"Take my picture!" Yelled some kids that had decided to spend their Saturday afternoon patrolling Randall's Island, which lies between Manhattan's Upper East Side and Astoria, Queens. Nicole and I were taking photos when they decided to race to the foundation of the Hell Gate Bridge's western tower.
How did they get there? When Robert Moses connected Randall's Island with neighboring Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx with the Triborough Bridge in 1936, he added a recreational complex of athletic fields and pedestrian walkways that he perceived would be immensely popular. However, without subway access, not many Gothamists bother to make the trip out there. Those who do enjoy a lack of congestion enviable elsewhere in the city.
Fun Fact: Without human intervention, the Hell Gate Bridge would last for approximately 1,000 years, far longer than any other bridge in New York City. The Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queensboro bridges would likely "only" last about 300 years.
As we walked around the corner, leaving the kids to their own fun, we saw the mesmerizing support arches for the Hell's Gate bridge up close and personal.
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| Kevin loves to sing tenor underneath the operatic echoes that these arches provide! |
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Hell Gate Bridge Links to an inverted bow-string bridge between Ward's and Randall's Island.
I-278 runs parallel. It is interesting to note the difference in esthetics between a bridge built around 1959 and one built just under 50 years prior in 1912.
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