Brooklyn Bridge Crossing
Begin this journey suspended between two shores on a web of granite and steel, descending to the very spot where the "Marblehead Mariners" rowed the Revolution to safety under the cover of night.
In August 1776, this short crossing at Fulton Ferry Landing became the fulcrum of the American Revolution. Following the Battle of Long Island, 9,000 Continental troops were pinned against the Brooklyn shore. On the night of August 29–30, under cover of a timely fog, Colonel John Glover's Marblehead Mariners rowed the entire army silently across to Manhattan. The shoreline directly below the Heights marks the precise extraction point.
At a Glance
- Route
- Walk the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan, descend to Fulton Ferry Landing, south through Brooklyn Bridge Park along the piers, with optional ascent to Brooklyn Heights Promenade, and to DUMBO along the water.
- Distance
- 1–1.5 miles (waterfront core); 2–3 miles with Brooklyn Heights loop
- Duration
- Half-day
- Difficulty
- Easy — flat waterfront paths; Brooklyn Heights requires a climb or the Squibb Park Bridge
- Best Season
- Year-round. Early morning for the bridge walk; golden hour for the Manhattan skyline view
This journey begins suspended between two shores. Stepping onto the elevated pedestrian promenade of the Brooklyn Bridge, you are walking a path that suspended New York into the modern age. Opened in 1883 as the 'Eighth Wonder of the World,' John and Washington Roebling's masterpiece of Gothic stone towers and intricate steel webbing trussed the East River, permanently stitching together the independent cities of New York and Brooklyn. John Roebling, the bridge's visionary architect, died of tetanus after his foot was crushed by a ferry while surveying the site, leaving his son Washington and daughter-in-law Emily Warren Roebling to complete the monumental task of weaving his steel-cable dreams into reality.
Early crossings, however, were fraught with a distinct nineteenth-century anxiety; just six days after opening, a false rumor that the bridge was collapsing triggered a panicked stampede that tragically killed twelve people. To restore public trust, the legendary showman P.T. Barnum famously marched a parade of twenty-one elephants — led by the colossal Jumbo — across the span the following year, proving its structural integrity beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Today, as you make the mile-long trek beneath the soaring cathedral arches, the rhythmic rumble of traffic below and the panoramic expanse of the harbor serve as a reminder that this is not just a crossing, but a living monument to human ambition and perseverance. You arrive at one of the oldest points of connection between Manhattan and Brooklyn. Walking south through the landscape of Brooklyn Bridge Park, take the Squibb Park Bridge to Brooklyn Heights, then walk downhill to DUMBO.
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Brooklyn Bridge Park spans eighty-five acres across a series of transformed industrial piers along the East River waterfront. When cargo shipping ceased in the early 1980s, the Port Authority initially planned to sell the piers to private developers for commercial high-rises. In its place, this public space replaced the defunct maritime cargo hub with a continuous greenway that blends active recreation with native ecology.
Fulton Ferry Landing
A small, scenic waterfront pier at the foot of Old Fulton Street, folded into Brooklyn Bridge Park and known for open views of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan skyline, and New York Harbor. Ferry operations began here in 1642, and in 1814 Robert Fulton launched the first steam ferry service with the Nassau, transforming the crossing into a reliable municipal pulse.
The 1926 Fireboat House of Marine Company 7, complete with its hose-drying tower, is now a snack concession centering the pier. The River Café dining barge nestled under the bridge — on a former East River coffee barge — bettered this once derelict, abandoned waterfront property into an iconic dining destination.
Walt Whitman edited the Brooklyn Daily Eagle at the Eagle Warehouse (28 Old Fulton St) and set type for Leaves of Grass nearby. The pier is inscribed with verse from his masterpiece, Crossing Brooklyn Ferry.
Brooklyn Bridge Park Piers
The park piers occupy the same footprints as the commercial piers that served Brooklyn's import economy for over a century. Pier 1 has the park's largest footprint, featuring 'Bridge View' elevated grassy hills built on recycled fill from the East Side Access tunnel project offering scenic viewpoints facing lower Manhattan. Piers 2 & 5 are hubs for movement, featuring basketball courts, a roller rink, soccer fields, and a fishing station. After nearly 50 years operating on its original floating coffee barge at Fulton Ferry Landing, Bargemusic's chamber concerts have moved into the Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse located between Piers 4 and 5. All concerts admission free. Pier 3 offers quiet lawns and a landscaped labyrinth designed for acoustic buffering and peaceful relaxation. Pier 4 is a dedicated sandy beach for launching kayaks and studying tidal marine life. Brooklyn Bridge Marina is protected by a wave attenuation system, creating some of the calmest water in New York Harbor. Pier 6 houses children's playgrounds, sand volleyball courts, and seasonal water play areas.
Brooklyn Heights
New York's first true commuter suburb, the first neighborhood to receive landmark designation (1965), and one of the earliest planned residential enclaves in the United States. The neighborhood is a living gallery of Federal, Greek Revival, and Italianate architecture and continues a long tradition as a literary enclave, once home to Truman Capote, Carson McCullers, W.H. Auden, Hart Crane, Thomas Wolfe, Richard Wright, Arthur Miller, Marianne Moore, and Norman Mailer.
Brooklyn Heights Promenade
Opened in 1951 as a compromise to Robert Moses's expressway plans, this 1,826-foot cantilevered walkway offers a protected, world-famous panorama of Lower Manhattan. A 400-foot pedestrian bridge at Squibb Park links the elevated neighborhood directly to the waterfront below at Pier 1.
Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims
57 Orange StreetBuilt in 1850, this was the pulpit of the abolitionist minister Henry Ward Beecher. The church served as a critical hub on the Underground Railroad, hiding escaped slaves in its basement tunnels. Abraham Lincoln famously sat in Pew 89 here shortly before delivering his 1860 Cooper Union speech.
Eugene Boisselet House
24 Middagh StreetBuilt in 1824, a modest Federal-style clapboard structure widely recognized as the oldest surviving house in Brooklyn Heights. It features a distinct carriage house and represents the architectural style of the neighborhood before brownstone became dominant.
DUMBO
The DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) waterfront section of Brooklyn Bridge Park features a unique blend of industrial history and modern public space. This northern zone of the park includes Main Street Park and the John Street area, situated directly under the Manhattan Bridge and stretching toward the Navy Yard. It incorporates expansive lawns, a tidal salt marsh, and architectural highlights like a glass-enclosed historic carousel.
The famous photo spot along Front and Water Streets, framed perfectly by the neighborhood's red-brick warehouses and the massive anchor pier of the Manhattan Bridge. Look through the lower beams of the bridge and you can see the distant silhouette of the Empire State Building. Tucked under the bridge is a repurposed industrial building, now an educational center with a 500-gallon aquarium showcasing local East River marine life. The tracks of a railroad that once carried supplies to the many factories along the waterfront still score the cobbled streets.
Pebble Beach
Stone steps descend to Pebble Beach, which gently slopes into the water allowing visitors direct access. A pedestrian footbridge spans across a tidal marshland ecosystem that permits close-range observation of native wetlands.
Jane's Carousel
Directly at the water's edge, encased in a spectacular modern glass pavilion, Jane's Carousel features fully restored 1922 wood-carved horses that spin against the backdrop of the river.
St. Ann's Warehouse & Empire Stores
On the park's lawn sits St. Ann's Warehouse, its weathered Civil War-era brick walls containing a state-of-the-art theater courtyard. Directly next door, the Empire Stores, made of Manhattan schist, a once-abandoned coffee and cargo warehouse, has been transformed into a multi-use retail hub featuring a vibrant public food corridor and a public rooftop park.
Getting Here
| Stop / Location | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| High St–Brooklyn Bridge (A/C) | Subway | DUMBO and Fulton Ferry Landing; also reaches Brooklyn Heights |
| Clark St (2/3) | Subway | Brooklyn Heights; short walk to the Promenade and Squibb Park Bridge |
| York St (F) | Subway | DUMBO; closest to the Manhattan Bridge anchorage and Empire Stores |
| Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall (4/5/6) | Subway | Manhattan side — start of the bridge pedestrian crossing |
| NYC Ferry — East River Route | Ferry | Fulton Ferry Landing stop; connects to Manhattan and Queens |
| Brooklyn Bridge Pedestrian Path | Walk | Enter from the Manhattan side at Centre St & Frankfort St; or the Brooklyn side off Washington St |
| Brooklyn Bridge Park | Walk | Multiple entrances along Furman St; main entrance at the foot of Atlantic Ave (Pier 6) or Old Fulton St (Pier 1) |
| Brooklyn Heights Promenade | Walk | Enter from Montague St, Pierrepont St, or Orange St at the western end of Brooklyn Heights |
| Squibb Park Bridge | Walk | Enter from Columbia Heights near the Promenade — connects to Pier 1 |
| Empire Stores | Walk | At the foot of Main St in DUMBO, adjacent to the East River waterfront |
Community Logs
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