The Brooklyn Bridge is a Scenic and Historic NYC Attraction That Draws Scores of Visitors Each Year
The Brooklyn Bridge changed the history of NYC, and it has connected Brooklyn with Manhattan for more than 130 years. Consider enjoying a scenic walk over this NYC Attraction during your next stay at Park Lane Hotel – A New York Hotel.
About the Brooklyn Bridge:
The opening of the Brooklyn Bridge did more than provide a method of traveling between Brooklyn and Manhattan; it helped to permanently change the city of New York.
When the neo-Gothic style Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883, a dear price had been paid. More than a dozen workers were killed during the 14-year construction period, and it cost about $15 million ($320 million today.) For the high price, however, an achievement nothing short of remarkable was seen. At 1595.5 feet long, the Brooklyn Bridge was by far the longest suspension bridge in the world – a title the Bridge held for several years. The Brooklyn Bridge was also the first steel wire suspension bridge and the tallest suspension bridge at the time.
Today, most people are quite used to the thought of bridges of this kind, but that wasn’t the case when this NYC Attraction first opened and this led to a tragedy. Just a few days after the Bridge opened, thousands of people were walking across it when a rumor started to spread through the crowd that the Bridge was about to collapse. People rushed and pushed to get off the Bridge and 12 people were killed in the ensuing stampede.
There was not a safety issue, but now people were afraid. A plan for an interesting way to settle their fears was hatched. The year after the deadly event, P.T. Barnum led a 21-elephant procession across the bridge. While this was fun to watch, and likely had the effect of soothing some people’s minds, the truth is that those 21 elephants did not weigh even a tiny fraction of the 18,700 ton capacity of the Brooklyn Bridge. Still, the mission of easing people’s fears had been accomplished.
Because Brooklyn was no longer a city separated from Manhattan, by 1898 it had officially merged with New York City.
Visiting The Brooklyn Bridge:
Today, thousands of tourists walk over the Brooklyn Bridge to enjoy the views. You can walk from Brooklyn to Manhattan, or vice versa, but the most scenic option is to begin your walk in Brooklyn. You can access the pedestrian walkway in Brooklyn at the intersection of Tillery Street and Boerum Place. If you choose to start in Manhattan, you will find access to the Bridge at City Hall. Once you exit the Brooklyn Bridge, on either side, you can take the subway back to your original starting point.
Interesting Facts About the Brooklyn Bridge:
- The designer of the Brooklyn Bridge, John Augustus Roebling, died due to complications from an injury he received during the construction of the Bridge.
- This NYC Attraction was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1972.