8. Brooklyn Bridge, New York, N.Y.

Few structures are as emblematic of a city’s spirit as the Brooklyn Bridge is of New York’s. Its Gothic piers are evocative of Europe but its scale and urban backdrop are unmistakably Gotham. It was designed by John Roebling, who invented steel cable wire and had the idea to spin it in place over a river. But the father of the modern suspension bridge died before the span between Manhattan and Brookyn was completed in 1883, leaving his son (and later, his son’s wife) in charge of the actual construction. Poet Hart Crane said the bridge was “of harp and anvil fused.”

For more information: Brooklyn Bridge

SEE ALSO: World's Most Stunning City Skylines