Sunday, November 6, 2011

Walking the Williamsburg Bridge

This weekend we are staying with Jose and Erik in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I woke up at 7:00AM feeling distinctly groggy after one too many dry Riesings at the Fat Goose. What about a quick walk across the Williamsburg Bridge to Manhattan to burn it off? Great idea. I headed off along Bedford Avenue towards the bridge and noticed that a lot of the roads were closed off. Then I remembered--today is the New York Marathon! In about three or four hours some 47,000 runners would be hurtling along Bedford Avenue. Even the thought of running a marathon made me feel weak at the knees. Walking was definitely a more civilized option. In a few more minutes I was at the bridge where I was reminded that I would soon be leaving Brooklyn. Oy Vey! Whoever heard of a road sign with a sense of humor?

As I paced onto the bridge, I saw a large round sign showing a stick-figure pedestrian with a thick red line across it. No pedestrians? Sure enough, the bridge is for cyclists only. However, there were a few brave joggers up ahead so I powered on. Hell, it was Sunday morning and it wasn't exactly rush hour. The first cyclist who came past me muttered something about me getting over to the side. Well, have a look at this guy. Is he a trick cyclist or what? As I proceeded across the bridge I realized that most of the people up there at this time in the morning were a bit zany. An older gentleman in a long black smock and violent orange sneakers came puffing past me. With his long side locks and skull cap, I thought he would definitely be someone who would say "Oy Vey". Then a young lady ran by me in a black body stocking which left very little to the imagination. I decided not to take a photo of her in case I got arrested! When a lady with a large unleashed dog jogged towards me I thought it would be just my luck to get mauled by this massive canine. But he came up to me wagging his tail and just wanted a pat. His name was Horace. At least one of the natives was friendly.

The views from the bridge are spectacular but it is not a great spot for photographers because you are completely wired in. I suppose they don't want people jumping off the bridge. There was a lot of boat traffic on the river below--ferries, barges, a few sailing boats and a speed boat. I wonder if you have to have a license to speed along the East River? Looking back to Brooklyn, I could see the Two Northside Piers building where we were staying with Jose and Erik. The whole river front from the Bridge to their condo building is dominated by a sprawling sugar refinery (now defunct) which has Domino Sugar written all over it. We can only hope that they will soon transform it into parkland, with waterside walking paths and plenty of little cafes and eateries. Just like Manhattan?

Over to the left I could see the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. Somewhere over there the Statue of Liberty was holding up her torch but I couldn't see her. I made it to the other side and actually set foot in Manhattan. On the way back, I discovered that there was another cycle route on the opposite side of the bridge. A lot of cyclists were heading for Brooklyn on that side so I decided to go back the way I had come. I was sure those Manhattan cyclists would be scary. There were still only a few joggers and cyclists on my side of the bridge and I wondered why there weren't hundreds of people out enjoying such a fine morning. Maybe they were all running the Marathon? Viewing Manhattan and Brooklyn from this height gives you a very different perspective of both sides of the river. Manhattan's skyscrapers--especially some of the new ones like Frank Gehry's latest condo building--look almost surreal against the bright blue sky. Williamsburg is definitely post-industrial but is renowned for its superb restaurants. Maybe one day it too will be full of condos where studios overlooking the East River will sell for $1.5 million. I suppose a view is a precious thing but I prefer to have it for free--walking across the Willamsburg Bridge!!

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The day after I wrote this blog, there was a long article in the New York Times about the joys of cycling in New York.

Have a look at the article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/08/arts/design/a-bike-lane-perch-for-the-urban-show.html?

CRITIC’S NOTEBOOK

Pleasures of Life in the Slow Lane

By MICHAEL KIMMELMAN

New Yorkers should love bicycling. We’re control freaks. We want to get from here to there in a New York minute and moan about the subways and the buses, about lunatic taxi drivers and the gridlock that slows us down.