Brooklyn Bridge

Everyone knows the Brooklyn Bridge. The surprise is that it actually lives up to the reputation.

From a distance, it looks almost decorative, a nineteenth century piece of optimism suspended between Manhattan and Brooklyn. Up close, it feels remarkably substantial. The granite towers are larger than most people expect, the steel cables stretch away in every direction like a giant geometric drawing, and the wooden promenade creaks beneath a steady procession of runners, commuters and visitors who have convinced themselves they are all walking at a different pace.

When the bridge opened in 1883, New Yorkers crossed simply to experience the sensation of standing hundreds of metres above the East River. Some paid a cent for the privilege. Others needed convincing. P. T. Barnum eventually marched 21 elephants across the span to prove it would not collapse.

The best approach is from Brooklyn. Start in DUMBO early in the morning, grab a coffee, look back at Lower Manhattan, then climb onto the bridge while the city is still waking up. As you walk, the skyline slowly rearranges itself. Buildings appear between cables, disappear behind stone arches, then reappear larger than before.

Many cities have famous viewpoints. New York has a bridge that happens to be one.