Brooklyn Bridge Walk

New York is full of cultural marvels, but one of the city's greatest and most consistent pleasures is walking from one place to another—especially when your path crosses the Brooklyn Bridge. Taking in the expansive panoramic views from this architectural marvel not only makes the Brooklyn Bridge walk popular with tourists, but a favorite way for local New Yorkers to clear their heads.

The Brooklyn Bridge links up with FDR Drive and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, two major thoroughfares familiar to the bridge-and-tunnel crowd. Parking options around the bridge vary from metered street parking to more expensive lot parking, but unless you're commuting, there's no reason to bring your car.

You can take the 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, A, and C trains, among others, to stations within a few blocks of the Brooklyn Bridge, including the City Hall and High Street stations. Dogs are allowed on subways as long as they're in a carrier or bag, which New Yorkers have approached with typical creative aplomb. Most subway riders won't care what kind of bag or carrier your dog is in as long as they're well-behaved and not making a scene.

The walk from one end of the bridge to the other is 1.3 miles, making the walk just under an hour long if you walk it one way and take the subway back, and a little less that 1.5 hours long if you walk it out and back. The walkways over the 300-foot-tall bridge are suspended over the whizzing cars below and well-protected with barriers and gating, though looking through the slats on the walkway can be unnerving if you get vertigo.

Turn your eyes instead to the many spectacular sights above and around you, including the majestic bridge towers, geometrically ornate cables and suspension wires, New York City skyline, and the Statue of Liberty in the distance. Once you've become familiar with these sights, you may prefer to watch the boats coming and going under the bridge. It's also a great place to watch the weather change.

If you're walking with your dog anywhere near the Brooklyn Bridge, route your way over it to enjoy one of the most puptacular walks in New York!