Brooklyn Tattoo Shop Celebrates Brooklyn Bridge With Art

Instead of taking the subway home from work Thursday evening, why not stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge instead? May 24 is the steel-wire suspension platform's 129th birthday, didn't you know.

But if the weather doesn't permit a romantic walk across the East River, fear not. , located at 99 Smith Street near Atlantic Avenue, will be celebrating the structure's anniversary all weekend.

On Friday, May 25, the shop's adjacent in collaboration with will host an exhibition featuring 30 different artists of various genres—from graffiti to pencil to oils—all tied by the theme of the Brooklyn Bridge from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Then, on Sunday, May 27, the parlor will offer $29 birthday tats between 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

"When the bridge turned 125, I had a drawing of it tattooed on my neck," said Adam Suerte, co-owner of Brooklyn Tattoo. "And the idea grew from there."

Tattoo parlors have a long history of marrying theme art with special prices on more morbid holidays, such as $13 tattoos on Friday the 13th or $31 tattoos on Halloween.

"We're taking that tradition and localizing it," says Suerte. "We're from Brooklyn and we have a lot of neighborhood pride. So it made sense."  

This will be the third year the shop will celebrate the birthday of the Brooklyn Bridge. The event typically attracts between 60 and 70 people for the reduced-rate tattoos.

Suerte says you can choose from over 20 predesigned Brooklyn Bridge images, each roughly 2 inches squared. 

Would you like a tattoo of the Brooklyn Bridge on your body? What other local monuments or structures would make for an iconic piece of body art?