nikhilg's blog

WalkwayMost people, most of the time, do not experience places in the same way they consume goods. While they go out of their way to consume goods, and look forward to and plan for the ritual of consuming things, they are not so impassioned in how they experience place. Instead, they consume place through an almost subconscious selection; they stay away from places they don’t like and gravitate towards the places they do. When people return to a familiar coffee shop or diner, or choose to study in a specific lounge, they are consuming a place. For a long time, this is how one of my favorite places was visited. I cycle around the city (when it’s warm), a hobby that often brings takes me to Brooklyn. There are three East River bridges over to Brooklyn, all with a different character. The best way to northern Brooklyn is the Williamsburg Bridge, and I went over it every time I wanted to go on a short expedition to Williamsburg. However the bridge has an intense character, in the same way ones favorite coffee shop or restaurant does, that brought me back. Because Williamsburg is an epicenter of biker culture, and is convenient for much of Brooklyn, the bridge is popular with riders to the point that it has been incorporated into the biker subculture. Cleverly dressed hipsters show of their clunky bikes on the span. As Williamsburg has grown more hip, so has the bridge. The walkways over it are covered with graffiti more interesting and more engaging than work elsewhere. Artwork and stickers gives the span a dorm room feel. For a while I gravitated toward bike routes that led toward Williamsburg, simply because I enjoyed going over the bridge. Over time, I have become more attached to the bridge. Now that it is too cold to bike over the bridge I find myself going out of the way to talk walks over it. In contrast to the chaotic and schizophrenic city below, the span above is both more relaxing and in many ways more engaging. Because of the iron girder’s which provide the walls, the walk over is an alienating experience. The altered state of mind both brings the pedestrian into the experience of the bridge as a place, and makes the distant view of the city from over the river a comforting experience.