A Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge's pedestrian walkway has always been a major reason for its popularity and charm ever since the bridge opened in 1883. Early in its history, a Sunday afternoon promenade across the bridge was a very popular activity. Today it is still an easily accessible popular walk for residents and tourists alike.
If you walk from Brooklyn toward Manhattan in the morning you will have good light on the Manhattan skyline. If you do it in the evening you may get some good sunset views over the skyline. I did it early in the morning but not in time for any "golden hour" shots but the skyline was nicely lit and it was a gorgeous day. Take the subway to the High Street-Brooklyn Bridge station on the Brooklyn side. When you come out, look for the tower of the Manhattan Bridge looming above the buildings. Walk toward the towers to Empire - Fulton Ferry State Park which is between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. Alternatively you could walk to Brooklyn Bridge Park which is just south of the Brooklyn Bridge. I started at Empire/Fulton Ferry Park. Fulton Ferry is where George Washington and his army escaped to Manhattan after the Battle of Brooklyn. When you approach the park you are in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass).
1.
Once you get there you will see where all those car commercials and Law & Order scenes get shot with the Brooklyn Bridge fronting the Manhattan Skyline.
2.
This panorama takes in the whole scene from the Brooklyn to the Manhattan Bridges.
3.
Walk back toward the Brooklyn Bridge entrance ramp. An underpass under the ramp has a stairway leading up to the walkway. A bridge restoration project started this summer but as of early July work was only going on near the Brooklyn end of the ramp and did not interfere with walking or photography.
The walkway is delightful. It is elevated above the automobile traffic lanes and commercial traffic is not allowed on the bridge. The views are great and only obstructed by bridge cabling and supports. The walkway has a walking lane and a bike lane.
5.
I was there midweek and the walkway was busy with joggers, bikers, tourists and locals out for a walk. Early on in the walk I recognized this scene of the Empire State Building framed by the Manhattan Bridge Tower from Michael Freeman's "The Photographer's Eye" and unashamedly copied it. At least I processed it a bit differently :
6.
There are unobstructed views along the river at each of the bridge towers. This view looks south down the East River toward the Statue of Liberty and the Staten Island Ferry;
7.
Approaching Manhattan, the Frank Gehry-designed rippled-skin building is visible through the cables. It is also visible in picture #2.
8.
On the Manhattan side, the walkway ends at City Hall Park, a lovely green space. From there you can turn back toward the East River where it is short walk to the South Street Seaport.
9.
That's the end of this story but it doesn't have to be the end of the walk. If you have the time and the energy, from the South Street Seaport follow the East River Bikeway to Battery Park on the southern tip of Manhattan. Along the way you pass the Downtown/Wall Street Heliport, always very active, and the old and new ferry terminals. The old ferry terminal is a beautiful building and now used for the Governor's Island Ferry.
I hope you enjoyed the walk,
Werner
If you walk from Brooklyn toward Manhattan in the morning you will have good light on the Manhattan skyline. If you do it in the evening you may get some good sunset views over the skyline. I did it early in the morning but not in time for any "golden hour" shots but the skyline was nicely lit and it was a gorgeous day. Take the subway to the High Street-Brooklyn Bridge station on the Brooklyn side. When you come out, look for the tower of the Manhattan Bridge looming above the buildings. Walk toward the towers to Empire - Fulton Ferry State Park which is between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. Alternatively you could walk to Brooklyn Bridge Park which is just south of the Brooklyn Bridge. I started at Empire/Fulton Ferry Park. Fulton Ferry is where George Washington and his army escaped to Manhattan after the Battle of Brooklyn. When you approach the park you are in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass).
1.
Once you get there you will see where all those car commercials and Law & Order scenes get shot with the Brooklyn Bridge fronting the Manhattan Skyline.
2.
This panorama takes in the whole scene from the Brooklyn to the Manhattan Bridges.
3.
Walk back toward the Brooklyn Bridge entrance ramp. An underpass under the ramp has a stairway leading up to the walkway. A bridge restoration project started this summer but as of early July work was only going on near the Brooklyn end of the ramp and did not interfere with walking or photography.
The walkway is delightful. It is elevated above the automobile traffic lanes and commercial traffic is not allowed on the bridge. The views are great and only obstructed by bridge cabling and supports. The walkway has a walking lane and a bike lane.
5.
I was there midweek and the walkway was busy with joggers, bikers, tourists and locals out for a walk. Early on in the walk I recognized this scene of the Empire State Building framed by the Manhattan Bridge Tower from Michael Freeman's "The Photographer's Eye" and unashamedly copied it. At least I processed it a bit differently :
6.
There are unobstructed views along the river at each of the bridge towers. This view looks south down the East River toward the Statue of Liberty and the Staten Island Ferry;
7.
Approaching Manhattan, the Frank Gehry-designed rippled-skin building is visible through the cables. It is also visible in picture #2.
8.
On the Manhattan side, the walkway ends at City Hall Park, a lovely green space. From there you can turn back toward the East River where it is short walk to the South Street Seaport.
9.
That's the end of this story but it doesn't have to be the end of the walk. If you have the time and the energy, from the South Street Seaport follow the East River Bikeway to Battery Park on the southern tip of Manhattan. Along the way you pass the Downtown/Wall Street Heliport, always very active, and the old and new ferry terminals. The old ferry terminal is a beautiful building and now used for the Governor's Island Ferry.
I hope you enjoyed the walk,
Werner
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Comments
I am intimately familiar with those bridges... as I have worked on them for the past 28 years... well I have worked on the bridges of NY for 28 years, and spent time on all the east river bridges..
Sadly I never took advantage of photographing them...
Is it rude to post similar pictures on someone else s thread?
I'm pretty new here so I don't really know the posting etiquette but its fine with me. You can tell from the OP that I'm not too shy about copying someone else's composition. I like to see how other people approach similar subjects.
Werner
http://wernerg.smugmug.com/
http://www.moose135photography.com
I looked through your "Around the City" gallery. It is fascinating to see how other photographers compose images from the same spot where I was. I can look at lots of images and read books on composition but they are all about other people, other places. Seeing other images from scenes that are still fresh in the mind is very instructive. I think that's why it was so startling to see a composition from a book I was reading form by itself as I walked across the bridge. I would never have seen that Empire State/Manhattan Bridge shot.
Thanks for the links.
Werner
http://wernerg.smugmug.com/
http://esc.smugmug.com/Around-the-Big-Apple/A-Walk-Across-the-Manhattan/2089641_oig8D#107767836_avpqJ
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Thanks for sharing.
J
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You had a gorgeous night for your walk across the Manhattan Bridge. The views of the BB tower against the city skyline are terrific. Thanks for the comments.
http://wernerg.smugmug.com/