When people wander the streets of New York City, they find many areas of interest that serve a purpose. Most of the areas are well known by the natives of New York City. The Brooklyn Bridge is one of those well-known areas, and it serves multiple purposes. Many people, tourists and natives alike, walk across the bridge every day. The most logical purpose is to cross from the Brooklyn Borough to the Manhattan Borough and vice versa; of course that’s what a bridge is for. But there’s more to it than that.
To a couple walking across, the Brooklyn Bridge might be a connection to each other and the endless lights of the city. Maybe it’s your first time being to the city and you want to see all of it, whether it be day or night, that bridge allows you to have a view that will never leave your brain.
To the lost person checking every map, the bridge is an answer. It can lead the way to endless possibilities and opportunities, all anyone has to do is walk across.
The Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883. It is currently the one of the oldest cable-stayed/suspension bridge types in the United States. When a landmark is that rare, and been around for over 100 years, it has to have character and respect. The wood may creak just a little when people across it, but that wood creaks because it’s served a purpose for so many years. The many names left on the poles can account for it's years and acquaintances. That purpose may vary from person to person, but it still holds a large amount of significance.
During my first 8 years of life, I would walk the Brooklyn Bridge multiple times every summer. My Grandmother used to force me to walk the bridge and anytime I asked why she would reply “you must always know your roots, Andrea.” I would ask her, why are roots important? She would reply “because you’re an Ojeda, and we always know where we come from and where we’re going.” Amen to that Grandma. All those summer days have helped me to this day. I am proud to say I am a Brooklynite, I am a Nuyorican, I am proud to say that no matter where I go I know where I come from. When times are tough, and I feel overwhelmed I know that I can find the Brooklyn Bridge and do what I helps me remember myself; I walk across.
“Walking across a bridge is walking across water, sun, and light. Each one encourages the start of a new day. The start of a day washed away. The water to cleanse your previous days, the sun to dry your cleansing waters, and finally the light to guide you through. The bridge can provide all that. Of course you must be willing to walk across.”
