June 16, 2002
The Brooklyn Bridge. We had some time to kill between the "Reading It" event mentioned below and a show we were attending later that night, so Christine asked me, "What have you always wanted to do?" It's an excellent question, one that I recommend that everybody out there either ask themselves or somebody close to them sometime soon.
Well, the first thing that came to mind was a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. I had driven across the venerable structure a couple of times — a Cyclone-like experience with the same out-of-control and "there's-no-way-I'm not-gonna-crash-into-that sensation — but had never walked across the unusually pedestrian-friendly span. With no good reason not to, we set out on the long walk towards City Hall to the bridge.
The Brooklyn Bridge is a gorgeous, complicated work, managing to accomplish its difficult task (spanning the tumultuous East River without disrupting the incredibly busy traffic) with style and grace. We walked across the bridge, admiring its construction, the passing cars and the East River perilously close. It's a great place to sit for a while and talk, watching the passers-by, the noise slowly fading away into the background, Manhattan and Brooklyn spread out for the taking. It made me happy.
Both the NYCRoads site and this contemporary Harper's Monthly article offer the fascinating history. Gary Feuerstein presents the facts and figures, and Denton Taylor has some terrific photos of the bridge.
Well, the first thing that came to mind was a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. I had driven across the venerable structure a couple of times — a Cyclone-like experience with the same out-of-control and "there's-no-way-I'm not-gonna-crash-into-that sensation — but had never walked across the unusually pedestrian-friendly span. With no good reason not to, we set out on the long walk towards City Hall to the bridge.
The Brooklyn Bridge is a gorgeous, complicated work, managing to accomplish its difficult task (spanning the tumultuous East River without disrupting the incredibly busy traffic) with style and grace. We walked across the bridge, admiring its construction, the passing cars and the East River perilously close. It's a great place to sit for a while and talk, watching the passers-by, the noise slowly fading away into the background, Manhattan and Brooklyn spread out for the taking. It made me happy.
Both the NYCRoads site and this contemporary Harper's Monthly article offer the fascinating history. Gary Feuerstein presents the facts and figures, and Denton Taylor has some terrific photos of the bridge.
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