This is probably a dumb question. My friends and I want to walk the Brooklyn Bridge starting from the Brooklyn side. I've read that the foot path takes you to City Hall Park. Do you have to walk that far? Is there any way to exit the walkway sooner?

The walkway is over water. You can exit it, but I don't think you'd want to. Probably a 20 minute walk depending on pace.

Not without having a swim.

It's not that long a walk, really, and there are lots of benches to sit on if you get tired along the way. I did it with an ankle that was already pretty sore from the previous day's walking, and I didn't find it problematic. You can get the subway from the Manhattan side right to Grand Central Station, as I recall.

It's actually an easy walk. It's never taken me more than 20 minutes. When you start from the Brooklyn side, start from Cadman Plaza East (the stairway that goes up to the overpass), NOT all the way at the beginning of the walkway (which is Adams Street, I think). It'll save you 5 minutes.

We walk it every year for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. It's a very easy walk, not at all hard on your feet as the bridge is wood. Great views!

I'm not concerned about the difficulty of the walk. We were actually going to jog. My map shows City Hall Park several blocks inland. I just wanted to be closer to the tip of the island when we finished our jog.

On the Manhattan side, the walkway ends across the street from City Hall, next to the Municipal Building (One Centre Street).

sburrow - Depending on how far you want to run, you can go across Chambers Street (northern end of City Hall Park) to the west side (Hudson River) which has a nice esplanade/walkway that goes down to Battery Park. There is no real running path on the east side.
Mara

Just did this from a walk within Brooklyn to the beginning of the access walkway to the bridge. I hav eno idea how long the walkway is but it's not attractiv ean seemed like forever at times until the bridge was in sight. Once it was, it was a breeze and a wonderful walk, even in the rain. Good news was that we walked the right direction, toward New York, and once off the bridge on the Manhattan side, you are truely off!

BUT - as the poster seems to be asking....you come off the bridge at City Hall Park....and yes, you do have to backtrack a bit (basically, under the bridge) to get to something you might be aiming for on the Manhatan side...i.e. the Bridge Cafe, embarked on our walk from - not to end a sentence with a preposition...

I'm starting about 4-5 blocks south of Central park and would like to walk back to Manhattan from Brooklyn.

What's the best subway route to the closest station to get on the bridge?

Thanks.

The best subway is the A or C from 8th Avenue (there are stops at 50th and 59th St). Take it towards downtown, to High Street/Brooklyn Bridge. Exit towards the back of the train (the Henry Street/Cadman West exit). Once above ground, you will see a park across the street. Cross it, veering left, and go under the overpass, where you will see a stairway to the bridge footpath on the left.

I have walked over to Brooklyn and back via the Brooklyn Bridge three times. The last time I was in NY though, this woman was talking about her "walk" across the Brooklyn Bridge. She said she took a cab across the Brooklyn Bridege and walked back to Manhatten. I thought that was quite the conservative idea!

ttt.

Here's what I did today with visitors --

From Pier 11 just south of the South Street Seaport, take the water taxi across the East River to Brooklyn.

www.nywatertaxi.com

Have lunch at Grimaldi's pizza, just up the block on the left from the water taxi dock. Look for a line (but it moves fast).

Then walk back to Manhattan across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Perfect!

Gekko - no ice cream??? Not perfect!

Is it relatively safe to take this walk after dark (Brooklyn to Manhattan.)

One more question: If we take a cab to Brooklyn so we can walk across the bridge, where should we ask the cabbie to drop us?

ttt