New York: Brooklyn, Bridges & Basketball

On our second day in New York, having visited the 9/11 memorial museum in the morning followed by the Statue of Liberty cruise, we decided to walk one of New York’s most iconic landmarks – Brooklyn Bridge. We walked to the bridge but depending on where you are coming from you can take the 4, 5 or 6 subway to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall and cross the street to access the pedestrian walkway.

Built in the 1850’s, Brooklyn Bridge was the first steel-wire suspension bridge and, boasting a main span of 1595 feet and a total measurement of 5,989 feet, was the longest bridge in the world for 20 years. Having seen the Brooklyn Bridge on a canvas on Lewis’s bedroom wall for as long as I can remember, it felt very surreal to finally be walking across it.

With the bridge measuring at 1.3 miles in length, it’s estimated to take around 30 minutes to walk from one side to the other. We were lucky that on the day we visited the bridge was relatively quiet but on an average weekend up to 26,800 cross the bridge each day and in the Summer months it is described as quite claustrophobic at times. With the bridge split into a pedestrian walkway and a cycle path, you can only walk as fast as the flow of the crowd so it’s worth taking that into account when timing your visit.

We visited on a Friday at around 4pm, beating any work traffic coming from or to Brooklyn, and it was the perfect time to take photographs, enjoy the views and walk across at our own pace. The Brooklyn Bridge is open 24 hours a day and I’ve heard it’s a gorgeous spot to watch the sun set as well as to see the sun rise!

Although we walked across this time, on our next visit I would love to hire a bike and cycle across the bridge to see more of Brooklyn via bike. We hired bikes on our third day in Central Park and enjoyed it so much, plus if you’re trying to fit as much in as possible in a short amount of time, it’s a great way to speed things up!

If you’re considering leaving a love lock on Brooklyn bridge then think again, the authorities are now fining $100 for anyone caught leaving a lock on this landmark. At first I thought that was a little unfair and it feels like they’re out to spoil our fun, but I later learned that recently a wire attached to an overhead light on the bridge snapped under the weight of the locks, shutting down a lane for two hours while repairs were made. They actually impose a real risk to the cars below as well as costing authorities more than $100,000 annually to remove them! Of course, there will always be some who rebel…

We absolutely loved walking across Brooklyn Bridge and would definitely recommend it rather than taking the subway and missing the chance to step foot on a momentous landmark. Every day when I look at Lewis’s canvas on his wall I pinch myself that we were actually there on that bridge, strolling along without a care in the world. It was pretty special!

As we arrived in Brooklyn we decided to explore the area commonly known as DUMBO – down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass. It’s a really interesting area full of shops, bars and restaurants, as well as lots of amazing spots to take in the views of both bridges and the Manhattan skyline beyond.

Although we didn’t take part, using the New York Explorer Pass you can actually sign up for a walking tour of DUMBO which I’ve heard is really interesting and a great way to explore the area. Brooklyn itself has a lot to offer and is often overlooked for the bright lights of Manhattan, I wish we’d had more time to explore it, but there’s always next time!

Before our trip I had earmarked all of the top spots for photographs and this street in DUMBO was up there at the top of the list. Brooklyn’s most Instagram-worthy spot is down on the waterfront in DUMBO, at the intersection of Washington Street and Water Street. Ordinarily the street is awash with tourists taking photographs and yet we were very lucky that it was relatively quiet and we were able to get our shot without facing the crowds.

DUMBO felt very different from central Manhattan to me, was far quieter and a little bit eerie at times as we wandered down side streets and back lanes. It was fun to explore but I’m not sure how I would have felt exploring those alley ways at night in the dark!

For me, the waterfront at DUMBO was the real highlight and gave the most incredible views of both Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge. It’s the most amazing spot to really appreciate the enormity of the bridges and the iconic skyline ahead and later when it went dark it was truly breathtaking.

We had been told that DUMBO has some of the best places to eat in New York and our absolute favourite was Time Out Market, a stylish and atmospheric food hall bringing together 21 local vendors and a whole new layer of dining options.

From Mexican to Japanese, burgers to pancakes, sushi to pizza, we literally walked from one vendor to the next salivating at every menu. Created to bring the best of the city under one roof, in a relaxed, informal, self service setting, it’s the perfect place to eat as a family or get together with friends, particularly if you all have very different tastes.

Gaz and Lewis instantly went for a burger which is cooked to perfection infront of you while you wait and can be eaten at the counter in bar style seating or taken to one of the dining areas with larger communal seating to come together as a group.

I went for Mexican corn tacos which were utterly delicious and one of our absolute favourite meals during our stay in New York. With it being a self service establishment there are no added expenses of tipping and fresh water tanks and glasses are situated throughout so you can save even further if you like. For those wanting an alcoholic drink there are three bars as well as a rooftop bar overlooking the East River.

As well as the food hall Time Out Market has lots of fantastic pop ups, retail shops and boutique gems which were interesting to explore although the price tags were a little higher than you might expect for several of the items.

We loved playing around with this state of the art technology before realising that it was retailing at $18,000. For those wanting to discover unique pieces and stylish homewares Time Out Market is fantastic but it’s definitely not the kind of place where you’ll be picking up cheap souvenirs!

From DUMBO we walked fifty minutes through Brooklyn to the Barclays Center to watch the Brooklyn Nets v Chicago Bulls in our very first basketball game. Although none of us are basket ball fans, it was at the top of Lewis’s list for things he wanted to do in New York and I had bought the tickets from Stubhub.com well in advance which I was glad of as the game sold out the following week.

I actually can’t put into words just how amazing the basketball was, from the atmosphere in the arena to the dramatic music and dancing of the cheerleaders, it was a real pinch me moment. When the crowd stood to sing the national anthem, or cheered with every point scored, I had goosebumps all over my body and it felt as though we had landed right in the middle of one of my favourite American TV shows or movies.

Whether you’re sports fans or not, I cannot recommend the basketball enough. Of all the things we did, and all the epic landmarks we visited during our time in New York, the basketball was a real highlight and the perfect way to really immerse yourself into the New York lifestyle.

We absolutely loved our time over in Brooklyn and will be back again on our next visit to do it all over again. Only maybe this time I’ll be more careful at the basketball and not fall over, topple down the seats, and squash the small child in front of me…..