As an unusually acrimonious election cycle which definitely will be one for the record books, draws to a close, the talk about walls has been a dominant theme. Yet, regardless of who wins, I think it will take a lot of bridge building - figuratively speaking, both across and within, to get our country whole again or great again (or whichever other slogan you believe in)

As far as architecture goes, I think it's a whole lot more interesting and fun to design and build, or for that matter photograph, bridges than walls. Bridges have spanned countries and continents (and yes, there can be bridges to nowhere too - Alaska's cancelled Gravina project anyone?). In terms of an architectural structure that can have the most impact on humanity and progress, can't think of anything else that comes even close to touching that many lives in a more significant way.

As a photographer, bridges have always fascinated me with their lines, shapes, spans, heights and the variety of angles to photograph them from. Two cities that are close to my heart - Boston on the east coast and San Francisco on the west, both have some iconic bridges.

Here are a few of my favorite recent bridge images from Boston and San Francisco.

Tobin Bridge and skyline at sunset, Boston

Western span of Bay Bridge, San Francisco

Eastern span of Bay Bridge, San Francisco

Simply put, walls divide whereas bridges unite. Let's build more bridges in our minds, in our hearts, in our country, in this world.