I looked at No Words Daily Pix and said to Hugh: “Why did you put a picture up of fireworks on the Brooklyn Bridge ?”
And he told me that 127 years ago today was the opening.
“It’s on all the other Brooklyn blogs,” he said.
Has it really been 27 years since my father had that great party in his apartment, which faces the Brooklyn Bridge to celebrate its 100th birthday?
That night the fireworks were unbelievably good — they poured off of the bridge itself like enormous streams of colored champagne. My father’s apartment was packed full of revelers, many of whom braved the subway to Brooklyn from Manhattan (the subway to Brooklyn!) to celebrate with my dad.
It’s hard to believe it was 27 years ago. Today is the 127th anniversary of the bridge that first connected Brooklyn to Manhattan.
The bridge’s designer, John Augustus Roebling, died during the bridge’s construction and his his son, Washington Roebling, took over the project. He was then injured on the job but continued to work from his wheelchair.
Today’s No Words Daily Pix picture was taken in 2008 during the 125th celebration. The apartment was filled with revelers on that day, too. It was just months before my father from cancer but he was in good spirits. You could see the fireworks right outside his window so we’d set up tall stools, drink wine and savor the private view.
We’d pretend on the Fourth of July (when there were also fireworks in New York Harbour) that it was his own private celebration. We joked on that night, too.
“When are you going to start the show,” we joked.
“Soon,” he said. “As soon as it’s dark enough.”
When the fireworks, spectacular as always, were over we’d thanked him profusely.
“We loved your show, dad,” I told him.
“Ah, it was nothing,” he said in return.
But it was wonderful. It really was.