New York City is a huge piece of land filled with many magnificent sites. One cannot explore New York City in one day. Even living in this place for a long period of time, I have yet to explore the riches of New York City. However, on April 6, 2018 I decided to explore a site I have never gone before; the Williamsburg Bridge.
The Williamsburg bridge is a great way to get from South Williamsburg to the Lower East side of Manhattan especially during a hot summer day. At the entrance of the bridge, there are two different lanes. Pedestrians have their own walkway and cyclists have their own as well. This is a great way to prevent pedestrians and cyclists from clashing into one another and preventing injuries on the bridge. However, I did not know this information from the beginning. While my friends and I were walking towards the bridge we did not know there was two different lanes and we accidentally walked into the cyclists lane. We were not aware that we were on the wrong side until a lady stopped riding her bike and said “Excuse me guys, but you are on the wrong side of the lane.” Once she said this we looked to the other side and realized we were on the wrong side and instead of walking all the way back to the beginning, we proceeded with caution. Cyclist blew right past by us in the speed of light. It was indeed dangerous, but at the same time exhilarating for me because flashlights kept flashing behind and in front of us as we walked. It felt like we was walking down the red carpet at the premiere of a new hit movie. Finally, halfway through the bridge we were able to transfer to the pedestrian lane and join our fellow walkers. That was when the adventure had actually begun.
The Williamsburg Bridge is a delightful seen to witness. I had the opportunity to walk the bridge during sundown which made everything I saw ten times more spectacular. While walking the bridge, I saw that the concrete floor of the bridge is paved with the different arts of pedestrians that draw on the ground to express their ideas so future pedestrian may see. With the sun beaming towards the ground, the drawings were coming to life as the colors began to detract from the ground and into the atmosphere. The steels are painted mostly red and blue to perhaps signify the colors of the American flag. The beauty of the bridge is that when you walk it you can view the J and M train running in the middle of the bridge. Especially when I saw it during the afternoon, the train was glowing as it was running. On the left side you can view the river’s currents swaying back and forth with such elegance. Wherever you turned you always have a view to glance at. By the time I was reaching the end of the bridge, which was Lower Manhattan in my case, all I saw was fog. It was foggy towards the end of the bridge which made me wonder “should I continue walking or should I go back and take the M train home.” My friends and I were talking about how creepy the fog made the end of the bridge appear, but at last we all agreed “momma didn’t raise no quitter” and kept walking. We decided to proceed and as we kept walking towards the end, the fog began to get thicker and thicker. It felt like the beginning of a Haunted House. Finally, we had made it to the end, we ended up at Delancey Street where we treated ourselves with a reward for the long walk and determination. Lucky for us there was a McDonald’s right up the block from the bridge, where we all went to celebrate for this accomplishment.
This was a great experience for me because I enjoy walking around and exploring new places. Even though I tend to regret it the next day because I end up with sore legs, it doesn’t take away the experience of doing something new. I had always seen pictures of people crossing this bridge and posting it on social media saying “#WilliamsburgBridge.” I had always wondered where this bridge was at and after finally finding it, I knew I had to walk across it. The best part was that I didn’t do it by myself, but with friends who also enjoyed it and had never walked across this bridge before as well. Although the walk was roughly around 30-40 minutes long it didn’t feel that long because of the site seeing and conversation my friends and I were having. Also by conquering this bridge I was able to check it off my bucket list. You can say I “killed two birds with one stone” by doing this trip.
Image copied from google images
Alex, your image of the drawings on the lane coming to life at sundown was a really artistic moment in your piece. What really stood out to me was that you and your friends kept going in the bike lane despite the danger because I, frankly, hate bikers. It is so true that a lot of people on social media go onto this bridge and take photos, with that hashtag. I have seen it myself and end up wanting to see the bridge in person. When I walked the BK Bridge the first time, I had sore legs the next day too! It was nice to see that your friends took the chance to go with you, something new to try in life shouldn’t be done in solitude. Bridges aren’t that fun when you’re alone. You did really great creating images for readers to see things you saw on the bridge, like the fog. I was able to paint that picture in my head.
Alex, Your report really brought your walk across the Williamsburg Bridge alive for me. You do a beautiful job of conveying not just the sights, but the feeling of the experience. Glad this assignment enabled you to cross something off your bucket list! I was surprised that you didn’t post any of your own pictures. I have a hard time believing that you and your friends didn’t take any! Nice work!
JS