Bridge Advice)

I will be in NYC for the Christmas holidays with my parents, wife and children and would like to walk across as many bridges as possible. I have walked the Brooklyn Bridge and will probably do it again. However, this time I would like to also do the QB,MB,WB and the GWB. In addtion, I would like to at least see the Verrazano/Narrows. I would appreciate any advice or suggestions. (GWB.especially from you as I find your posts most informative)

Thanks

Scott

Bridge Advice)

The easy way to cross the WillyB and the Manhattan Bridges are to take the subway!!

The J and M trains go over the Williamsburg Bridges and the B, D, N and Q lines go over the Manhattan Bridge.

If you want to walk these bridges, the WillyB is the better of the 2. Take the F train to Delancey St. Walk east on Delancey toward the bridge. For the Manhattan Bridge, take the #6 to Canal. Walk east on Canal to the bridge.

Make sure you bundle up! The cold, icy wind really whips at you on the bridges. Might be unpleasant, actually.

I know it is possible to walk across the George Washgton Bridge, but I have no ideas about it. Check with our local bicycling and pedestrian advocacy group, Transportation Alternatives, for tips. They even have an entire webpage dedicated to walking/cycling the bridges!!

http://www.transalt.org/bridges/index.html

Here%26#39;s what TransAlt says about the Verrazano:

';Currently there is no way to cross the Verrazano under one鈥檚 own power, no opportunity to stop and savor the kaleidoscope of city, sea and sky. There are two brief notable car-free exceptions: the annual 5-Boro Bike Tour allows bikes on the lower level, Staten Island-bound, and the NYC Marathon allows runners the top and lower level, Brooklyn-bound.';

Bridge Advice)

HI, SCOTT

Looks as if this Fiboro Bridges website was designed with you in mind :-)

http://transalt.org/bridges/

Cocklecove - great site!

Looking at that website, CC, makes me wonder - is there some engineering or historical reason why all the bridges (except the GW) are on the east side, and just tunnels on the west side?

Oops, I just noticed that the URL I gave is the same one queensblvd had provided minutes earlier -- I got a phone call as I was typing %26amp; didn%26#39;t refresh my screen before posting so didn%26#39;t realize it was going to be a duplication.

Warmwinds, I think the bridge/tunnel difference you observed is because of the Hudson River%26#39;s role as a shipping lane; unlike bridges, tunnels don%26#39;t interfere with maritime traffic.

Cocklecove - thanks for giving props. Great minds think alike!

Why bridges on the East River? Let%26#39;s face it: Queens and Brooklyn deserved more majestic connections to Manhattan than New Jersey.

There are also legitimate technological, geological and political reasons for bridges vs. tunnels. Here%26#39;s a history of the Queens-Midtown tunnel (an East River below-ground crossing) that explains some of the background.

www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1371068

Includes links to other tunnels and bridges, too. Enjoy!

Why bridges on the East River? Let%26#39;s face it: Queens and Brooklyn deserved more majestic connections to Manhattan than New Jersey.

Hey, we former and current New Joisians resemble that remark!

QB and CC, thanks for the info and the website. We have come as a family for the last three years and this trip over Christmas could be my last for a while (parents getting older and children screaming for Disneyworld) I really want to see as many bridges as posible and any other architectural ';wonders'; in case I%26#39;m staring at Minnie Mouse next year. I really appreciate the help and if you guys can think of anything else (bridge related) let me know

\

Thanks Scott

FYI, if you%26#39;re a ';bridge person'; you should read David McCullough%26#39;s book, '; The Great Bridge'; about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. amazon.com/gp/鈥?/a>

Great websites. Thanks for sharing.

What%26#39;s the easiest way to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge? When we were there last, we really had no idea how to get to the bridge to walk across, short of grabbing a taxi and having him drop us off at the bottom. Is there a bus/subway that stops right by the bridge? I really don%26#39;t want to walk across, just half-way to get a glimpse of the awesome views from the bridge and then walk back. Any ideas?