Here we are at Brooklyn Terminal in 1903, on the Brooklyn side of the bridge known as the “East River Bridge” during its long construction.
To cross the bridge, you had options. Taking a trolley car was one method; a horse-drawn cart was another. And of course, walking was a possibility. By 1903, it was free to be a pedestrian on the bridge, but when the span opened in 1883, the fee to walk was one cent!
What, no bike lane yet?
[MCNY F2011.33.1886]
Tags: Brooklyn Bridge 1903, Brooklyn Bridge Cable Cars, Brooklyn Bridge Pedestrians, Brooklyn Bridge Vintage Postcards, Brooklyn Terminal
Ephemeral New York 
September 21, 2020 at 10:04 pm |
Ughh bike lanes!! It doesn’t make the stroll very pleasant anymore. Maybe the city should bring back the penny a walk/ride and recoup some money lost. But who would actually guard that? You’d have to put turnstiles and they’d get jumped.
September 22, 2020 at 7:25 pm |
I like your thinking…the bikers are out of control, not just on bridges but avenues as well!
September 22, 2020 at 11:59 am |
[…] Take a look at all the ways to cross the Brooklyn Bridge in 1903. (Ephemeral New […]
September 24, 2020 at 6:14 am |
We walked the Brooklyn Bridge once and glad we did. It was a lot longer than we thought and crowded. Someone was selling bottled water about half way. The bikers were prevalent but tolerable. A lot of people turned backed after half way. We trekked on and took the subway back.
September 26, 2020 at 6:57 pm |
Actually, there were two ways by rail. The car on the lower right is a normal streetcar. But the one on the heavier rail above is part of the Brooklyn elevated lines leading to the big terminal at Park Row. The Myrtle Street line and the Fulton Street line both began there, as did several others.
October 5, 2020 at 9:58 am |
It’s funny, I have a fear of heights, but I can handle walking the Brooklyn Bridge, because of its gentle rise and gentle fall.
It’s one of my favorite walks in the world.