot of bridges

[@timothycook2917]

Wishin' I were a freight train, Oh, just a-chooglin' on down to New Orleans. Born on the Bayou 🎵🎵🎶😎😎😜

[@louchat333]

True dat.

[@Anon54387]

Oh, no kidding. I had to drive from California to Texas and I-10 has some LONG bridges through Louisiana. That and I thought Texas would never end. It was about 900 miles across Texas out of a total trip of about 2,600 miles. Egads.

[@billelkins994]

@@Anon54387 How did you miss Texas?

[@lonniestarr1892]

Laissez les bon temps rouler, Cher.

[@charleslafoe4780]

The Lake Pontchartrain bridge can be a beast when there is a storm raging in off the Gulf its awesome.

[@bethmeredith]

I have learned today. 🤓

[@stevebengel1346]

@Matthew Barrick maybe you're thinking of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel? Trucks are blown over fairly often in bad weather

[@haroldwilkes6608]

@Matthew Barrick Both plus more. Even the Leo Frigo in Green Bay, Wisconsin does that and it's only 1.5 miles.

[@beaujangles2215]

Matthew Barrick I know they shut it down to motorcycles in high winds...I have lived here 20 years and don’t recall that ever happening...but being from Michigan...I do know, and have experienced being blown over a couple of lanes in high winds on the mackinaw bridge...

[@Gibsonfan1989]

You say awesome, I say it sucks to drive over lol.

[@operator0]

Fun Fact: The reason the Hampton Rhodes area of Virginia has so many Bridge-Tunnels is because the largest naval base in the world, Norfolk Naval Base is located in the area, as well as the shipyard that builds nuclear aircraft carriers and the U.S. government was worried that the Soviets could box in half the U.S. Navy by blowing those bridges up and blocking navigation out of the area for months.

[@HistoryNerd808]

I grew up in Virginia Beach, part of Hampton Roads(not Rhoades) and it's really a beautiful area. I'm a navy kid so that was the reason, although I don't think my dad was ever at Norfolk. A lot of history in that area too which I loved.

[@cashews224]

@@HistoryNerd808 its hamton (not hamptom) I grew up in gloucester. We used to see nuclear submarines visiting the navel weapons station on the york River. I have a few friends that work at the shipyard on the nuclear subs. Not to mention the C.I.A. training grounds known as 'The Farm' is located in the yorktown/williamsburg area.

[@HistoryNerd808]

@@cashews224 You're wrong. I know the name of the area I grew up. And if you don't believe me, Google it. I am right and I know I'm right.

[@douglasreeves9938]

@@HistoryNerd808 Yup. MMC(SS) USN Ret.

[@cashews224]

@@HistoryNerd808 lmao I was just making a joke at you. But its definitely not hamtom. Its hampton.

[@larrybrennan1463]

The Lake Ponchartrain Causeway is the world's longest continuous bridge, indeed; all longer bridges include man-made islands or tunnel sections.

[@mwillblade]

It is also one of the boring bridge crossings ever, nothing to see except water.

[@larrybrennan1463]

@@mwillblade Much better to watch it from a Pullman. Or even a day coach.

[@angelfriend3710]

I just remember my folks driving over a huge "swamp bridge" at night with the rest of us trying to sleep. The 6 inch dragon fly we scraped off the front next day confirmed we were truly in a swamp!

[@DrewDienno]

Louisiana is one giant swamp. I was sad Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys didn’t break top 8, that’s an amazing drive.

[@robertcuminale1212]

So was I. As a Miamian I loved the bridge trip to Key West.

[@kurtisle]

The Seven Mile Bridge is a bridge in the Florida Keys, in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It connects Knight's Key in the Middle Keys to Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys. Wikipedia Total length: 35,720′ across open ocean for crying out loud!

[@barbarasmith2693]

I've been on that! All the way to Key West.

[@kurtisle]

@@barbarasmith2693 yes ma'am. It seems to go on and on...and on.

[@rosssmith5963]

Seven Mile Bridge is the 9th longest bridge in the US. Roughly 1000 ft shorter than the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge.

[@morewi]

Great to drive during the day

[@kurtisle]

@@rosssmith5963 fully 35,720 ft all together. I drove the San Mateo daily for 7 years through the 89 earthquake. You might say 2/3 of it is more like a causeway than bridge.

[@kimmatura3564]

I remember when my husband took me across Lake Pontchartrain bridge. I was shocked at how long it was. Plus it was all across water. In Arizona where I live, our bridges are over canyons.

[@richard3365]

To be fair, there was water in those canyons at one point in time... of course, it was hundreds of thousands of years before any bridge was built over them.

[@haroldwilkes6608]

True but you now have London Bridge on Lake Havasu - something London doesn't have.

[@jmcosmos]

I've crossed Pontchartrain, the Atchafalaya Basin, and the Chesapeake bridge-tunnel system. As for nearly all the bridge-tunnel systems in the world being in Virginia, well, that's what happens when you have enormous naval installations that need to get enormous ships in and out regularly. Virginia and the Navy found something that works, and they've stuck with it.

[@theotherone8767]

It also helps with traffic by keeping it moving. The drawbridges we have (lots of those, too) gum up traffic horribly with openings

[@twb6yz361]

And to that there are two additional tunnels in the area that aren't part of a bridge tunnel system.

[@janiceisaacs6755]

@@theotherone8767 those bridge openings do suck.

[@willcool713]

Growing up in Houston, my father was a professor, and he had a symposium in Florida he needed to attend every year. The college was generous with his travel allowance, so instead of a first class plane ticket and swanky convention accomodations, all four of the family would drive our travel van and stay further down the beach in a hotel with a kitchenette, made it a yearly spring vacation. One year we got behind and left late the first day, so my father tried to avoid stopping to make up time. I don't know which of those bridges it was, likely the interstate, where we ran out of gas not quite halfway through. My father had to hitchhike to the end where there was a service station, get gas, hitchhike all the way back to the other end, and then he walked the last leg, five or ten miles, because it was getting dark and he couldn't get a ride. Meanwhile, at the van, I had had to urinate, and discovered the joys of peeing off the side onto alligators' heads about fifteen feet below. After that I sacrificed my lunch and tossed little pieces of fried chicken into the water until I had a roiling mass of alligators below, clacking and hissing, and my mom made me get back in the van.

[@haroldwilkes6608]

I learned that lesson a long tie ago, extra gas, water, food, tires, etc. Even if I didn't need it, someone else might (and did, several times). Drove the Alcan that way in '67, carried two spares, needed both (gravel road then). Love the gator story. Better peed off than peed on.

[@MyBelch]

great story!

[@JTA1961]

Absent minded professor ? ? 📉😎📈

[@notmyworld44]

WILL COOL, I was raised in Houston too. See my independent comment on this.

[@mangaanimefan3089]

Why would you FEED the Alligators?!! Wanted to tear my hair out the moment I read that! My Floridian heart is in agony!🤯😱

[@renaherbert3142]

Representing Louisiana, My home state. Travelled all the bridges until hurricane Katrina. I know I'm home when I can smell the swamp air. 😊😊😊😊

[@handimanjim4378]

I live in Louisiana, so yeah I have traveled on six of the eight.

[@haroldwilkes6608]

And hear gators grunt - slept a few nights in my p/u truck camper and found out what it really means to be "up to your butt in alligators".

[@JTA1961]

In ARIZONA we got F00D CITY.(grocery store ) But when I went thru there yuall had FR0G CITY 📉😎📈

[@dbackscott]

As a former resident of the Baton Rouge area, I was laughing at the fumbled attempts at pronunciation.

[@handimanjim4378]

At least he made an attempt!

[@smspirate]

As a NEW resident of Baton Rouge, I was laughing too - even more than the people here laugh at my CA accent! LOL. I LOVE LOUISIANA.

[@jamesengland7461]

He just casually throws in the #1 entry proof that the world isn't flat. Very cool.

[@ImNotaRussianBot]

It IS a shocking fact to be discussed in 2020. (No offense to you, sir.)

[@jamesengland7461]

@@ImNotaRussianBot agreed.

[@jgw5491]

It should be mandatory that flat-earthers cross that bridge.

[@Isolder74]

@@jgw5491 We can take then to the middle and leave them there is a row boat.

[@contrabardus]

Ahem... "It's an optical illusion created by refraction and how the light reflects off of the humid air and water. The illusion holds up at night, and even during a new moon because of the physics. It's like heat haze, but is stronger because it's on the water." - guy who then posts a "Science Bitch" meme image

[@lampinasuit892]

Lake Pontchartrain (pronounced Pon•tcha•train) is a sight. It has like a dozen bridges on it and all of them are massive. The longest bridge is so long at one point you can’t see any land, but you can see other bridges. The reason there are so many bridges is because A: it connects the other side of the lake to New Orleans. And B: during Hurricane Katrina most of the bridges were shut down so lots of people couldn’t even make past Lake Pontchartrain.

[@michaelsmith-iu1be]

Flat earthers have some splainin to do.

[@lampinasuit892]

michael smith ya lol

[@ehodovic]

michael smith they’ll just make shit up like usual

[@gj8683]

Have gone over it. It’s weird when the end is not visible, which is like, every time.

[@michaelsmith-iu1be]

@@ehodovic yep

[@allanlank]

Pronunciation of places in Louisiana are best said with a slight French, Joual, Acadian or Cajun accent.

[@haroldwilkes6608]

Or while slightly inebriated.

[@allanlank]

@@haroldwilkes6608 LOL

[@ericraymond3734]

I took French in high-school and developed a pretty good accent. It left me with a habit of pronouncing French-derived names like Pontchartrain as a native French speaker would, which sometimes gets me funny looks in places like Havre de Grace, Maryland

[@ruthannshepherd9054]

As I live in what is lovingly referred to as Lower Slower Delaware, I have crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel many, many times to and from Williamsburg, VA. I have crossed it in lovely daytime weather, dark nights, foggy weather and yes even bad storms. But the worst is when it's so windy, they refuse to allow 18 wheelers and other high profile vehicle cross. And yes I have drove across it during such weather and will do it again if necessary. I absolutely LOVE this bridge!

[@theotherone8767]

The view is unreal on a pretty day 😊

[@iloveblue76]

I love the Chesapeake Bay Bridge! One of my favorites when I go to Virginia Beach a few times a year! 💕🥰

[@christinafidance340]

Fellow Delawarean here!!!

[@marylucy8651]

My father was one of the engineers on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. He actually was the first to drive across it when there were still wooden planks to drive on. I live 10 minutes from the famous bridge and it is a little daunting to cross especially if it's windy, which it is a lot of the time. You can't cross it if the winds are too high.

[@Chipper6811]

Ah the Lake Pontchartrain bridge, or as most everyone locally calls it, The Causeway. Pay the toll to go south (Mandeville to Metairie), but no toll going northbound. Bonnet Carre, (pronounced The Bonnie Carrie, or just The Spillway). Throw in the I-55 bridge that runs south from Ponchatoula to LaPlace, and you will spend most of the drive going to Orleans Parish over water. Unless your flying in, there's really no way to get to New Orleans without crossing a bridge. Thank you for pronouncing Atchafalaya correctly, although Lafayette is usually sounded out as Laffy-ette. Manchac is pronounced Man-shack.

[@louchat333]

LouisianaLady2015 everything road in Louisiana seems like it is going over a bridge. I have two cousins who are sisters. One in Baton Rouge and one in Lafayette. The one in BR hasn’t seen her sister in a year because she refuses to go over the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge. When we go down to Baton Rouge from North LA we cut through Opelousas. Forget going to Lafayette unless that is where we are going.

[@TheOzzyMartin1]

galaxy brain reply: seventeenth street canal

[@joegibson4946]

The I-55 bridge you speak of IS the Manchac bridge.

[@annlabuda604]

Here in Austin, Manchaca, too, is pronounced Man-shack.

[@Chipper6811]

@@joegibson4946 Thank you, I knew I was forgetting the name, we usually just say 55 South. Love riding through there in the spring though when all the cypress start turning green, and the boats are all out cruising around.

[@iloveblue76]

My favorite bridge is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel connecting the Eastern Shore of Virginia to the Virginia Beach/Hampton Roads area! So many memories crossing that bridge every year visiting family and friends! 🥰💕

[@Phyde4ux]

I'm sorry, but I gotta say it... Your "longest British bridge" looks more like an elevated freeway to me. How long is the longest British bridge that actually looks like a bridge?

[@bwcbiz]

Yeah, but the same applies to all those Louisiana bridges too.

[@NOLAgenX]

Lo-Res Gamer tell that to the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway which is entirely over a muddy body of water with Bull Sharks in it because it’s half-salt water.

[@ROTTK9]

yet is it a bridge by definition? ok so it is a rail-bridge so let's compare them: the Bromford Viaduct at 5,600 meters vs Lake Pontchartrain Bridge (the longest railroad bridge in the United States) at 13,679.4 meters, and more research would be needed to find the top 5 US rail-bridges grater than 5,600 meters not just bridges as a wide search term

[@NOLAgenX]

ROTTK9 hate to break it to you, it’s not a rail bridge. I’ve commuted daily on it for 22 years so far.

[@bdemaree]

It looked kinda like any one of a dozen interchanges in the DFW area. Seriously the highways here are like civil engineering porn. Topping the high five is like driving over an 11 story building.

[@theotherone8767]

CBBT....the only tunnel Hampton Roads kids don't even attempt to hold their breath through 🤣

[@Deadcntr]

I have traversed most of the bridges and passed under most of them as well. I was in the U.S. Coast Guard for 12 years and with the exception of Michigan was stationed in each of these states.

[@kathy2trips]

Thank you for your service 🇺🇸

[@Mistborn94]

Oh yeah I'm from South Louisiana. Eventually you don't even think about how long they are.

[@jessethomas7949]

Yea, you just drive and hope no idiot ahead fucks up.

[@snuffy357]

you do when there is traffic. also when youve been working in new orleans all day and you are ready to get back to the BR area.

[@mycroft16]

My mother in law has panic attacks on overpasses. She would shit gold bricks going over any one of these, but the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway would kill her.

[@RemnantCult]

Shoutout to my home state of Louisiana for building some badass bridges.

[@JTA1961]

Bummer that the road quality was the worst I saw going from Arizona to Florida & back

[@louchat333]

Joel Atteberry They are horrible and I’ve lived here all my life. Probably a political corruption thing. Most problems are in Louisiana. Hit the Texas line and magically they are suddenly perfect.

[@lukesalisbury6031]

louchat333 You got that right. Louisiana’s roads make Mississippi’s look perfect.

[@louchat333]

Luke Salisbury I-20 East of Jackson used to be a little like being on a mechanical bull. They’ve probably fixed that. 😄 That is the only bad part I remember. We used to run that stretch quite a bit to Meridian.

[@jessethomas7949]

Joel Atteberry the roads suck without a doubt. But they’re built on blackjack and jello. Our soil absolutely sucks. Fun fact. Even the bridges is only standing due to skin friction. The piles aren’t hitting shit.

[@sherrylanglois5274]

What a great video! Not everyone can appreciate America's infrastructure. I was on the Chesapeake Bay bridge/tunnel years ago. Out in the middle there is a restaurant, bait shop, and a long fishing pier. The talk was that large ocean vessels often hit the bridge in rough weather, causing closures for repairs. I hope you get to see it, on a nice, calm day of course!

[@janetbousho7625]

You almost had me with your mispronunciation of the big Mac here in Michigan. You redeemed yourself. Lol

[@annbsirius1703]

He said it wrong in a previous video and a lot of people corrected him in the comments. When he said it wrong at first here I thought "Surely not... Oh wait... Nevermind".

[@justanotherwhitegirla7093]

Almost went through the screen with that one.

[@08ranaiu]

I was also very proud of his quick correction there☺️

[@williambays3534]

What about the 7 Mile ( 11.25 Km ) longest single bridge in the Florida Keys? The keys are a series of small Islands that go from Miami to Key West all connected by bridges for a total of 169 Miles (256 Km) All together.

[@michaelhampton6388]

It's actually 6.8 miles, or 10900 m. They just rounded up.

[@NOLAgenX]

I’ve not only travelled the Lake Pontchartrain bridge I have commuted on it the last 22 years, 5 days a week. I figured it out last month, that I have spent 2.1 years of my life crossing that bridge! It can be bed in morning in January to March when fog is deeply thick the whole way. Causeway police vehicles will escort convoys across at a painful 30 to 40 mph. It gets shut down in high winds and with severe storms...unless you are already on it. In general though it’s not a bad drive at sunset or dawn, and pelicans will glide alongside for hours drafting on the air currents created by vehicles. Thanks for the list!

[@veramae4098]

Did you ever bite the fog? Or did you mist?

[@dannettepeters1507]

Somehow, the connotation of a "spillway bridge" is so unsettling.

[@haroldwilkes6608]

Not a pretty picture....

[@00mtneer]

I live in New Orleans, but I didn't realize that so many bridges around here would be at the top of your list. I have been across the Atchafalaya bridge on I-10, the Bonnet Carre causeway on I-10, the Manchac Swamp causeway on I-55, the Lake Pontchartrain causeway (not on the interstate system), and the Mobile Bayway also on I-10. And, while on a family vacation when I was a child, my dad insisted that we cross the Chesapeake Bay bridge/tunnel . . . and, then immediately recross it to get back to our hotel (that's an hour and a half of my life I'll never get back). I haven't had the pleasure of the Bayou Lafourche bridge or the California bridge. Six of eight.

[@smspirate]

Only one I"ve missed is the Chesapeake Bay bridge... I feel a road trip coming on....

[@Atis602]

Over 2o years ago as I'm approaching the toll of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel with my car with a broken fuel gauge I'm thinking I've got about 15 miles fuel left. Me, "About how lo g is this bridge?" Toll operator, "About 17 miles." I made it but got off at the first exit for fuel. I filled up before I made the return trip.

[@davyhay1]

As an honorable mention, you should have mentioned the General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge in Mobile, Alabama, also known as the Dolly Parton Bridge. look it up to see why.

[@David_K_pi]

I did, and I do. 😀

[@naydee]

I love that stretch of Interstate 65 that goes over the “Dolly Parton” bridge. The causeway leading up to the bridge and crossing all those rivers is breathtaking. I also love the Africatown bridge that goes over the Mobile River. What a view!!😊

[@haroldwilkes6608]

Dolly Parton and the bridge are four national treasures.

[@grimftl]

Baton Rouge boy here (and former employee of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development) . I have crossed every bridge mentioned (and not just the ones in Louisiana).

[@jamesmiller3548]

Britain has the Chunnel, quite a piece of engineering!

[@haroldwilkes6608]

Half of it anyway. But right, it is really an achievement. I was shocked when the French side met the British side, was betting they'd miss and have two chunnels, two meters apart.

[@merrygoblin]

@@haroldwilkes6608 Supposedly, the huge diggers that made it and met in the middle are still there, buried in the walls at the half-way point... Think of those poor diggers entombed there forever next time you travel on it.

[@haroldwilkes6608]

@@merrygoblin I'd heard that too. Not all tunnel boring machines are lucky; it’s not uncommon for them to drill off to one side and entomb themselves.Those machines are huge. I can see the ad now "Two used tunnel borers for sale cheap - buyer must relocate". They supposedly had diamond bits in the drill faces- wonder if they left them?

[@aggiexpress06]

I’ve been on 7of the 8. Haven’t crossed the lake bridge yet. I’ve lived in all of those states minus Louisiana, but I’ve driven from Mobile AL to CA 3 times.

[@Tiye1988]

I once traveled all the southern bridges in one day. Long story short Hurricane Ivan was a b***h. A 7-hour drive turned into 16 really fast. We got stuck on the Casway for 4 hours.

[@louchat333]

My condolences.

[@christinafidance340]

I would have DIED!!! My condolences as well!

[@HermanVonPetri]

I just had to pause the video to say that I absolutely lost it at the Jeff Bridges joke. It's such a dumb joke, but I love it and it's delivery so much I'm not ashamed to say it.

[@keco185]

I always loved it when I would go over the bay-bridge tunnel as a kid. We would stop on the island and watch all the giant battle ships and cargo ships go by

[@smspirate]

you would barely recognize it now.

[@Jack1rules]

Here in America your “bromford viaduct” looks like an average highway rather than a bridge

[@benhollerbach3564]

The Mackinac bridge is the largest “Suspension bridge” in America. Right around 5 miles (26,372 feet ) For 5 years straight I travelled to the bridge on Labor Day to walk on the bridge. (The only day it’s aloud). A friend once asked me how far off the water is it....... let’s just say you have no chance of doing a “PETER PAN” off of this bridge and tell the tale. Your odds are better going over Niagara Falls in a barrel! Still, it’s nowhere as long as these monstrosities in Louisiana and look forward to traveling on them...... one of these days after... Covid..

[@jessethomas7949]

If you do decide to run I-10 bring water and food. Because it can one of two ways. A nice evening drive or a parking lot that lasts for hours. People can’t drive for shit here.

[@mags102755]

I have driven the bridge tunnel that connects Maryland and Virginia. It was a stunning drive and a miracle of engineering.

[@roxismith6122]

I'll never forget riding across the Lake Pontchartrain bridge as a kid. It started as a two-lane bridge but they were in the process of changing to two bridges, one going each way. We got to the halfway point and there was a sign saying "detour ahead". WTF!? In the middle you can't see anything but water in all directions. Dad said, "Hope you kids can all swim!" 😢😢😢

[@haroldwilkes6608]

Dad jokes are the worst. Still, they could have come up with a better sign (No U-Turn?) - LOL.

[@tylercappello6054]

The Chesapeake Bay bridge tunnel is an absolute pain in the ass. While it's in bridge mode, it's four lanes, with two in each direction, on two separate bridges. When you're in the tunnels, however, it drops to only two lanes. You're quite literally in a cement tube, under the ocean, with opposing traffic whizzing by you, having nothing but painted lines separating the lanes.

[@JohnDaker_singer]

The 7 mile bridge in the Florida Keys doesn’t even make the list? Wow.

[@jgw5491]

Someone said it is about a thousand feet off the mark.

[@BeastOfTraal]

Building a bridge over a Louisiana swamp ain't easy the piles for the Manchac Swamp go 250 feet (76 m) deep

[@haroldwilkes6608]

You're absolutely right on, nobody thinks of that part- a bridge is sometimes like an iceberg, mostly underwater/underground.

[@louchat333]

It takes that far down to hit bedrock.

[@haroldwilkes6608]

@@louchat333 Just curious - I often carried concrete buckets in my youth - 150 pounds per cubic foot - if you had a piling 250' tall, do you really need bedrock? I guess it could sink though so I answered my own question. Or did I?

[@jessethomas7949]

louchat333 there is no bedrock in Louisiana. The piles is held by skin friction alone. Hell, the first 200’ of pile is probably in slush.

[@jessethomas7949]

harold wilkes I’m guessing that those piles would be steel. If not steel they would be large diameter hallow piles. But I have no idea what’s really there. I’m just guessing.

[@YouTubestopsharingmyrealname]

I used to cross the CBBT 4-6 times a year. It's a cool bridge with a nice view. It used to be a single road deck with just one lane in each direction. It was later expanded to 2 decks with 2 lanes; only, they left the tunnels the same so the road ways merge down to one lane in either direction at the tunnels. Weird yes, but traffic is usually not heavy enough to cause issues. It costs you $16 for the pleasure of crossing it.

[@mylt1z28]

They are in the process of adding 2 new tunnels so each direction of travel will have its own tunnels.

[@desertrose9483]

The script for this video is exceptional! Very informative, relatable, numerous, & entery

[@desertrose9483]

And entertaining. The background music in the video is also perfectly suited to the subject matter. Bravo!!👍😁🌟🌟🌟🌟

[@rubynelson1164]

Remember that Louisana bridges have alligators under them.

[@haroldwilkes6608]

And sometimes, on them - like Gator Alley in South Florida or The Everglades area or Okefenokee swamps. I saw a sign that said "Gator Crossing" in Okefenokee - they were.

[@rmkpilates]

Yikes

[@NotKateHepburn]

Alligators don't live permanently in Lake Pontchartrain where the Causeway is. Lake Pontchartrain is a saltwater inlet. Don't worry, to make up for that there are dolphins and bull sharks.

[@haroldwilkes6608]

@@NotKateHepburn True, but this headline shows "Alligators spotted along Mandeville lakefront | wwltv.com " - could have been a alligator gar though - up to 7' long and ugly as sin. Got any crocs though?

[@NotKateHepburn]

@@haroldwilkes6608, Mandeville lakefront is Pontchartrain. As far as I know crocodiles are only found in South Florida. We had an abundance of water snakes though. I even stepped on one once as I went out my front door. I was chased by a Great Egret getting my mail on more than one occasion. Almost stepped on an asp caterpillar more than once. That's a caterpillar disguised as a tribble with venomous hairs. Not gonna talk about the trauma that is called a nutria. Living there was like living in an episode of when animals attack.

[@jamesjfisk4968]

For some reason, that Chesapeake Bay bridge-tunnel gave me an anxiety attack. I never felt any fear or phobia about bridges or tunnels before, but driving through there made me a little twitchy. It was a huge relief when we were finally over it.

[@Jolteon1864]

I’ve been on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in MD and I absolutely hated every second of it.

[@theramentumbleweed2523]

I used to live on Chincoteague Island. I was on that bridge so many times...

[@donkink3114]

I drove this one in aSemi, was pretty cool

[@Cat-zp3hk]

Omg yes regardless if you are a driver or passenger...local or tourist everyone dreads the bay bridge ...

[@jang6894]

I drive it every day to get to work, lol, have ridden a motorcycle over it, and sailed under it. Living so near it, I guess you just kinda get used to it.

[@TrueThanny]

@@theramentumbleweed2523 I went there to visit the park back in 2011. My niece was into horses, and the park was home to a number of wild horses. How on earth did you avoid being devoured by the mosquitoes? My strongest recollection is being out of direct sunlight on one of the walking paths there, and seeing a swam of tens of thousands of mosquitoes (no exaggeration) surrounding me and my niece, held at bay by the bug spray bought in the visitor's center. Curiously, in direct sunlight, all the mosquitoes went away. The damn horseflies, though, just kept dive-bombing, and eventually one sniped the palm of my hand, where I had no bug spray. I don't think I could live there without going outside only in a beekeeper suit.

[@FrancisLapeyre]

I have crossed three of the Louisiana bridges within the past month. The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, I cross every single day. That bridge has its very own police department which patrols it continuously. It also has video cameras in high poles from which the police can zoom in on any point on the bridge to pinpoint traffic accidents or other problems. More trivia: the first (now southbound) span opened in 1956, with a $1.00 toll, each way, for cars. It cost $46 million, and was built in under two years. The second (northbound) span opened in 1969. Here is a Modern Marvels episode about it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZKto62wibx9Z6M

[@independentrogue]

We don't mess around when it comes to bridges down here in Louisiana.

[@haroldwilkes6608]

Food's good too.

[@Brandon-q6n1p]

I have traveled over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel many time throughout my life. As a kid I would get so excited when we left the banks of Virginia Beach and traveled to what seemed to be 17 and a half miles of nowhere just to finally see land again on the Cape Charles side of eastern shore Virginia. I believe it cost $12 one way to cross now. Still a pretty cool ride.

[@tamaragonzalez2227]

I really appreciate all the work you do on giving us history most of us in the USA never knew. What a delight to learn all this information from you. Thank you

[@kevinbryan4215]

I’ve been on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge a few times, it’s quite a view on a clear sunny day but it is not fun when it’s windy.

[@littlearsehole75]

With all of the bridges and their expansion joints between the concrete slabs, Interstate 10 across Louisiana is known as "The World's Longest Vibrator" by Truckers.

[@bethwaller1789]

Yes. I have driven over I-10 many times and always dreaded the LA section. If anything, it's worse in an 18-wheeler than in a car. (My husband was a truck driver, at one point.)

[@jakedajuggernaught]

Hey! i actually crossed 3 of those bridges on my trip from Philadelphia to San Antonio (wife was relocated due to military orders) and that drive took 3 days to do. I believe it was 1730 miles in total but it was really cool seeing the landscapes change each day. Driving over the swamps in Louisiana was actually really cool.

[@crazioma6648]

I've always loved the Louisiana bridge highway system. You can get a little bored on them and risk drifting off to sleep, or into the walls, but in light traffic at high speeds they can be a bit of fun, too. My favorite: Lake Ponchartrain of course. My auntie's cooking's on the other side!

[@richardmorris8902]

I used to go to Chincateague (been a while, not sure about spelling anymore), had to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. It was always a kind fun trip for me. Very long, but fun. God help you if you hit traffic.

[@langly27]

Yeah don't try crossing from 3pm to 6pm. You'll just be sitting still. Great if you're into taking photos though

[@mylt1z28]

@@langly27 I travel the CBBT on a regular basis and there is no sitting still. Pretty sure you're talking about the Bay Bridge which is in Maryland. That gets backed up all the time in the summer on the weekends thanks to people coming over from the DC/Baltimore area to OC.

[@richardmorris8902]

@@mylt1z28 It has been a while for me....over ten years. Admittedly it wasn't a frequent occurrence, but if it did, it's one of the worst jams I've been in. One specifically comes to mind in the early 00's. I think it was a wreck and the traffic was piled up almost the whole way. I sat inside the first tunnel for over two hours. The whole crossing took like 8. I would make the trip about twice a year or so for the better part of ten years. I want to say I hit traffic about three or four times, but every one was hell. Do they at least have places to use the bathroom on there now? It would help a LOT. Lol.

[@suzannemiller993]

When I was a kid, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was a two lane entity. One day, my mother got impatient with the traffic and passed 5 other vehicles with a car coming toward us. Fun times!

[@haroldwilkes6608]

Cool, if you have a seat belt and a life preserver. Congratulations on surviving....

[@hotsoup1001]

Louisiana still maintains its historical French roots, so if in doubt about pronunciation, think French. Wonder how the US compares with tallest bridges? I know we have some scary ones. I watched a show about a bridge in the north east that is so scary to some commuters, that businesses make money driving people and their cars across for them. Not a bridge, but in DFW they have a high tiered interchange that will occasionally catch someone unprepared, and a tourist will come to a panic stop and they and their vehicle will have to be rescued. 😂

[@nateblake7422]

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel is something else. When I was growing up it was only one bridge and rough. Lots of bouncing. Lots of ear popping.

[@moors710]

Going from Houston to Orlando (Disney World) it seemed Louisiana was almost one bridge.

[@smspirate]

wait - you mean it isn't?

[@hotsistersue]

I absolutely love the Causeway bridge. Especially a half an hour before sunset, it's such an amazing experience. Highly recommend.

[@titleloanman]

Jeff Bridges pun earns an automatic like

[@elisam.r.9960]

So many fond memories of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel from my trips to New Jersey as a kid. The little dinner at the south end is no more (sad), but it's still a great trek. I hope to return at some point.

[@charleslafoe4780]

yes we have a lot of water here in Louisiana and just a swamp or two LOL

[@LeannWebb61]

Nearly the whole state of Louisiana is below sea level. That’s why they have so many long bridges. And if you want to talk about scary bridges check out the Huey P. Long bridge in New Orleans.

[@Chipper6811]

Amen to that, that bridge is crazy.

[@walterkent6672]

Not any more, they made the lanes wider. Its almost like a new bridge

[@LeannWebb61]

@@walterkent6672 I was a child when I went across that bridge and a train was going by at the time. I think that bridge is largely responsible for my irrational fear of bridges. I'm glad they finally upgraded that one.

[@harrytabb328]

*shudder* I used to be a trucker. Try crossing the Huey Long in an 18-wheeler! Waitaminute... The widened it?

[@rockyroad2143]

Gee, when i lived in New Orleans there was no toll on the Causeway either direction. As I understand, Lake Pontchartrain has an average depth of only 10 ft......pretty shocking. My favorite bridge was over the Henderson swamp. Beautiful in the winter when the cypress trees were burnt orange.

[@wlsweat1]

I traveled on Amtrak across lake Pontchartrain. It was scary seeing nothing but water on either side...LOL

[@kathy2trips]

Does Amtrak still go there?

[@petertrudelljr]

I did that as a kid. Totally freaked me out. Nothing but water everywhere... and looking down the train at the tracks...just tracks on wooden ties... just a few feet above the water. NOTHING made me feel more naked and afraid than that.

[@TrueThanny]

I drove across the bridge-tunnel in VA back in 2011, while on the return leg of a multi-week cross-country road trip. I had no idea it was coming, since I was just following the GPS route to the next stop. It was a really trippy experience, driving across a very long swath of water at a pretty low level elevation, compared to most bridges, then suddenly plunging down into a tunnel. Then doing it again for the second tunnel. That doesn't even really do it justice. Because you're driving along, and at some point you're seeing a bunch of gigantic ships (think I saw some tankers and container ships) steaming ahead perpendicular to your path. The bridge isn't nearly high enough for them to go under it. Which doesn't matter, because suddenly you realize that _you're_ going under _them,_ as you enter the tunnel.

[@corin164]

The large ships don't go under the bridge. They go over the tunnels.

[@haroldwilkes6608]

@@corin164 Thank you, Captain Obvious....

[@robertvirginiabeach]

All the current SE Virginia tunnels were prefabricated sections built off site and subsequently lowered into trenches dug across the shipping channels. Since the tops of the tunnels are deeper than the bottom of the channels once the sand/silt was back filled the tunnels are well protected bellow the keel of the ships. Supposedly the pending enlargement of the Hampton Roads complex to EIGHT lanes will utilize tunnel boring machines instead. I haven't heard how that's supposed to work in the soft soil under the harbor entrance.

[@haroldwilkes6608]

@@robertvirginiabeach I'll keep an eye out for that. Except for "The Big Dig" in Boston, tunnel boring seems to be the way to go. I worked with a cable TV company - we used boring extensively for burying cable, under rivers and swamps in Florida - not high tech, our guys had only a little training but it worked well. Marc Isambard Brunel deserves a lot of credit for the technique.

[@NoleGal94]

I drove across the Chesapeake Bay bridge every day for almost two years. Traffic was ALWAYS backed up in both directions. I don't miss that commute at all.

[@YouTubestopsharingmyrealname]

I heard that they are adding another one to help with the traffic. Whenever I needed to go through the HRBT, I always figured in an extra hour for whatever I was doing.

[@jamesrichey2434]

lawrence, i love ya man and have been watching for ages, but you're one of us now, you know no one watching this has any idea how long those brides are! You gotta use feet or miles or something we can relate to. i'm disappointed in you, you know better!

[@AmberWool]

I kept waiting for miles.

[@sschmidtevalue]

Both US & UK measurements would have been welcome.

[@ChrisPage68]

I'm disappointed you can't learn an easy system like Metric. 🤦

[@jamesrichey2434]

@@ChrisPage68 that's not the point, this video was made to mainly be seen by u.s. and british citizens. yes we should use it, but we don't, and when 90% of your audience isn't going to understand anything you're saying, it defeats the purpose of the video in the first place.

[@Whatthechuckttv]

The Pontchartrain Causeway is just ridiculous but man can it be fun. At least for someone (me) with a warped sense of humor and a wife with a serious fear of bridges🤣🤣. Yep, when I was married to the first wife, we took a trip to New Orleans and various other places in south Louisiana and she made me swear on all that is Holy that I would NOT get on that bridge. Challenge accepted. I not only did it once, but I did it on the return as well. She can hold her breath for a really long time it turns out. She also fainted 5 times on each pass (each time she opened her eyes). For me and her parents, it was hysterical. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@haroldwilkes6608]

Still married? A friend's husband was the same way and she parked in the middle to stretch her legs - he never got above dashboard level.

[@Whatthechuckttv]

@@haroldwilkes6608 nice. And no, we're divorced but not because of the Causeway stunt, surprisingly. Haha

[@brandonvasser5902]

It’s pronounced: Bayou “la-foo-sh” “Bon eh carry” spill way I’m impressed you said Baton Rouge Batin Rouge and the rest of the things the right way. The one word so many people seem to say differently is Neworlins.

[@lairdcummings9092]

"Nawrlins?"

[@MacGuffinExMachina]

@@lairdcummings9092 I've only heard tourists and people pandering to tourists saying Nawlins or Nawrlins. Even for people who slur it a bit have a slight pause between New and Orleans. If you wanna shorten it and don't want to sound like a tourist, say NOLA. Depending on the strength of accent and what kind of accent, it's usually "New Orlans". "New Awrlins/Awlins", and I think that's it, with maybe slight variations. If you're interested in NOLA accents, this is an interesting watch. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqGpdYGKpJl3hMk I can't say I hear much of that Garden District accent in that video these days. People I know living around there sound nothing like that. Most people are going to sound similar to the people in the video with the "yat" accent.

[@mannfan12]

@@MacGuffinExMachina Right. I am from Alabama, have lived all over the South, and I have never heard Nawlins except in movies. MY mother, with her thick north Alabama accent always pronounced it "New Orlans" with just a tiny bit of a slur between the words. And yes we used to live in NOLA.

[@lairdcummings9092]

@@MacGuffinExMachina heh. There's a reason I put a question mark on that. Thanks for the education!

[@mph7282]

@@MacGuffinExMachina Every person I've ever known from New Orleans says "New Awrlins". I've never heard a native say "Nawlins". That's a bad Hollywood way of saying it. And don't get me started on bad Hollywood Southern accents. Forrest Gump's was probably the worst I've ever heard.

[@leighabbott105]

The CBBT is wild because you can be cruising along on a bridge span with an aircraft carrier perpendicular crossing over a tunnel. The home of the Atlantic Fleet is just beyond it plus cargo ships going to Port of Norfolk and Baltimore. A surreal sight!

[@adhdegrees]

When Florida gets snubbed by 1 meter

[@cindyknudson2715]

Would it have made the top ten??

[@MistImp1]

Actually it got snubbed by 269 meters.

[@MistImp1]

@@cindyknudson2715 had he done 9 instead of 8, the Seven Mile Bridge would have made the list.

[@kindlingpoint]

So my youtube recommended videos are almost all videos about anxiety/GAD and panic disorder since I was recently diagnosed and put on medication and out of the blue this video just randomly shows up, what a nice change

[@JennRighter]

I’ve traveled on every one of the Louisiana bridges but none of the others. Funny because I’ve only stayed in Louisiana once (New Orleans, 2016, magical place). But I’ve driven from Texas elsewhere taking me through Louisiana many, many times and back.

[@et76039]

"...only stayed in Louisiana once...." Smart of you.

[@haroldwilkes6608]

@@et76039 Y'all play nice now, y'hear?

[@robnorris4770]

I used to commute across the San Mateo bridge. Nobody called it the San Mateo - Hayward bridge.

[@briansquire8825]

Thank you! Is just the San Mateo bridge

[@kenrichard8870]

I drive the Causeway everyday. I used to have to drive the Manchac bridge everyday. I have traveled on all of the La bridges and the Mobile Bay bridge more times than I can count. Thanks for this, I am glad you mentioned that the Causeway is STILL the longest bridge in the world over water. IMHO putting an unnecessarily curve in your bridge just to make it longer is cheating. BTW Manchac is not pronounced with a hard “ch” sound. It is more like “Manshack”.

[@mamieanding5691]

I was about 5 when we drove to NOLA from MS, and went over the Manchac Bridge. It looked so steep! I was terrified until we were all the way down level.

[@annlabuda604]

Native Texan here. I've driven on the top 3 longest bridges in the US. Neat! Thank you for being such a cool neighbor, Louisiana!

[@HistoryNerd808]

With so much water sometimes we Americans have just got to try out our engineering skills at crossing said water.

[@Adiscretefirm]

"you know what would be even better than owning all this? owning all that (waving arm widely towards the far bank) over there too"

[@balancedactguy]

Yes,.....why go around a lake when you can build a bridge across it?

[@haroldwilkes6608]

We tried walking on it but that only works in winter.

[@haroldwilkes6608]

@@balancedactguy Somebody calculated a road around - about three times longer (pi * D) and, because of the swampy land, the little bridges would have totaled up longer than the Causeway. I'm waiting for the Bering Strait bridge....only 58 miles.

[@carlablair9898]

We were traveling through Louisiana and went out of our way to cross Lake Pontchartrain, and we really enjoyed riding the bridge. I love bridges, so a salute to all the civil engineers.

[@astrodiver1]

BTW is the Brooklyn bridge still for sale?

[@christelheadington1136]

I can get it for you wholesale.

[@danielleporter1829]

@@christelheadington1136 😀

[@christelheadington1136]

@john Mullholand -Is it close to London Bridge ?

[@richardjohnson4238]

I cross the Chesapeake-Bay Bridge Tunnel at least a couple-three times a year. Sometimes just for the fun of it. There used to be a fishing pier/rest area/snack bar type facility there on the south island. My Uncle and I went out several times to fish off the pier. I remember late one night waking up and realizing something was out there that was blacker than the night. It was a nuclear submarine heading out on patrol. Quite an exciting thing to see for a young kid.

[@livvyweimar7362]

All of Louisiana is a swamp. We need bridges.

[@ssga_tgbuddy3082]

Not the Piney Hills around Ruston to Alexandria.

[@haroldwilkes6608]

You need a sump pump, a really big one. I love those swamps though, deceptive but delightful. I've been lost and found in several. Lost was more fun because found meant I had to go back to work.

[@LisaH1960]

I lived in Louisiana for 30 years and have been on all these bridges. Always knew causeway was the longest but didn’t realize those other were so long. Thanks for this video.. I love your videos. I’ve been to London once in 2018. Loved it!!

[@Gravy00x13]

Do the highest bridges vs british ones!

[@ChrisPage68]

The Queen Elizabeth ll Bridge over the River Thames is a real "nosebleed" of a bridge, as the run-up is so steep. But there's one in Japan that is like a roller-coaster.

[@zeusathena26]

I'm from Louisiana, & I've been across all their bridges, except the bridge, & tunnel one. On lake Pontchartrain you often can't see either coast line. I can't imagine having a breakdown, or crash! It would take forever to get to you, towed, or an ambulance. It's beautiful, & a little eerie at night, by yourself. Also don't make a wrong turn getting on the bridge, you can't turn around. 👍 I love the bridges there.

[@jalasword]

"Bonnie carrie spillway" is how that is pronounced.

[@ChrisPage68]

Bon car, I would imagine, being a French name.

[@jalasword]

@@ChrisPage68 I lived in New Orleans for the first 38 years of my life. I promise, they pronounce it "Bonnie Carrie". Just because it's French word doesn't mean it is said properly.

[@TrueThanny]

@@ChrisPage68 Lafayette, NJ is pronounced more or less how a Frenchman would think. Lafayette County, GA is pronounced "luh-FAY-ut". Sometimes we try. Sometimes we don't.

[@ninline2000]

@@TrueThanny I remember a friend that was on the USS Bonhomme Richard pronounced it the Bone Home Richard.

[@pageribe2399]

The Pensacola (Florida) Bay Bridge is only about 3 miles long, but the old bridge there was very high above the water, even though it had a frequently used central drawbridge panel. Most notable, though, was that it only had 2 lanes, and they were narrow, at that, and there was no fire lane, at all. It was kind of creepy making the crossing, even on a dry sunny day, because you felt like you were going to have a head on collision with the oncoming traffic at any moment. -- it really was that narrow. My mother ran out of gas right smack dab in the middle of the thing one afternoon while driving me and a little friend home from the beaches on Santa Rosa Island. Our disabled vehicle caused quite a mess as cars crept around us one at a time, some just barely getting back into the lane as the oncoming traffic rapidly approached. I specifically remember our anxiety rising in anticipation of the big car wreck that was going to throw us through the puny concrete railings and into the drink. Plus, having never been stopped that high up above the water before, I discovered that the crashing waves below caused the sensation of movement, as if on a boat! My little friend got seasick & puked, but I maintained. We sat there for quite some time. Finally, a man stopped behind us, walked up to my mother's window -- she was more-or-less frozen with fear -- and told her to put the car in neutral so he could push us to the end of the bridge. She complied just as his front bumper made contact with our rear one. And off we went. He pushed us kind of fast, and mother had a hard time holding the car steady, but we eventually made it to the gas station just past the end of the bridge. Mother never said a word, even after we got home, where she promptly fixed a strong G & T before disappearing into her bedroom with only a warning of, "Don't tell your father," before she closed the door. I was only about 5 at the time so I didn't have enough sense to get terribly frightened; it was more like an adventure for me. I shudder when I look back at it now, though. Anyway, a few years later they built a modern four lane that had a very tall center section instead of a drawbridge. And, the old two lane was demoted to a fishing bridge. It was a weird day, and I still have dreams about watching the waves crashing against each other so far below us. But, we all made it, so it turned out alright.

[@codydye6485]

The list is wrong tho the Chesapeake bay bridge tunnel is the second longest bridge in the US coming in at 121,440ft or 37,014.912 meters

[@Jmerzio]

Theres different ways of counting things. The CBBT has: "12 miles of low-level trestle, 2 one-mile-long tunnels, 2 bridges, 2 miles of causeway, 4 manmade islands and 5-1/2 miles of approach roads." Im gonna bet the length the video used only counted the trestle, bridges and tunnels

[@tannerrobinson5110]

I've been over a number of those, all on the same trip from Minnesota to New Orleans and back. Luckily I was on a coach bus and didn't have to drive!

[@damonbryan7232]

Louisiana, the only state with harder names to pronounce than Florida.

[@brianmccarthy5557]

El Cajon, La Canada, Tujunga in California, just to name a few. We natives either grit our teeth or laugh when outsiders visit or move here and screw up our names. Yes, there are native Californians. My people have been here since the late 1800's and I went to school with kids descended from Spanish land grant families and the local native tribes. Of course, two centuries or more of intermarriage don't make ancestry obvious.

[@TheOzzyMartin1]

Brian McCarthy *stares in the second most spoken language in the nation, and the language of the country you border*

[@allargon]

Texas changed the pronunciations of common English names and words just to take that title from Louisiana and Florida. 🙄

[@lilskywalker4491]

Lived in Baton Rouge for 15 years. Husband commuted to New Orleans daily over the Bonnet Carre spillway, if there was an accident on it, totally screwed, nowhere to exit for miles and miles. Made only a few trips to Lafayette, but always on the Atchafalaya bridge for those, once took the Hwy 1 bridge, and ONLy once made the LONG haul over the Pontchartrain causeway. I can't imagine doing that on a regular basis, but a lot of folks do.