Birthday Part I

We’ll need to break down the birthday activities into a couple of blog posts. Lorraine and I covered a lot of territory that day. My feet still hurt.

We were up bright and early. Off to Brooklyn to cross the bridge. Wonderful views of Manhattan from the Brooklyn side. The bridge itself is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. The main span is about 1,600 feet. And from its opening in 1883 until 1903, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world.

I was surprised to find padlocks on the bridge. Lots of padlocks. Like this one.

A couple declare their love for each other and the inscription on this padlock reads: “The key to remain in the Hudson River FOREVER.”

The walkway is fairly wide and allows for both pedestrians and cyclists. Cars travel below the walkway. Lots of wires hold the structure together.

The bridge itself was relatively free of graffiti except for a staircase on the Manhattan side.

New York City Hall stands tall at the edge of the Brooklyn Bridge.

We gradually made our way towards the Staten Island Ferry passing many streets like this one.

The ferry provided us an opportunity to see the Statue of Liberty albeit from some distance.

Some terrific views of the city skyline.

And then back into town to visit the Empire State Building.

Phew. Time for a break. Believe it or not, we had not yet stopped for lunch. We had covered a lot of New York in the morning. Part II of the birthday tomorrow.