The original plan for Sunday was for everyone to come to my place to see the apartment, have some appetizers and then walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to have brunch at Cecconi’s. I was particularly excited because I told everyone in California that my daily walks would be the Brooklyn Bridge… it hadn’t happened yet. I woke up, got ready and took a quick walk to Le Pain Quotidien about a quarter mile from here. It is a bakery and restaurant where they make their bread daily. I was going to serve small bites of French bread, jam and Basque cheese slightly melted. We were to meet at 11 a.m. here; however, everyone felt pretty much the way I felt – dragging, and perhaps a bit hungover.
We ended up meeting in Brooklyn at Cecconi’s…yet another wonderful place. It is literally at the foot of a bridge with outdoor eating. In fact, the entire time we were sitting there for brunch I thought this was the Brooklyn Bridge. Nope.
THIS is the Brooklyn Bridge:
Brunch was absolutely delicious! Cecconi’s is an Italian restaurant and BTW, I LOVE Italian! Amazing views, amazing ambiance and yet another wonderful Sunday thing to do. Now the Bridge…
Construction on the Brooklyn Bridge started in 1869 and was completed in 14 years without electricity. It is about a mile long and extends quite far inland because of the low-lying shores. The bridge was designated a national historic landmark in 1964. It currently supports six lanes of vehicles (no trucks) and has a shared pedestrian and bicycle path. It is about a mile long, so the walk was actually very nice but so many people! They actually have people selling souvenir items along the sides of the walkway. Here is an interesting side note: About a week after the bridge opened in 1883 there was a rumor that the bridge could collapse. PT Barnum marched 21 “Jumbo” elephants across the bridge to dispel the rumor.
Once off the bridge, we walked to and around West Village. We passed the “Friends” apartment building, JFK, Jr.’s last home, had a drink at a bar Anna Marie, Pierre and I had been to some years ago and saw the “Ghostbusters” firehouse.
I left them at West Village around 7 p.m. and called it a day…not just a day….a GREAT day! There is so much to do and see here and, at the same time, I am exercising. A two-hour walk feels comfortable and feasible. I don’t think I have ever felt that at home. Don’t think for one minute though that I walked home today – enough is enough!