I still marvel at the perfect days I had during my September visit to New York City.
Even though I lived there for almost three years in the early 90’s, and visited quite a few times, I had never walked the Brooklyn Bridge until this trip. Having read “The Great Bridge” by David McCullough between last year’s NYC visit and this year’s, I knew I had to walk the bridge this time.
Compared to these people huddling in the rain and approaching furor of Hurricane Sandy:
I had a blindingly perfect autumn day:
I was thrilled to see the dedications to John A. Roebling and Washington Roebling, a father and son who designed (John) and oversaw the construction of (Washington) the bridge.
AND, equally important, the tribute to Emily Roebling (Washington’s wife) who had a major role in the bridge’s completion when Washington was incapacitated.
Yes, this is the same image but I love the quote so much I am including a closer-up version:
“Back of every great work we can find the self-sacrificing devotion of a woman.”
Now back to the complete un-Sandy-ness of the day.
There is no blue like the blue of a fall NYC sky.
The Freedom Tower rising in Manhattan.
This thing was built to last.
Not going to let a young wench named Sandy mess with this 129 year old survivor.
This bridge was in my line of sight the day I got married on The Brooklyn Promenade in 1992. Now that I have walked it, this solid, beautiful, and functional structure does indeed leave me “wordless.”