Standing less than half a mile apart, the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges span the East River between two downtowns: lower Manhattan and the neighborhood known as Downtown Brooklyn. Both bridges had long, complicated, controversial journeys to completion, and both set precedents in design and construction. The Manhattan, opened in 1909, ushered in an age of lighter and narrower suspension bridges, whose deck and cables could deflect weight and wind forces enough to decrease reliance on clunky-looking girders. But the Brooklyn Bridge, dating to 1883, was an engineering marvel, and now it’s also revered as a work of art. While the Manhattan Bridge has neither the iconic status nor aesthetic cachet of the Brooklyn Bridge, together they create a striking image and apt symbol of this city that’s always on the move.
Walk Description
Begin in Manhattan at Canal Street and the Bowery. Go onto the plaza for an up-close view of the Manhattan Bridge’s grandiose entrance. The crosswalk from the south side of the plaza leads right onto the bridge’s pedestrian lane. Because Manhattan Bridge pedestrians have just one “caged” lane, as opposed to an entire level on the Brooklyn Bridge, this is a more confining walk. But it offers its own unique experiences—like walking beside the subway train (which clamors across the bridge mere feet away) and possibly even feeling the bridge’s vibrations.
After walking down the steps from the bridge on the Brooklyn side, go to the right. You’re on Jay Street and entering Dumbo, a neighborhood given new life by artists and entrepreneurs a century after its industrial heyday and one of NYC’s priciest. It’s even spawned a Dumbo Heights—the group of buildings in this vicinity connected by sky bridges. Now office, retail, and hotel space, the buildings until recently had belonged to the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who’ve moved upstate after a century headquartered in this part of Brooklyn.
Cross Jay Street at Sands Street, then turn around (with the bridge to your left): that gold-domed building you see three blocks up Jay is St. James, not a church but a “minor papal basilica,” per the Vatican. It is the mother church of Brooklyn for Catholics; before St. James was established in 1822, Catholics who lived anywhere on Long Island had to travel to Manhattan for services (the current building dates to 1903). Now turn back, cross Sands, and go to the left.
Turn right on Pearl Street. Pay a quick visit to the global headquarters of
Past Front Street, walk across the painted-ground plaza and onto Anchorage Place. Go into the Archway on your left—depending on the day and season, you’ll find food vendors, the Brooklyn Flea market, or an event such as a live performance or yoga class.
Resume walking on Anchorage Place. At Plymouth Street, cross over onto Adams Street and walk one block to John Street, where you enter
After passing the cove, follow the path to the right, leading you to Plymouth Street and Main Street—beneath the Clocktower Building you’ve seen along the route. Across from it is an immense Civil War–era warehouse called the Empire Stores, recently rehabbed for offices and retail. Originally built for the world’s first commercial coffee-roasting facility, the Empire Stores now features a public atrium and roof deck, eateries, and a Brooklyn Historical Society museum.
Walk between the Empire Stores and the river to
Go right on Water Street and follow it to the Fulton Ferry Landing. Two events that shaped the future of the city and the country occurred here. In 1776 George Washington massed 9,500 troops for a furtive evacuation in rowboats and schooners across a river filled with British warships. The Americans had just been routed in the Battle of Long Island, aka the Battle of Brooklyn, and the retreat prevented a complete defeat by the British—and thus saved the fledgling nation. Then, in 1814, Robert Fulton launched his steamboat from here, opening up travel between Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Casual dining abounds at the ferry landing, including in a former fireboat house and old smokestack building (plus, the Michelin-starred River Café is situated beneath the bridge). While you’re gaping at the Manhattan skyline, look down at the metal railing around the pier to read a passage from Walt Whitman’s poem “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry.” Also note
Head up Old Fulton Street. The buildings to your left were constructed between 1835 and 1839 when the ferry service gave rise to a commercial center (the corner Shake Shack building was originally a hotel). The Eagle Warehouse & Storage Company’s fortress on your right was built in 1892, replacing the offices of the Brooklyn Eagle, a newspaper that had employed a crusading journalist named Walt Whitman from 1846 to 1848. Back on your left, the white palazzo with a diagonally sited doorway at 1 Front Street was constructed for a bank in 1869. It’s made of cast iron, probably for fireproofing. There may be a line outside Grimaldi’s, which for years was lauded as the city’s best pizza. But the man responsible for its reputation has sold the restaurant and opened Juliana’s next door.
Stay to the right to continue up Old Fulton Street, but take note of 5–7 Front Street next to Grimaldi’s. It dates to 1834 and is considered the city’s oldest surviving office building. Cross Hicks and then Henry Street before Old Fulton becomes Cadman Plaza West.
At Middagh Street, enter
With your back to Gaynor, follow the path and then go up the steps to the front of the World War II memorial—an enormous limestone rectangle flanked by 24-foot-tall statues facing a tree-lined mall. The man represents the battlefield; the woman, home and hearth. Follow
