Thursday, March 8, 2007

Under The Boardwalk

The Queensborough Bridge, completed in 1909, connects Manhattan at 59th Street to Long Island City in Queens. The bi-level bridge has 11 traffic lanes dedicated to automobiles and a separate lane each for bicycles and pedestrians. Interestingly, the bridge was built directly over Roosevelt Island without an exit route onto the island. There is another bridge that connects Roosevelt Island to Queens.

The base of the Queensborough Bridge on Manhattan's side are homes to The Food Emporium, a high-end supermarket and Guastavino's, a comtemporary restaurant. Both the supermarket and restaurant are carved into the foundation of the bridge and therefore, have spectacular granite arches with tiled ceilings.

This photo, taken inside The Food Emporium, illustrates the beautiful vaulted ceiling and tiles located directly beneath the bridge.