Walking the Manhattan Bridge
The Manhattan Bridge doesn’t get as much love as its iconic neighbor to the south. Though it may be lacking the elegance of the Brooklyn Bridge, it’s a looker of its own—and walking across this century-old bridge affords some spectacular views of the one Roebling built 26 years prior. After living here for years, we finally took a walk across the Manhattan Bridge.
Our walk began in Brooklyn, where we live, so that we could end up in Chinatown for lunch. Start by coming out of the York Street Station (from the F train), which lets you out just a block or so north of the pedestrian entrance at Jay and Sands. The pedestrian pathway is at the same level as traffic and trains, so the walk is noisy, and plenty of bikes don’t heed the direction to ride on the north path, so you’ll have a few bikes speed past you, but you’ll be too focused on the amazing view to the south to care.
The total length of the bridge is just a little more than 1 mile, so it doesn’t take long to walk across, even if you’re stopping often for photos. The protective fence dogs your steps the whole way, but in a few spots people have cut it and pulled it apart so you can take a photo of the view more easily. You come out in Manhattan right in Chinatown. In fact, as the bridge goes over the neighborhood, you’ll start to smell delicious things wafting up to the bridge. The grittiness of Chinatown is visible in all its glory from this vantage point—something we’d seen from the train many times but had never been able to capture.
I run home from work on the Manhattan Bridge, and I love it for all these reasons. Thanks for taking the photos I have always thought about!
I love the new site, guys!! And I definitely want to take a walk across a bridge or two next time Peto and I are in town. 🙂
looks great j & e! love your shots from the walk. looking forward to the next installment!
oh my god, I know him!!!
Congrats on a great blog! The pictures are fantastic. You’ll have to take us on this walk when we get back. All the years I’ve driven over this growing up, I never knew you could walk it.
the new site looks great! and it’s such a fun idea. walking across famous NYC bridges was something I never really knew about until it started cropping up on people’s “this many things until I turn this age” lists… and now I TOTALLY want to do this. I once walked over the Triborough bridge but it was not really so fun. ha.
congrats on getting the new site up! the photos look fantastic. I really need to add this to the list of New York things I have to do, and soon.
I love these photos. Your blog is awesome!
[…] here (we only started the blog in June, after all!). Not only did we finally walk across the Manhattan Bridge, listen to the Philharmonic in the park, and take a trip to San Francisco, we weathered Superstorm […]
I’m coming to NYC on 11/8, and plan on walking Manhattan Bridge for the first time. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Great article and pictures. The Manhattan Bridge is a beautiful bridge and you are right about it not getting as much love as Brooklyn Bridge. But, maybe that is part of it’s charm.
On my previous visit to NYC I done the almost obligatory Brooklyn Bridge walk as well as Williamsburg Bridge walk. I meant to walk over the Manhattan Bridge too, but, I didn’t get time. On my next visit, this October, I will walk the Manhattan Bridge for sure.
stumbled on your blog while searching for the pedestrian entrance to the Manhattan Bridge – Brooklyn side. Very helpful info!! thanks a bunch. planning on walking it this August with my son. Its his 2nd visit to NYC.
is the Manhattan bridge a good location to take pictures of the Brooklyn bridge with Manhattan in the background from. Or if you guys know a better location from Brooklyn side, I would appreciate your feedback
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