Walking Across the Brooklyn Bridge
Thousands of people and cyclists cross the Brooklyn Bridge - one of the bridges between Manhattan and Brooklyn - everyday. Some go from Brooklyn to their job in Manhattan - and vice versa. Many are tourists who enjoy walking across and viewing both cities while they do so.
The bridge was opened in 1883 and spans the East River. Construction took 14 years and some 150,000 vehicles still cross it today. It's popularity to pedestrians is due to it's grand "promenade" or walkway for pedestrians that sits above the roadway. Pedestrians and cyclists don't have to deal with traffic and can walk the bridge at their leisure.
I've been to New York City a handful of times but I'd never walked across the bridge. So I decided to make it a priority on this trip. I'm definitely not a New York expert and there are gazillions of things you can look up and read on the world wide web about crossing the bridge. I read a bunch and then we made a plan. The views of Manhattan from the bridge are quite spectacular so we decided to start in Brooklyn and walk to Manhattan. We were staying in lower Manhattan so we took the East River Ferry from there ($4 and it took about 3 minutes total) to Brooklyn Bridge Park. We had a leisurely lunch at Shake Shack beneath the bridge and as we were eating the rain started coming down. When it stopped we said "Ok, let's do this. If it starts raining we can duck under cover until it stops." We were already there, so why not?
The sky was looking rather ominous on our short walk to the stairs to the bridge (it's a short and easy walk from Brooklyn Bridge Park - you can use GPS) But it wasn't raining when we started the walk.
Well, of course, you can guess what happened next. Not a few minutes into our walk the skies opened up and by the time we arrived at the first bridge tower we were soaked and sloshing in our shoes. Forget the "duck and cover" theory. So we waited around under the tower and when it finally let up a tiny bit, we kept going.
One thing was for sure - we had the bridge almost completely to ourselves!
We made our way across the bridge and walked back to our hotel. A little more wet than when we started but I'm glad we did it. I've walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. And the rain sure make it more unusual than some walks across it.
And just for giggles, here's a before and after!
How about you? Have you walked the Brooklyn Bridge?
This post is part of a link-up with: Travel Photo Thursday at Budget Travelers Sandbox, Weekend Travel Inspiration at Reflections Enroute, The Weekly Postcard at Travel Notes and Beyond and Weekend Wanderlust Facebook Travel Blog Party!
The bridge was opened in 1883 and spans the East River. Construction took 14 years and some 150,000 vehicles still cross it today. It's popularity to pedestrians is due to it's grand "promenade" or walkway for pedestrians that sits above the roadway. Pedestrians and cyclists don't have to deal with traffic and can walk the bridge at their leisure.
I've been to New York City a handful of times but I'd never walked across the bridge. So I decided to make it a priority on this trip. I'm definitely not a New York expert and there are gazillions of things you can look up and read on the world wide web about crossing the bridge. I read a bunch and then we made a plan. The views of Manhattan from the bridge are quite spectacular so we decided to start in Brooklyn and walk to Manhattan. We were staying in lower Manhattan so we took the East River Ferry from there ($4 and it took about 3 minutes total) to Brooklyn Bridge Park. We had a leisurely lunch at Shake Shack beneath the bridge and as we were eating the rain started coming down. When it stopped we said "Ok, let's do this. If it starts raining we can duck under cover until it stops." We were already there, so why not?
The sky was looking rather ominous on our short walk to the stairs to the bridge (it's a short and easy walk from Brooklyn Bridge Park - you can use GPS) But it wasn't raining when we started the walk.
Well, of course, you can guess what happened next. Not a few minutes into our walk the skies opened up and by the time we arrived at the first bridge tower we were soaked and sloshing in our shoes. Forget the "duck and cover" theory. So we waited around under the tower and when it finally let up a tiny bit, we kept going.
One thing was for sure - we had the bridge almost completely to ourselves!
We made our way across the bridge and walked back to our hotel. A little more wet than when we started but I'm glad we did it. I've walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. And the rain sure make it more unusual than some walks across it.
And just for giggles, here's a before and after!
How about you? Have you walked the Brooklyn Bridge?
This post is part of a link-up with: Travel Photo Thursday at Budget Travelers Sandbox, Weekend Travel Inspiration at Reflections Enroute, The Weekly Postcard at Travel Notes and Beyond and Weekend Wanderlust Facebook Travel Blog Party!
Oh poor you being rained on - at least you did get a solo experience. We walked it back in 2012 and enjoyed the park on the Brooklyn side too.
ReplyDeleteWet, we were! And now you know what I look like directly out of the shower ha ha! Thanks for visiting, Jan!
DeleteI have been to New York a couple of times and have not walked the bridge yet. Like you said, I think New Yorkers are used to the bridge and they do not see nothing special on crossing it. I say that because my sister, who lives in the city, didn't want to walk the bridge with me. She said she didn't see the point. I will have to enlist somebody else for a walk.
ReplyDeleteI always find that people who live somewhere don't like to do the "touristy" things also. If I'm there when you visit, I'd be happy to walk it with you Ruth. It's a fun experience! Thanks for visiting!
DeleteI've yet to visit New York but I feel I would have to do this too. The Brooklyn Bridge is just so iconic and worth a little rain to see. Some great photos here, nice one! #WeekendWanderlust
ReplyDeleteIt is very iconic and I was happy to be able to do it. Might try it again on a sunny day, too! Thanks and thanks for visiting
DeleteI love this walk, have done it many times and it never gets old. Even when it is crowded! The views are just so impressive. Thanks for sharing this on #TheWeeklyPostcard
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for visiting!
DeleteIt's a beautiful walk but I've never done it. I've been in New York many times before, but I was more attracted by the museums and other landmarks (not to mention the shopping and the restaurants). Thank you for joining us for #TheWeeklyPostcard.
ReplyDeleteWe did manage to do a few other things that week - but not nearly enough shopping - and too much eating! Thanks for visiting!
DeleteGreat photos even with the rain! I love the skyline! Just imagine how beautiful it is on a sunny day! At least you had the bridge to yourself! I have recently done the harbour bridge walk in Sydney and it offers some spectacular views too! Great post and thanks for sharing! Loving the before and after photos haha!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter did the Sydney harbour bridge walk and said it was amazing! But she did say that one of the things she was thinking is "My mom would not like this!" And I'm sure she was right, I'm not keen on heights. Thanks for visiting!
DeleteWe didn't have time to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge when we visited New York (plus it was too cold for us Texans), but I'd like to do it one day... when it's warm and ideally dry. You look very different in the before and after photos, but your husband is remarkably unchanged.
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't even look wet, does he? Ha ha If you could see his clothes better you'd see he was soaked. Thanks for stopping by, Michele!
DeleteWe've been to NYC a few times now and each time we leave we say to ourselves, "Next time we'll walk across the Brooklyn Bridge." Still haven't done it, but next time we will!
ReplyDeleteSo many things in New York are like that! Just too many things to do - we say alot of Next Time!
DeleteI always tell people who visit NYC to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. It's almost exactly one mile. The rain might have been lucky as the bridge can get quite crowded.
ReplyDeleteAnd the cyclist get very impatient with tourists who wander into their path.
Definitely no crowds on that day - and I did enjoy it! Hoping to do it on a sunny day someday!
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