Visiting the Brooklyn Bridge
I love playing tourist in my own city, especially when I get to visit the Brooklyn Bridge. The other day we took a stroll on the bridge which happened to be the busiest visit in my seven years here. I need to take my own advice and only visit at the times I know will be less crowded.
Turns out, everyone else in Manhattan thought it was a good idea too
The Brooklyn Bridge is a landmark that people come from all over the world to see and experience. When I’m feeling like playing tourist, I love coming out to the bridge for a walk. There are ideal times to visit the bridge, and there are not ideal times to visit. If you’re coming to the city as a tourist, I understand that you simply may not have the luxury with your packed schedule to pick and choose when you come to the bridge, but if you can help it, try to avoid high-traffic times. Between 11am to 3pm are typically very crowded with people, especially when it’s nice outside on the weekends. I should really listen to my own advice though 🙂
I truly love playing tourist. The other day was a bright sunny, and warm day so naturally I thought it would be a good idea to head to the bridge and take a walk – around 11am (dun dun dun). Turns out, everyone else in Manhattan thought it was a good idea too. We should have known better, really, especially considering that it was NYE weekend. Nonetheless, we made our way there! We walked across the bridge to the Brooklyn side, and after we took in the views we made our way back the way we came. We were about a quarter of a mile away from Manhattan when we were brought to a standstill. Initially I was very concerned by all the congestion. I thought something terrible had happened on the Manhattan side. Turns out, there were just so many people coming and going from the bridge that it created a tight squeeze for the exit, which slowed down traffic to a stand still. I’m so surprised that cops were still letting people on the bridge considering the mess.
I’ve been on the bridge countless times and had never seen anything quite like it. It took us half hour to get out of the congestion and get off! I do not wish for anyone visiting the city, or playing tourist like me, to have to deal with that. The best time to go to the bridge is early morning and late afternoon / evening. Once you get into 11am and afternoon hours it’s very crowded and difficult to take-in unobstructed views. Plan ahead if you can! While we did encounter mass amounts of people on the bridge just recently, we had a great time, and were able to capture some moments there. These photos were taken from just about the beginning of the Brooklyn side. I wanted to capture as much of the city as possible while also getting the arches in the photo. Something that has been on my bucket list for years is being on the bridge for sunrise. I can only imagine how gorgeous that is. Maybe this summer!
XO – With Love, Em
