walking Brooklyn Bridge
 

One of the suggestions I've read many times on this Forum for NYC travelers is to take the subway to Brooklyn and then walk back to Manhattan over the bridge. My family and I would like to do this, but we'll be visiting in December. How long a walk is it? We're from Minnesota and can handle cold weather, but we want to know what we're getting ourselves into. I assume it will be windy on the bridge. Should we save this walk for a future visit??

If we do it, which subway should we take to Brooklyn and how close is it to the bridge entrance?

Hi Gaffanie-
I live near the BB and walk over it all the time...but rarely in winter. It's certainly doable though, especially for people who are used to the cold. It may or may not be windy up there, but it's typically warmer than you think it's going to be (if that helps). I think the combination of the walking, the cars, and the water below have a warming effect. I still recommend that you bundle up, though!

Take the A or C train (the line that runs down 8th Ave in Manhattan) to High Street/Brooklyn Bridge. Get off towards the back of the train @ the Henry Street exit. Across the street you will see a park. Cross it, veering to the left. You will soon go under an overpass where there is a stairway going up to the BB walkway.

gaffannie - When I was working in Lower Manhattan, I walked almost every day except when it was raining or icy. You shouldn't have a problem on a nice December day. From the entrance near Park Row in Manhattan to the exit on Tillary Street in Brooklyn is about one and one-quarter miles.
Mara

It was surely windy the day we walked the Brooklyn Bridge. The fumes from the automobiles were awful, so be advised. Try to time your visit for just before sunset, when the lighting around the skyline is gorgeous.

I walked it in October. It was brisk and there was a bit of wind. It was a highlight.
I don't remember there being ANY exhaust from cars.

We're planning to do it in a few weeks; I'll be happy to report back. My Significant Other was a bit lukewarm to the idea until I mentioned that there was reportedly a good pizza restaurant on the Brooklyn side; suddenly his interest was piqued. Of course he'll have to get his reward before we actually do the walk, since we'll be crossing toward Manhattan, but he's an honourable guy. :)

Hi Gaffannie,
We walked the Brooklyn Bridge last summer when it was 98 degrees...novices that we were we walked over AND back! I would have loved for it to have been cold! We ate at Grimaldi's pizzeria and it was wonderful! We did have to wait a bit, even at 2 in the afternoon, but it was worth it. It was good to walk off the calories afterward. Do walk the bridge(maybe not both ways),though. Of all of the things we did while we were there, my kids still talk about that the most. (Our 8 year old daughter still wants her dad to carry her on his back places when she is tired because he "did it on the Brooklyn Bridge" :) It took the four of us about 30-45 minutes if I remember correctly, but we stopped for pictures and to let the kids take a break- it was sooo hot. I didn't notice the wind, but I don't know about winter time. Have a wonderful time! We, too, are going back in December- maybe we will pass you up there!

Dear Suzanne - thanks for the directions! I am coming to NYC in Dec with a mate its his 1st time and in all my visits I have never set foot on the Bridge! so your directions are VERY useful TA

Thanks for all the great information! We will definitely put a walk over the bridge on our itinerary--and the pizza sounds great too!