NYC locals and tour guides have recommended walking the Brooklyn Bridge and ending in Brooklyn to have pizza at Grimaldi’s, though in our case we wanted to end up in Chinatown and have dim sum. So, going against the normal tourist flow on a warm morning last month, we headed for High Street Station on the A & C to enter the bridge from Brooklyn — which itself assumes you’ll be coming from Manhattan, as evidenced by the “Welcome” map. Up some stone steps from there and the path is clear.
Walking towards Manahattan against the general flow of tourist traffic is an exercise in patience, more so considering the propensity of large groups and families to take up the entire walkway, plus a general disregard for the delineation between pedestrian and bike lanes. That aside, however, the Brooklyn Bridge is a quintessential New York experience which is quite fun and scenic in good weather. The bridge positively oozes history; every stone, girder, plank, and cable shudders with the weight of years — or perhaps the passing of cars.
At left, the Statue of Liberty; at right, Manhattan Bridge; and all around, old rusty rivets and suspension cables.
All told, the walk took about an hour at a very relaxed pace, stopping for photos every few steps. Afterward we walked over to Chinatown and had a late lunch of dim sum at Jing Fong.
Someday, we’ll try this in the Manhattan to Brooklyn direction and finally try Grimaldi’s. Maybe in winter when it’s a bit less crowded.