S. Worthen | Weblog

Today, I saw the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a lovely morning in New York City. The sun was out, and passersby wore t-shirts. Each of them in turn stopped to wave, to dance, to pantomime to those of us waving, dancing, and smiling at them from the overcast banks of the Thames. Behind them, in the distance, the bridge spanned the waters of the East River.

What better way to celebrate the momumental achievement of a sub-Atlantic tunnel, dug over four generations, linking London to New York City, than together? Through the lens of the telectroscope, whose mirrors and lenses reflect our images back and forth under the ocean, we did.

From a distance, from Tower Bridge, the telectroscope is just one more piece of riverside paraphernalia near City Hall.



Look closer. It's not of the same vintage as the clean lines of granite from which it has emerged.



A superb piece of Victorian engineering.



This gives you a sense of the view that the people looking back at us from New York City might see.



A detail, with City Hall in the background.



A steady stream of visitors paid a pound apiece to gaze into this marvel and interact with those in the morning sunshine, partway around the world.