New York Daily Photo Analytics

Friday, April 25, 2008

Cuts One Way

The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the most important and recognizable NYC landmarks - an edifice literally in stone and one its finest icons. I have done numerous postings where the bridge is a key element, but none on the bridge itself. See the list of related postings below. There is also a series of photos associated with this article - you can see them here.
The bridge, completed in 1883 and connecting lower Manhattan with Brooklyn, has a walkway which is open to pedestrians and bicycles. I highly recommend this to any visitor (or resident) - it's a must do. It's free and the vistas are great.
There is no room and it makes no sense for me to synopsize here the history of the bridge or supply technical information - tomes have been written. The Wikipedia article is a good start and has a myriad of links - see here.
The Brooklyn Bridge is quite special to me. I find the stonework so much more attractive than the steelwork of the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges, although I have warmed up to these over the years. Traveling around the city, particularly by car, the Brooklyn Bridge is omnipresent and with its image comes a plethora of feelings and impressions. Especially for a New Yorker. This is the bridge of book, film and fable, known throughout the world.
Visitors are frequently astonished that anyone would go through what we do just get through basic everyday life. And many do leave after trying their hand at living here. Our town is a great one, but the knife that is New York City has two edges and cuts both ways. I, like many New Yorkers, have a love/hate relationship with many aspects of life here - it comes with the territory and every one of us living here knows it. But for the Brooklyn Bridge, the knife cuts only one way - I love that bridge :)

Related posts: One Front Street, Loaded, The River Cafe, Gallery View, Sink or Swim, Dumbo, Bridge Cafe, Belle de Jour, Jet Ski, Twist and Shout, The Watchtower.

12 comments:

Eric said...

I love this shot

Jane Hards Photography said...

Love the angle on this.

Litsa Dremousis: said...

From that angle, it looks like a Gothic cathedral, ominous, hulking, and ethereal.

Brian Dubé said...

eric, babooshka, litsa - Interesting that you all seem to like this photo and angle. I actually had initially chosen anothe photo to use as feature and then switched to this one. I felt there are so many photos of the Brooklyn Bridge out there, that something a little more unusual might be more interesting.

Anonymous said...

This is a very nice angle. I like the result a lot.

Anonymous said...

that pedestrian part of the bridge is like being in the city and not being in the city at the same time because you are suspended very high in the air over the water but supported by a huge structure and surrounded by the other huge structures in the distance around you as far as you can see.

marley said...

I love this bridge too! When I visited NYC it was recommended to me to walk across the bridge, and I am so glad I did! The views are amazing :)

Chuck Pefley said...

This is indeed a different angle and I like the isolation of the single arch and cable span. It also looks inordinately tall from this vantage point. One my favorite things about the Brooklyn Bridge is that it still has a wooden deck surface. I also like the separation of bike and pedestrian lanes. Well done!

Anonymous said...

I'm not a New Yorker and I do love this brigde too! I went to NYC for the first time last june, I avoided many of the touristy places because I wanted to capture the real essence of the city. I think I know what you mean about "the knife that is New York City".

I did the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and it was one of the hightlights of my trip. And yes...this angle makes the bridge look like a Gothic cathedral.

abrazos caribeños,
M.

R.Dress said...

While riding my track bike over the Brooklyn Bridge during the summer of 2001 I remember seeing a fledgling kestrel take it's first flight from one of the arches. The bird made a U-turn and careened into one of the arches winding down onto the east bound side of the road below. With in the moment several cabs, vans and cars drove over the bird which lifted it a few feet into the air in a ball of ruffled feathers with each pass. I thought for sure this was going to be the end. I felt powerless. With my hands over my face I pealed back one finger to catch a glimpse of the conclusion. A second barrage of cabs, vans, and cars in tight formation made its way towards Brooklyn and into the direction of the blinding sun which probably made the falcon look like a small black dot. Disoriented the little falcon luckily managed to fly off towards the contour of down town Manhattan.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful angle! Love it.

annulla said...

Great shot of my favorite bridge. Whenever I see it, I know I am near home.

Blather From Brooklyn