Under the Brooklyn Bridge

under-the-brooklyn-bridge1While wandering around the other day, I ended up under the Brooklyn Bridge and I fell in love—with the old infrastructure that reminds me of the way Tribeca used to be, with the tangle of ramps, with the general derelictness. I’m not sure there are many other parts of Manhattan that feel so tantalizingly neglected. On one hand, I’d love to come up with a way to converting it from one big construction site/parking lot to an area that people could enjoy, à la the High Line; before the never-ending reconstruction project started, the Brooklyn Banks skatepark was there, which is not exactly what I had in mind, but it’s better than nothing. On the other hand, I hope it never changes.

I started out walking east on Frankfort/Dover, along the south side of the bridge, and then I walked back along the north side, which is less rewarding. If you follow in my footsteps, don’t miss the tunnels under the bridge at Pearl and Gold.

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6 Comments

  1. It will all change once the construction is completed. The Brooklyn Bridge skate park is expected to return but many more changes will be in the offing.

  2. I’m glad that there is a goal of reconstruction, although I’ve seen nothing of it. I thought it had been closed due to it’s location post 9/11. Love this area, and great for photos.

  3. I seem to recall that at one point there was talk of turning the “arches” under the anchorage into shops.

  4. There used to be Art shows in the space under the Bridge on the Brooklyn side in the early 2000s. Amazing space with high ceilings….. I’m sure they could do something similar on the NY side.

  5. You can get a great photo from the Ari Harlberstam (so) Memorial Entrance Ramp.

  6. thanks, erik, for capturing this before it slips away…

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