Who doesn’t recognize the iconic brick towers of the Brooklyn Bridge, elegantly spanning the waters between Brooklyn and Manhattan since 1883? This proud landmark, built six times as strong as needed, still stands while others built years after have vanished.
This bridge has witnessed history and seen lifetimes of changes. As you walk across its wood planks, whose footsteps are you following?
It is said that John Roebling conceived the bridge and his son Washington completed it. But you probably feel the stronger presence of Roebling’s wife Emily, who was the true force behind the bridge’s completion — and the first person to cross it (to demonstrate it wouldn’t collapse).
Is that Boss Tweed up ahead? Before he was arrested, he was instrumental in getting the bridge project started. But wait! That poor woman who fell down the stairway in 1883 and caused a stampede just passed by. And was that Jumbo I just glimpsed? He bravely led 21 of his elephant friends across the span, defying the bridge to collapse under their weight.
Pause by the first tower leaving Brooklyn and close your eyes. You may hear the words of poet Harold Hart Crane, who viewed the bridge from his apartment and wrote his epic poem. Now look and see the train that Thomas Edison rode while filming the exciting trip across this marvel. Continue on to the Manhattan anchorage. Is that wine you smell? The vaults below, always at a perfect 60°F, once were rented out by the city to wine merchants to house their most valuable vintages.
Now, alas, your crossing is over and it is time to rejoin the present. Be glad: it is one of the few things that costs less than it used to. When Brooklyn Bridge first opened, you would have had to pay a penny to cross, even more if you decided to take your horse and wagon and a couple of farm animals.
Today, your journey is free.
Ellen