What We Did On Our Last Day In New York City And How To Walk Across The Brooklyn Bridge?

Since we gonna had our flight back to Germany at night we almost had the whole day to enjoy that amazing city. So we were thinking about what we could explore on this last day. Both of us agreed to get up early and eat our breakfast, prepared at home, on the way. But where do we take our last breakfast? We had to find a special place.

Dani meant there's no better place having breakfast than on the Brooklyn Bridge. This great and beautiful bridge connects Manhattan and Brooklyn, and you can walk it, drive it, bike it, or just admire it from far from multiple vantage points around the city.

I loved that idea, but let’s see if it’s possible having a relaxed breakfast on the bridge. The thing is that the Brooklyn Bridge is a must-see when you traveling to New York City. Normally the best time is at sunrise, when there are less people and a golden early-morning light. Unfortunately we didn’t managed it to be at sunrise. Even we got up early we started our walk at 09:00 am. So it was already quite packed with people. You think, it doesn't look like on the photos, but we have tried to keep the people out of our motives.

But it didn't matter, we still enjoyed a good time, with a perfect view to Manhattan’s skyline and nice morning vibes on the walkway of the Brooklyn Bridge. When we crossed half the bridge we decided to skip the stop for breakfast to cross the bridge completely and having breakfast on the other side.

There's a dedicated pedestrian walkway on the Brooklyn Bridge, above the roaring car traffic, so it's a wonderful stroll, but first, you need to decide which side you want to start on and how you'll get there to begin your journey. It depends on whether you want to cross the bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan or from Manhattan to Brooklyn. As we lived in Brooklyn we decided to start our walk from Brooklyn and the other reason was that we should have the spectacular skyline of Manhattan in view all the time.

The best way to reach the bridge is by metro. So we got up early and went by metro where the Brooklyn bridge starts. There are two entrances to the Brooklyn Bridge on the Brooklyn side, and many subways run nearby in the borough for easy access to the pedestrian walkways. The Brooklyn Bridge Pedestrian Walkway begins at the intersection of Tillary Street and Boerum Place.

The bridge accommodates six lanes of automobile traffic, and there's no toll for vehicles crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. The wide, central pedestrian and bike pathway is shared and elevated above the traffic whizzing by just below. To avoid a potentially dangerous collision, be sure to diligently observe the designated lanes for walkers and cyclists, which are only separated by a painted line.

The entire length of the bridge is just over a mile long. By foot, you'll need about 30 minutes to traverse it while going at a brisk pace. However, we decided on a slower pace. So it took us up to an hour, as we stopped for taking some photos and enjoyed the view (which you absolutely should do).

The bridge first opened to the public in 1883 and on the first day estimated 250,000 people walked across the bridge. Unfortunately, a tragedy unfolded just six days of the bridge's debut, when 12 people were trampled to death, incited by a panicked (false) rumor that the bridge was collapsing into the river. The following year the director of circus fame led 21 elephants across the bridge in an attempt to quell public fears about its stability.

Once across the bridge you can return to Brooklyn by walking back across it, taking the subway or even taking the NYC Ferry. The bridge ended next to the metro station Brooklyn Bridge – City Hall. The station is just across the street from the end of the walkway.

Finally next to the City Hall Station, where we found a beautifully arranged square with trees and flowers beds, we took our breakfast. The City Hall is the oldest town hall in the United States and is still used in this function. Located on Broadway, at the corner of Park Row Street and City Hall Park in Lower Manhattan. You gonna find a lot of administrative buildings in that area of Manhattan.

After we finished our breakfast, we passed this area to get through the district "Two Bridge" to reach the Manhattan Bridge. You ask if the Manhattan Bridge is also walkable? The answer is YES! In fact, I think that this sight is one of New York’s best kept secrets. On the bridge, you’ll find unique views to the streets, the cool Manhattan bridge graffitis, and absolutely no crowds. It can be a bit tricky to find the entry point but it’s worth to search for.

Subsequently we just let ourselves drift through the streets. Without a destination we went again a little bit through China Town to find ourselves later in a super nice shopping streets area surrounded by many trees and old buildings. It turned out that there were many nice and little craft shops located. That’s why I continued with a shop window stroll and from time to time I entered some shops, without buying anything, because it was all very expensive. Meanwhile Dani stayed outside and checked out a couple of vintage cars standing in a row in one of those streets. He was fascinated by this old but well-maintained cars and took some pics of and old-timer.

Then, for a late lunch, we went for a really good and authentic Mexican food. The restaurant called “Tacombi”, which we found by random while we were strolling. The interior of the restaurant was perfect authentic and super stylish. It feels like in Mexico in a small “Pueblo” at the beach. For us the authentic mexican food was the right way to filled our stomaches one last time before we gonna leave the United States. It was so yummy that we ate so much that it was enough to last till late at night.

With full bellies we went back to Brooklyn to pack our bags, clean the loft and take a taxi to the airport. At the airport we spent our last cash for little sweets and then we hopped in the plane sufficiently tired for a night flight.

The summary of our New York City trip: We where blessed with great weather, with a fantastic accommodation and we enjoyed fun times at every sight we visited.

One thing I can definitely say, there is much more to explore and discover in New York. What we visited was only a fraction of what this city has to offer.

Are you ready for a fun first visit to NYC? All that’s left now is to book a flight and to pack!

Or have you already traveled to New York City? What tip do you recommend for a first visit to New York City? Leave a comment!

PS: To be honest it wasn't a sustainable trip at all. That's why I offset my flight at atmosfair. More about that possibility soon in one of my next articles.

Thanks for passing by and have a great day,

Katy!

Pics by Daniell Bohnhof

Text and Styling by Look2 Ocean