Greenpoint, October, 2015

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Bayonne Bridge Appreciation Society (S.I. Chapter)

The "heat dome" has evaporated, or whatever heat domes do, leaving cooler evenings. I was accosted a few weeks ago by my parking spot neighbor. He tapped on my window. I rolled the window down (or pushed the button that did so). "Do you know which bridge this is?" he asked pulling out a photograph from an envelope. I blanked for a few seconds before coming up with answer. "People should know the bridge they can see from their balcony," he continued. "It's a beautiful bridge," I said. "Did you know it's the sister bridge of the Sydney Harbour Bridge? Everybody knows about that bridge but nobody cares about this one."
He's right that you can find lots of fan sites for the SHB on-line, including "20 Facts About the Syndey Harbour Bridge," which don't mention it's New York-New Jersey model. The BB opened in November 1931 (months ahead of schedule!), nearly a year before the SHB (more here). Maybe it would have gotten more respect if it had been called the Kill Van Kull Bridge (KVKB).

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