Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
A Walking Tour in NYC, Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge and More!
Who knew you could walk across the Brooklyn Bridge? Well, my brother knew, and he arranged a fantastic walking tour for us with Adam (I Know a Guy,) who would share the sights and history of Brooklyn Heights, the Brooklyn Bridge and lower Manhattan. It was fantastic!
But even before meeting up with Guy, my brother John served as our unofficial tour guide throughout our weeklong stay in New York City. He showed us how to navigate the streets and subways like a New Yorker, (Bob & I only got separated on the subway once, I wish I had a picture as the door closed and the train pulled out with me on it, Bob looking on!) And took us on walks through Central Park, here if you missed it, and to Gray’s Papaya, where you can get a hotdog and amazing papaya drink for five bucks!
But I digress. On the day of our scheduled tour with Guy, we met up in Brooklyn,
and set off to see the beauty of Brooklyn Heights, complete with brownstones where some of the rich and famous live, I’m not telling, I’ve been sworn to secrecy.
And there was plenty of history to absorb. Ever hear of the Brooklyn Dodgers, founded in 1883? Yes, the same Dodgers that fled to Los Angeles and are currently dominating the Yankees in the World Series.
Jackie Robinson was signed by the Dodgers in 1947, and changed baseball and America forever.
One of the most moving stops on our tour was Plymouth Church, where “You can turn off the lights in the basement—where runaway slaves passed through on the Underground Railroad—and imagine what it feels like to run for your life. When you are in the pastor’s office, you may think of Branch Rickey—a member of Plymouth Church and General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers—praying there until he decided that God wanted him to invite Jackie Robinson to integrate baseball.”
Here the abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher preached, and Lincoln visited in 1860. If Beecher sounds familiar, it is – Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, was his sister. Lincoln was purported to have said to her when she visited him in the White House, “Is this the little woman who made this great war?”
We loved the history but the highlight of our walking tour was the view of Manhattan from the Brooklyn Promenade,
and the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. I must admit we were both excited and a bit apprehensive about the bridge walk, 10 stories high over the East River. (My husband is afraid of heights!)
But we were so glad we did it! The easy 30-minute walk is on a pedestrian-only lane in the center of the bridge, and cars were on the deck below.
Before embarking we learned the history of the bridge, which opened in 1883. The original designer, John Roebling died before building started, and when his son Washington Roebling became ill and incapacitated, his wife, Emily Warren Roebling took over the construction project and was the first person to cross the bridge when it opened. Many years later, she finally got the plaque she deserved for her role in completing the bridge.
The views of NYC, and the Manhattan Bridge next to us were amazing.
On the other side we were in lower Manhattan and visited more historic sites including St. Paul’s Chapel, built in 1766, where George Washington worshipped on Inauguration Day in 1789. This little chapel, once the tallest building in New York, survived the 911 attacks on the World Trade Towers a block away.
Finally, I’ll close with Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange, and the Fearless Girl which I preferred to the Bull,
and Fraunces Tavern where George Washington bade his troops farewell after the Revolutionary War, and where we enjoyed a nice dinner to call it a day.
We loved our walking tour, that took us to places of beauty and history we would never have discovered on our own.
If you’re ever in Manhattan, why don’t you consider it?
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 
That would be an amazing walk! You saw so much.
We really did! It was fantastic!
Wow, such a great trip, guys! Amazing photos, thank you for sharing since I’ve never been to NYC.
Thanks, John. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
You’re welcome, Susanne. 😊
That was quite the tour, right? So much fun with Adam the tour guide, and so many cool things to see!
Yes!! Amazing! Thanks so much for arranging it for us!
Wonderful tour! Thanks for taking me along in photos! It is always best when you have a resident showing you around!
I agree! I never would have known about these places without a guide! Thank you.
What a wonderful walk through history, Susanne. Thank you and your brother
Thanks so much, Don! It was a special day!
How cool that your brother could show you around the city. I knew you could walk the bridge because my hubby and I have. 🙂
Yes, it was a special day, out of a special week! I didn’t realize how iconic the Brooklyn Bridge is to NYC. I’m so glad we walked across it.
Splendid tour Susanne, and you had great weather for it too.
Thanks, Graham. The weather was perfect!
Really enjoying visiting the city with you all.
Thank you! Glad to hear it!
I remember John doing that tour, and it was good to see it again. You captured some impressive views of the city.
Best wishes, Pete.
Thanks, Pete. Yes, I remember John’s posting about the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, but never thought I’d do it myself – I’m so glad I did!
That sounds like a great walking tour! We explored NYC on our own and saw a lot of the same Manhattan sights as you did (including St. Paul’s Chapel which we found very moving as it was only a few years after 9/11). We also walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and enjoyed the views from the far side. But we didn’t explore Brooklyn properly at all and it would be great to do so with a guide who knows all that history 🙂 Maybe if we go back one day …
Thanks, Sarah. It was such a wonderful day exploring Brooklyn, the Bridge, and lower Manhattan. And having a personal tour guide brought all the history to life! I would do a walking tour again, taking in some of the other unique neighborhoods in NYC. Hopefully there’s another trip in our future.
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In my only brief visit to New York, we walk the Brooklyn bridge too, but we had no time fir visiting Brooklyn itself. Maybe next time… whenever that’ll be
There’s so much to do in NYC, it’s impossible to fit everything in! I hope there’s a next time for me too!