Almost as iconic as the Empire State Building and Broadway, the Brooklyn Bridge is one the first things that many think of when picturing New York. Completed in the late 19th century the Brooklyn Bridge was the first permanent link from Brooklyn to Manhattan, combining the two boroughs and replacing (partially) the slow and inefficient ferries which had brought people from the city to brooklyn beforehand. Now in its third century of operation, the Brooklyn Bridge has endured through the times and has become a true New Yorker.
Opened on May 24, 1883 with the mayors of Brooklyn and Manhattan and the president (Chester A. Arthur) present, the Brooklyn Bridge saw over 150,000 pedestrians on its first day of operation. When there were fears that the bridge was unstable, the fabled P. T. Barnum marched over 20 elephants on the bridge to disprove the fears. For nearly 20 years after its completion it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. The Brooklyn Bridge has remained when most of the bridges built in its time are long gone. Designed by a German immigrant, withstanding the test of time, moving countless hordes of people through the centuries, the Brooklyn Bridge is a testament to the ingenuity, perseverance, and dare I say it… moxy of New York.