Quote: It's a 45-minute walk across, but the pictures and views are great. I think it's what made me fall in love with NYC! I had to buy an I love NY sweatshirt after the walk!

If you only want to go one direction, take the subway into Brooklyn and walk towards the city. The view is better! Watch out for bicyclists and stay to the left of the yellow line. The bikers come fast and furious--and in my opinion aren't biking responsibly for their safety and others... you need a helmet to walk across.

Convenient water station on the way across, this guy was probably not licensed but it was tempting to buy a water for $1 (only!!!).

Do it; you won't be sorry!
From journals Weekend in New York

Quote: We took the subway at 6pm to the City Hall Brooklyn Bridge stop. It was still light out, and we planned to walk the bridge if the height did not scare me too much. I hate heights. The walk is in the middle of the bridge and starts out at the same level as traffic but gradually rises above the traffic. There is enough metal, the walkway is mostly boards without gaps, and the edge looking down to the water is far enough away. My vertigo did not bother me enough to keep me from walking over the bridge.

Although we walked towards Brooklyn, rather than towards Manhattan, there were lots of opportunities and plenty of space to stop, turn around, and take a lot of pictures of Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the bridge itself. Because we timed it at sunset, it was a spectacular view.

We left the bridge down the steps and walked until we reached Cadman Plaza. We ended up on the Esplanade, from which we could see that we had walked too far, as we were trying to get to the River Cafe. We headed along the Esplanade until we were on Old Fulton Street and followed it to the wharf next to River Cafe. From the wharf, there were lots more photos as the sun set.

The walk was very easy and lasted about 30 minutes with many stops. It was a not-to-be-missed experience.
From journals Enjoying Art, Theatre, and Food in Manhattan

Quote: We didn't actually get to drive over the bridge, but we stopped at a port to go shopping and were able to go in back of the building and see the bridge. It's amazing how people can build huge bridges over water.
From journals New York, New York

Quote: Measuring 6,016 feet across and at a cost of $15.1 million, The Brooklyn Bridge is a symbol of strength and longevity. In 1855, John Roebling, the owner of a wire rope company and a famous bridge designer, proposed a suspension bridge over the East River after getting frustrated with the Atlantic Avenue-Fulton Street Ferry, the only mode of transportation between NYC and Brooklyn.

In 1867, a group of prominent leaders formed the New York Bridge Company "for the purpose of constructing and maintaining a bridge across the East River." Two years later, in June 1869, the New York City Council approved Roebling's design. In July that same year, John got his foot crushed on a pier by an incoming ferry. He died from lockjaw resulting from that injury on July 22, 1869. Ground was finally broken in January 1870, and the foundations took 3 years to construct. Through worker deaths and minor complications, the bridge was finished on May 23, 1883. That day, 150,300 people crossed the bridge.

Now a great place to take a walk or jog, The Brooklyn Bridge graces the skyline. On September 11, 2001, that bridge became an escape route for people who witnessed the World Trade Center disaster.

Pier 17, located adjacent to the bridge, offers ferry rides, restaurants, and shopping. About a 10-minute walk from Ground Zero, the South Street Seaport is a great place to sightsee, and of course, have lunch.

The Brooklyn Bridge is a beautiful bridge and a wonderful place to take a walk. You can also get great pics of the NYC skyline from the bridge

Quote:

My last stop in New York, before heading back to the hotel for my luggage and then Grand Central for the train back to Connecticut, was the Brooklyn Bridge. For some reason I’ve always been fascinated by large bridges, especially suspension bridges, to the point that one of my "when I grow up I want to be" dream jobs as a little kid was an engineer who designed such structures (the other dream was an airline pilot . . . somehow I ended up as a psychology major working in financial planning, website and database design, and HR consulting). So naturally I had to make a stop at the Brooklyn Bridge while I was in New York. Of course, by this point on Sunday afternoon, I had walked at least 15 miles in the last 30 hours and was coming down with a nasty cold, which was only being made worse by the frigid outdoor temperatures. Still, sore feet and swollen throat or not, I was determined to walk onto the bridge and see it firsthand.

The Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883, after 16 long years of construction and the deaths of 20 construction crew members. In the late 19th century, the bridge was a remarkable achievement. It was the world’s largest suspension bridge and the first to be constructed of steel. The bridge was designed to carry people utilizing a variety of transportation modes; in the center of the span, cable cars (and later electrified trolleys) ran. Outer lanes were reserved at first for horse-drawn carriages (later automobiles), and in the center, an elevated walkway allowed pedestrians to transit the bridge. Today, the pedestrian walkway still exists. Trolley tracks have long been removed to allow six lanes for auto traffic, three in each direction. Interestingly, the bridge is less efficient today than it was in its early years; when streetcars made the crossing every few minutes, far more people were able to transit the bridge each day than today. On the Sunday afternoon I visited the bridge, traffic congestion was so bad that the walkers and cyclists on the pedestrian walkway were moving far faster than the cars below. I’d hate to see the bridge in rush hour!

Walking up the bridge’s wood plank pedestrian walkway is the best way to visit the Brooklyn Bridge. This walkway allows you to get up close to the cables that the span is suspended from, as well as the towers. The walkway offers grand views of the Manhattan skyline, and several benches are placed along the way for walkers who desire a short rest or want to stop and take in the scene.

Because of time constraints, I chose to only walk about half of the distance across the bridge to Brooklyn. A walk all the way across will probably take about 15 to 20 minutes at an average pace; runners or brisk walkers can probably make it in half that time.

From journals Valentine's Weekend in New York City