Millennium Bridge, London

The Millennium Bridge-London’s bold leap into the 21st century, and quite literally, a wobbly one.

This sleek steel span holds not one, not two, but three distinctions. First, it’s the youngest of the Thames crossings. Second, it’s the only bridge in London where cars are banished-only pedestrians, photographers, and the occasional rollerblader. And third? It set a record for the fastest closure in UK bridge history. Opened with great fanfare... then swiftly shut down just two days later because, well, it couldn’t handle people's excitement. Or their footsteps...

Designed to mark the year 2000, the bridge was formally inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II as the winning brainchild of Foster & Partners and Ove Arup & Partners-those clever folks you call when you want something to be both futuristic and structurally sound. Stretching 325 meters (or 1060+ feet), it tiptoes across the Thames with eight low-slung suspension cables (tensioned to exert a formidable 2000-ton force against the sturdy piers rooted on each bank) that don’t dare obstruct your Insta-worthy shot of St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Indeed, as a pedestrian-only portal between the Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe on one end, and the mighty dome of St. Paul’s on the other, the views it affords are truly a chef’s kiss.

Of course, its opening-day wobble-thanks to 90,000 enthusiastic pedestrians striding in unintentional unison-earned it the affectionate moniker “The Wobbly Bridge.” But fear not: engineers came to the rescue with over 50 high-tech dampers and stabilizers galore, and by 2002, the bridge was back in action, shimmy-free.

Speaking of dramatic comebacks-yes, that was the very bridge you saw disintegrating in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Death Eaters swoop in, chaos erupts, and the Millennium Bridge bends like a paperclip. Don’t worry, though-it was all movie magic. The real bridge stood firm and survived the scene unscathed, unlike its fictional counterpart.

Tip:
Wear good walking shoes, bring a raincoat (because it's London), and don’t forget to glance down-sometimes there are funky little art stickers underfoot. Because, again, this is London, and even the pavement might be making a statement.