Monday, November 25, 2013

Our 2013 American Trip: Brooklyn Bridge, NYC


Back to NYC again from when we visited Robin at the beginning of October!  I already showed you our day in Central Park.  The next day, Monday, October 7, we walked the Brooklyn Bridge...something Astrid had already done in 2008, but a first for me.

Of course, we had to get there and so saw a lot beforehand.
It's not just the destination, you know!

Once we saw the Brooklyn Bridge sign, we could almost taste it.

The Brooklyn Bridge is one of America's oldest suspension bridges, completed in 1883.
It spans the East River, connecting the buroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The upper level is for pedestrians/bikers only.

Talk about a photo-op!
Everyone wants to get in on the action.

It was so blustery, with some mist, we almost blew off the bridge.

Even Lady Liberty hung on for dear life, at the beginning of the government shutdown.
And don't forget the Jehovah's Witnesses and their Watchtower...an iconic sign for NYC.

But I especially loved the Manhattan Bridge on the other side, open since 1909.

See how close the two bridges are!  They could easily hold hands.
(image by David Shankbone)

And guess what!  Yes!

Enough love padlocks to sink a ship.
But not nearly as many as on the bridge in Köln when we saw them in March!

Once we crossed the bridge and were now in Brooklyn, we discovered we were in DUMBO:
Down Under the Manhatthan Bridge Overpass.
At ground level we could look up to both bridges.

Robin knew we'd want to see Jane's Carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park,
 even though it wasn't open.
We were even privy to a wedding photo-op nearby.

As we walked to where we'd eat lunch, we had another photo-op of art-slash-graffiti.

Who says this isn't art...or that it's boring (top-right).

In fact, there is art of some sort everywhere you look in NYC!

Even where we ate lunch, I was more interested in the photo-op
than what we ate...apparently!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Fully replenished from lunch, we headed to the NY Public Library...

...taking the subway from Brooklyn back to Manhattan.

The New York Public Library is America's second largest, behind the Library of Congress,
and the third largest in the world.

Once again, Robin knew exactly what we'd want to see!
Totally worth the time it took on our way home.

Impressions.  Impressions.  Impressions.
Oh, and did I mention George Gershwin used to live in the same building as Robin?

14 comments:

  1. thanks for the tour. i would have thought it's astrid's first time to cross the bridge and not yours.

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    1. Isn't that weird, Maria! She took one last trip with her son and ex-husband before the divorce and went to NYC because it had already been planned, tickets bought, etc. That's when she walked the bridge. Reality is often stranger than fiction!

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  2. It must be time for me to pay a visit to NYC again, I was there twice... back in the late 60s and again in the 80s. The WTC towers were still standing then, they are in the background to some of my photos. Incredible to think they are not there any more. Saw the Brooklyn Bridge but didn't walk across it. I've read The Great Bridge by David McCullough, a super book telling the story of building the bridge. Hard to visit a big city like NYC on my own though.... and I don't know anyone who lives there!

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    1. Of course there'd be a book about that bridge! I bet it'd be interesting to read. I have been to NYC several times in my lifetime but this is the time I'll remember the most, mainly because taking pictures is more important to me now than ever. I really want to remember what I saw! Maybe one of these days you'll have someone who'll want to go with you. Start asking?! :)

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  3. Robin gave you a grand tour. Nobody should leave NY without experiencing how what were once two great cities first shook hands; that's got to be one of the finest walks anywhere. Did you also get to walk around Bowling Green and Wall Street? My first job was in 250 Broadway as it was being built. I got to study every floor on the Woolworth building which was across the street. I loved your selection of graffiti and your bottles, and I'm glad you got to the library. What no lions?

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    1. We went somewhere different every day, Ted, so we got several grand tours from Robin! I'm working on Columbia University as we speak!

      I must say, however, that you keep throwing in little tidbits that round out the experience, so thank you. We got to the library at the end of the day, before it became dark, so if there were lions, I totally missed them. If you say they are there, I believe you. HA! Next time I'll look them square in the face...just for you! :)

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  4. What a fabulous compilation of our time together!! Yes, the lions...well we missed them because we walked thru Bryant Park and then ran like hell to miss the downpour that Astrid KNEW was on the way! We'll get the lions next time, and Wall Street, and Staten Island, and......

    xoxo

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    1. Now that you mention it, Robin, I had a feeling the lions were on the other side...which I HAVE seen in another life. HA! And is that big bull on Wall Street? Then I've seen that, too. It's Staten Island I haven't seen. Next time. :)

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  5. Each time after you post, and I scroll down, it amazes me how much we see in one day.....and every picture tells a story. The wind and rain on the Brooklyn Bridge. The walk to Dumbo and the lunch in that nice restaurant. Our time in the Library was great, the fact that you found where you were looking for, made our day !
    Thank you for all the time you put into these posts. each time it is a delight to see, 'what we saw'....

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    1. It's so true...we really know how to pack a day! And Robin was such a trooper with us. But don't get a step ahead of me...what I was looking for was in the next library, at Columbia University, That's the post I'm working on now. :)

      I'm so glad we have these posts to look back on. What a legacy!

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  6. Such wonderful details, Boots, small and large! I learned a few things from this post, like that about DUMBO. :) You took beautiful photos, and as always, it is all so interesting in a composite, because it shows what you are drawn to, and we get to see what you want to see, as well as what you see! Such richness, I just love it all. Isn't NYC fun?? I miss visiting now that LBJ are in MI, but of course I am glad they're here. :)

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    1. You are such an encouragement, Sister. Thank you. Isn't it intriguing what witness we each bear to the exact same thing! How our eyes see the same things in different ways! It always amazes me. I wonder what YOUR post would look like if you had been with us that day..... :)

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  7. OH, MY!! How could you even stand it ... so much to see and take photos of! Just funfunfun! But I wish I knew the story behind the locks. Thanks for such an amazing trip to the Big Apple!

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    1. The Big Apple is something else, Susan. Nothing like it! My guess is the locks are showing up all over the world everywhere, now that the idea is out there. We see them everywhere we go...in the bigger cities, that is. They have really caught on, haven't they. If there's a river nearby, the lovebirds throw the key into it! :)

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