R.I.P. Tappan Zee Bridge ... Kinda

[The Crimson King 1,299]

Stood out in the cold (and I mean c-c-c-c-cold) this morning with hundreds of other idiots to watch what I thought was the end of the fabled Tappan Zee Bridge.

The Tap has played a meaningful role in my lifetime, first by transporting our family from LI to Dad's family upstate, later to some important places such as Giants/Meadowlands Stadiums, Izod Center, Xaviers at Piermont and Palisades Mall. So I thought it fitting to see it off and snap a photo or two for the photo club. It was always a landmark on Metro North that indicated that we were almost home. The Tap was like an old friend that you took for granted that it would always be there. 

The Mario has been in operation for some time now but the east and west support sections of the old bridge had been sitting there long after the rest was demolished. The local news made it sound like they were going to "blow them to bits". Now who could miss that?

So we show up on the Tarrytown side about an hour before, get one of the last parking spots and step into the meat locker that the river shore becomes this time of year, To put it appropriately, it was colder than that last game against the Bengals that Sunday night that ended Giants Stadium and almost as cold as that '69 playoff game. Almost.

Everyone spends a hour or so staring at the darned thing when finally you hear a boom, see a quick flash at the base  and the eastern support section slowly falls into the river and sits there. No bits, no explosion, just a short fall into the river. The western section was not affected and we find out later that the only reason they did this was that the section that they blew was actually falling down and too dangerous to salvage standing. the other section will just be dismantled piecemeal.  So the big fella still stands despite what you saw on the news today.

No great point to this other than, before you can say "is that all there is?", that's all there is.

 

[HighPitch 1,316]

 Thanks for sharing I to have an affinity for the Tappan Zee bridge. Crossing the bridge always sort of meant to me I was leaving the city and going to have some fun in the mountains upstate in other words if I was cross that bridge I was having fun and it’s related with fun. I had no idea that the bridge was even replaced since I moved away 12 or 13 years ago but yes rest in peace my old steel buddy 

[Thai Jet 160,930]

Crossed that bridge many a time as a kid as the family went from the Catskills to Brooklyn to visit family. Nothing lasts forever.

[JetPotato 2,452]

On 1/15/2019 at 9:31 PM, The Crimson King said:

Stood out in the cold (and I mean c-c-c-c-cold) this morning with hundreds of other idiots to watch what I thought was the end of the fabled Tappan Zee Bridge.

The Tap has played a meaningful role in my lifetime, first by transporting our family from LI to Dad's family upstate, later to some important places such as Giants/Meadowlands Stadiums, Izod Center, Xaviers at Piermont and Palisades Mall. So I thought it fitting to see it off and snap a photo or two for the photo club. It was always a landmark on Metro North that indicated that we were almost home. The Tap was like an old friend that you took for granted that it would always be there. 

The Mario has been in operation for some time now but the east and west support sections of the old bridge had been sitting there long after the rest was demolished. The local news made it sound like they were going to "blow them to bits". Now who could miss that?

So we show up on the Tarrytown side about an hour before, get one of the last parking spots and step into the meat locker that the river shore becomes this time of year, To put it appropriately, it was colder than that last game against the Bengals that Sunday night that ended Giants Stadium and almost as cold as that '69 playoff game. Almost.

Everyone spends a hour or so staring at the darned thing when finally you hear a boom, see a quick flash at the base  and the eastern support section slowly falls into the river and sits there. No bits, no explosion, just a short fall into the river. The western section was not affected and we find out later that the only reason they did this was that the section that they blew was actually falling down and too dangerous to salvage standing. the other section will just be dismantled piecemeal.  So the big fella still stands despite what you saw on the news today.

No great point to this other than, before you can say "is that all there is?", that's all there is.

 

You didn't just seriously call it "The Mario", did you?

It's the New Tappan Zee Bridge. That is all.

[The Crimson King 1,299]

2 hours ago, JetPotato said:

You didn't just seriously call it "The Mario", did you?

It's the New Tappan Zee Bridge. That is all.

I like that

"The New Tapp"

Henceforth adopted