Every year, millions of tourists queue for hours to see two great New York
icons, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. They return home
having ticked off “New York, views of” on their itineraries, having missed
the easiest, and cheapest, way to see Manhattan’s vaunted cityscape.
This month, Brooklyn Bridge celebrates its 125th anniversary. When it opened
in 1883, John Roebling’s masterpiece of industrial design was the world’s
longest suspension bridge, linking America’s two largest cities, New York
and Brooklyn. Roebling topped the bridge with an elevated pedestrian
walkway, dramatically suspended 18ft above the carriageway. It’s this that
makes it such a treat for bridge-walkers of the automobile era.
Start on the Brooklyn side and cross to Manhattan, looking down occasionally
to see the cars whizzing below you. A yellow line divides the walkway into
pedestrian and cycle lanes – if you’re overtaking dawdlers, check before you
cross the divide, as New York’s Lycra warriors hurtle up and down at a fair
lick, and don’t take kindly to invasions of their turf.
Stop at the first of the two magnificent gothic-revival towers and gaze out
through the spider’s web of cables at the towering skyscrapers of downtown
Manhattan. Past the southern tip is that most enduring of New York symbols,
the Statue of Liberty, watching benevolently over her great city.
On the northern side, graceful Manhattan Bridge, with the distant Empire State
Building rising imperiously behind it, effortlessly spans the East River.
The promenade rises and falls with the curvature of the bridge; and, as you
reach the crest, the glittering city unfolds. Slightly to your left is that
sublime neogothic/art-deco masterpiece, the Woolworth Building, showing off
her armour; to your right are the elegant neoclassical government buildings.
Catch your breath in leafy City Hall Park.
For the best views of the bridge itself, head to the Brooklyn Heights
Promenade, just south of the bridge, or down below the bridge in the
Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park. Squeezed between Brooklyn and Manhattan
bridges, in the ridiculously named Dumbo neighbourhood (Down Under the
Manhattan Bridge Overpass), this tiny park, with its natural pebble beach,
is the setting for many summer events, including walk-in movies.
Sunset-chasers should aim for cocktails or dinner at the swish River Cafe, in
the shadow of the bridge and next to one of four giant waterfalls that are
being installed on the East River for the summer as part of a temporary city
art project.
As for Roebling, he never got to see his dream become reality. His toes were
crushed in a construction accident and he insisted not only on having them
amputated without anaesthetic, but on administering his own brand of “water
therapy” instead of accepting conventional medical treatment. His medical
savvy turned out to be inferior to his engineering skills, and he died a
couple of weeks later from lockjaw.
His son, Washington, the chief engineer, succeeded him, but he succumbed to
decompression sickness and took to his bed. So it was Washington’s wife,
Emily, who guided the project to completion. On May 24, 1883 – 37 years
before women got full voting rights in America – she led the opening
procession across the East River.
Need to know
Chris Coplans travelled as a guest of Virgin Holidays (0871 222 5825, www.virginholidays.co.uk),
which offers a three-night package at the Ritz-Carlton, Battery Park, 15
minutes from Brooklyn Bridge, from £995pp; or three nights at the Brooklyn
Bridge Marriott, five minutes away, from £785pp.
Both prices include flights and complimentary use of Virgin’s New York
concierge service. Other airlines flying to New York include American
Airlines (020 7365 0777, www.americanairlines.co.uk)
and British Airways (0844 493 0787, www.ba.com).
Subway lines that take you within walking distance of the bridge include F, 1,
2, M, N, R, C, 4 and 5. For more information, go to www.visitbrooklyn.org
