Roadtip Day 4: Walking the Brooklyn Bridge

LAST UPDATED: March 5th, 2024

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Now that we had (sort of) figured out the subway system yesterday, Penn Station felt slightly less intimidating today. We didn’t waste any time in finding the underground platform that would take us to the South Street Seaport and the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. We were both feeling tired from all the walking yesterday, but the energy of the city is hard to deny. I was feeling thankful that I had brought 2 pairs of sandals, because the ones I wore yesterday were starting to rub funny after all the walking. So today, armed with a new set of footwear and an unwavering determination to see everything we could this week, we set out looking for more adventure.

South Street Seaport

The South Street Seaport is the neighbourhood just to the south of the Manhattan base of the Brooklyn Bridge. There was a lot of construction happening, so many of the views and buildings were blocked off. But it was still a nice area to walk around. Many little storefronts to wander through and window shop. The best was the store ‘It’s Sugar’! We had quite a bit of fun in there, as you can see!

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As we made our way towards the bridge, we found Pier 15, where street vendors gather and boat tours depart. Today was pretty rainy so there were only a couple people selling stuff, and we didn’t see anything we wanted to buy. Definitely better prices than the tourist stores, though! Walking up the pier we found a couple neat boats, and some nice views of Brooklyn and the bridges.

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge

There was so much construction happening on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge that the entrance was pretty hard to find. After doing some circles, we finally asked a security guard in a nearby building. He pointed us in the right direction, and we were on our way!

It was quite overcast this morning, so we were a little nervous that we’d be cold, but we didn’t have to worry. We kept a good speed that helped us stay warm, and it actually wasn’t all that cold out after all.

The walk over was nice. The views were great, as you can see in the photos below. It took us about an hour to walk over, but that included several photo stops.

Manhattan from halfway across the bridge

Dumbo

At the base of the Brooklyn bridge there’s a little neighbourhood called Dumbo. The cobblestone-paved streets are home to many artists and tech startups, the corporate office of a little website called Etsy, and a number of little food establishments. We had just eaten, so didn’t order anything, but we had fun window shopping and checking out a few of the little shops!

We wandered the area for an hour or so before hopping a subway back to Manhattan. Except… we got on the wrong train, and ended up riding it an hour into Brooklyn to the end of the line, before we realized our mistake and were able to get off and get on one going back the other way. Good thing we bought the unlimited metrocard! Always an adventure with us!