With the birds

Magnet #1180 - Queensboro and Brooklyn Bridges

From yesterday's underwater access points, to two of our bridges high off the water - I figured I'd just minithon the other of my BNT magnetset from Fish's Eddy.

One of my favorite things to do in the city is walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, from one end to the other, stopping along the way to check out the amazing views, looking between the planks at the water and/or cars below, reading all the plaques by the caissons, and imagining all the freakin' work that went into building such an astounding bridge.

Oh, and it doesn't hurt that there's some really good pizza at Grimaldi's, or chocolate from Jacques Torres, and the really cool Brooklyn Bridge Park waiting on the other side. (Clearly, there's more to do in Brooklyn, but I'm saving some of it for an Explore Brooklyn Day, hopefully soon. Hmmm, maybe this Saturday. And yes, there's an Escape Home to NYC sequel in the works - yay!)

The Queensboro Bridge, (aka, the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge or even, the 59th Street Bridge) on the other hand, I can't even remember if I've been across. I must have, right? I mean it's a major thoroughfare! I just know it's the bridge that's right beside the Roosevelt Island tram - everyone knows it - it's the tram where Spider-Man saves Mary Jane?

Yep, that's another fun thing to do in the city, especially, if you're my mother. It's her thing. She loves making everyone take the tram to the island, pop a quarter on the bus and ride it around the little island enclave, and ride the tram back. She seriously loves it.

In fact, I'm going downstairs right now to show her this Spider-Man/LEGO video below, because she will. love. it. And say, "When can we go again, Joy? Can we go there again when I go back to NY, Joy?



eta:
Hah. I was wrong.

Mom: "That's smart! You should do that! Without copyright infringement, of course. I just love riding that thing - it's so exciting!"

With the fishes

Magnet #1179 - Lincoln and Holland tunnels

Hey, did ya'll know that the Holland Tunnel (which connects downtown Manhattan to Jersey City) was supposedly the first underwater vehicular tunnel in the world when it was built back in the 1920s?

Ugh, can you even imagine slowly put-putting through the dark hole in the ground as one the first cars traveling through it?

And I didn't realize that the Lincoln Tunnel (which connects midtown Manhattan to Weehawken), was built as a WPA projects in the 1930s. Apparently, nowadays, the tunnel supposedly hosts more commuters via the bus routes into Port Authority than the trains do running into Penn. That seems weird to me, at least until you walk around the smoggy floors of the PA, waiting for the buses, that's when you believe it.

When we were little and on roadtrips, we used to love all the tunnels we'd pass through on our way to our destinations. The ones through the mountains meant we were halfway to Chicago. The ones under the Hudson meant we'd reached New York City.

And every time, my mother would yell, wake up, girls, it's the tunnel!

That's why I was excited when a friend bought me this superdupercute BNT (that's Bridge & Tunnel for the rest of America) magnet set from Fish's Eddy.

They've always held a certain fascination...as they do when you're little. Even now, as I pass through either the Lincoln or the Holland, I'm a little more alert, always looking around, watching the lights as they pass, the curves of the ceilings, the little walkways for the workmen, the lights of the cars ahead. It's still pretty cool.

The best story, though, is when we roadtripped with the BFF up to NYC, when we were in seventh grade. And we had told her all about the supercool Lincoln Tunnel, that you have to go underwater - under the Hudson River! - to get to NY. The only trouble is...we got her so excited to see the tunnel, it was a huge letdown for her when she couldn't actually see the fishes in the water.

Apparently, she was expecting a Sea World-esque see-through type tunnel. Oops!