This has been, by far, one of the best turtle runs I have ever been on. It took four visits to collect these pictures and conduct a little research so that I could give an account to my out of state/country friends some history behind one of my favorite spots to enjoy some eye candy. This post is dedicated to my girlfriends Kathy Passarette, L.I. Staging/Decorating, a fellow Club Chaos Brooklynite, Elizabeth Weintraub, Sacramento Real Estate Broker, Lyon Real Estate, Poppy Dinsey ~ Zoomf, London, UK (who inspired this entire project with a delicious piece of eye candy of London's Tower Bridge). Since Poppy was kind enough to give us "A Walk Around London," I decided to give her a turtle run across The Brooklyn Bridge...
By the way, Poppy takes us on a new tour of the United Kingdom and provides some very delicious eye candy with "A Walk About Chester, England."
What can one say about "The Brooklyn Bridge"? As a native New Yorker born and raised in Brooklyn, one of the first things we were taught as little children is the fact that The Brooklyn Bridge happens to be one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. I don't know how long it is, there have been a few squabbles about that with the highway extensions being added, as well as the expanded "on" and "off" ramps, but I do know that it extends over the East River connecting the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. At one point, it was the only land connection for people to cross between the City of Brooklyn and the City of New York. On the Manhattan side, it ends in front of City Hall Park. On the Brooklyn side, it ends on Brooklyn Bridge Blvd where the US Post Office and Court complexes are located. On completion, it was reported to be the largest suspension bridge in the world and is rumored to have been the first steel-wire suspension bridge. Originally referred to as "The New York and Brooklyn Bridge," it was called "The Brooklyn Bridge" in an 1867 letter to the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and was eventually re-named by the City of New York government officials in 1915. It was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark as well as a National Historical Landmark, the latter taking place one year before I was born, sometime in 1964.
Construction reportedly began on January 3, 1870 and took approximately 13 years to complete. On May 24, 1883 The Brooklyn Bridge was considered officially opened. According to Wikipedia, "On that first day, a total of 1,800 vehicles and 150,300 people crossed what was then the only land passage between Manhattan and Brooklyn. The bridge's main span over the East River is 1,595 feet 6 inches (486.3 m). The bridge cost $15.5 million to build and approximately 27 people died during its construction. One week after the opening, on May 30, a rumor that the Bridge was going to collapse caused a stampede which crushed and killed twelve people. At the time it opened, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world — 50% longer than any previously built — and it has become a treasured landmark. Additionally, for several years the towers were the tallest structures in the Western Hemisphere."
Here, and the following two photographs, I'm facing Brooklyn standing before the Manhattan side Tower where one of the corner stones is visible. This Tower was capped in 1875.
Here is a shot of the underside of the Brooklyn side Tower, near The River Cafe off of Water Street. There is a man-made water fall off the promenade I may have to feature soon. The eye candy at night is spectacular! Imagine dining under the BB while staring at the Manhattan skyline... I see a night run in my future...
If you are going to jog (or visit) beneath the BB, you must enter the promenade for a wonderful view of the bridge, Manhattan, the Statute of Liberty, and South Street Seaport.
I started each of my turtle runs from the Brooklyn end. I love coming around the bend and being greeted by the Manhattan skyline. Reaching City Hall is always such a nice incentive. I shall blog about that in the very near future as well.
Off camera, the Manhattan Bridge is to your right, well past the Verizon building towering in the photo.
Not only can you see the Manhattan Bridge to the right of the BB, if you look closely you can also pick out the Empire State Building in the left side of the photograph.
To your left of the BB, as you cross the bridge towards City Hall Park, you can enjoy views of the South Street Seaport and even see the Statute of Liberty off on the horizon.
At the Manhattan side Tower of the BB, there is a gap in the cables which gives you an unobstructed view of the Manhatan Bridge that is just awesome! If you look closely, you can see a man made waterfall streaming in the background just under the roadway and a little to the right of the base of the MB's Manhattan side Tower.
As you near the BB's exit, there is a gorgeous view of historical architecture...
Stay tuned for my next turtle run showcasing City Hall and City Hall Park.
I love New York!
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