Bridge and Tunnel (often abbreviated B&T or BNT) is a term – often used pejoratively – to describe people who live in communities surrounding the island of

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and commute to it for work or entertainment. It refers to the fact that vehicular travel to the island of Manhattan requires passing over a bridge or through a tunnel. Some use it to describe residents of the other four

boroughs of New York City The boroughs of New York City are the five major governmental districts that comprise New York City. They are the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Each borough is coextensive with a respective Administrative divisions of ...

–

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, and

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

– but it typically refers to those who travel into the city from outside the area served by the

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City serving the New York City boroughs, boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Tr ...

(thus by car), including the

Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley or Hudson River Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The region stretches from the Capital District (New York), Capital District includi ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

and

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

Etymology

Though the term originates from the

Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA), doing business as MTA Bridges and Tunnels, is an affiliate agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority that operates seven toll bridges and two tunnels in New York City. The TBTA is th ...

, it has come to encompass all people who commute from outside of New York City proper, including

, and the

. The ''

Oxford Dictionaries Oxford dictionary may refer to any dictionary published by Oxford University Press, particularly: Historical dictionaries * ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') * ''Shorter Oxford English Dictionary'', an abridgement of the ''OED'' Single-volu ...

'' explains that a bridge-and-tunnel person is one who lives in the suburbs and is perceived as unsophisticated. However, this is sometimes also used as allusion to New York City's vast transportation system.

Origin

The earliest known instance of this phrase in print is the December 13, 1977, edition of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'':

Comparisons

"Bridge and tunnel" was later adopted in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

in reference to party-goers who live outside San Francisco, as a reference to this original usage. Residents of the

Peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

and South Bay take commuter trains (

Caltrain Caltrain (reporting mark JPBX) is a commuter rail line in California, serving the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Clara Valley (Silicon Valley). The southern terminus is in San Jose, California, San Jose at the Tamien station with weekday r ...

BART Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area in California. BART serves List of Bay Area Rapid Transit stations, 50 stations along six routes and of track, including eBART, a spur line running t ...

, each of which has several tunnels) and freeways (

I-280 Interstate 280 may refer to multiple highways, all of which are or were related to Interstate 80: * Interstate 280 (California), a north–south freeway running from San Jose to San Francisco * Interstate 280 (Iowa–Illinois), part of the beltwa ...

and

US 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a major north–south highway that traverses the states of California, Oregon, and Washington on the West Coast of the United States. It is part of the United States Numbered Highway Syst ...

, which do not) to visit city hot-spots but do not actually live in San Francisco. Residents from the

East Bay The East Bay is the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area and includes cities along the eastern shores of San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. The region has grown to include inland communities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Wi ...

typically drive or take a bus across the Bay Bridge (and

Yerba Buena Tunnel The Yerba Buena Tunnel, also known as the Yerba Buena Island Tunnel, is a highway tunnel in San Francisco, California. It is the part of San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge complex that crosses Yerba Buena Island. The Yerba Buena Tunnel carries t ...

) to reach San Francisco, or take BART through the

Transbay Tube The Transbay Tube is an underwater rail tunnel that carries Bay Area Rapid Transit's four transbay lines under San Francisco Bay between the cities of San Francisco and Oakland, California, Oakland in California. The tube is long, and attaches ...

. The commute into San Francisco from

Marin County Marin County ( ) is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is ac ...

also involves a bridge (the

Golden Gate The Golden Gate is a strait on the west coast of North America that connects San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. It is defined by the headlands of the San Francisco Peninsula and the Marin Peninsula, and, since 1937, has been spanned by ...

) and the Robin Williams Tunnel. In

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

, the term " 909er" (a reference to

area code A telephone numbering plan is a type of numbering scheme used in telecommunication to assign telephone numbers to subscriber telephones or other telephony endpoints. Telephone numbers are the addresses of participants in a telephone network, rea ...

909) has come to have a similar, derogatory meaning for people coming from areas inland of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, Orange County, and

Riverside County Riverside County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most populous county in California and the 10th-most populous in the Unit ...

, which historically had the 909 area code. The term has been adopted in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

to refer to young people who reside outside of Boston's core neighborhoods of

Back Bay Back Bay is an officially recognized Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on Land reclamation, reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the ...

, Bay Village, Beacon Hill,

Leather District The Leather District is a neighborhood of Boston near South Street, between the Financial District and Chinatown. The Leather District (occasionally referred to as the "LD") is a tightly defined area bounded by Kneeland Street to the south, Ess ...

, South End, North End, and the West End. Given Boston's natural and manmade geography, individuals from other neighborhoods in Boston must access the city's social center via one of the various bridges or tunnels that lead into central Boston.

In

Southern Ontario Southern Ontario is a Region, primary region of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada, with approximately 13.5 million people, approximately 36% o ...

, the term " 905er" (a reference to

Area Code A telephone numbering plan is a type of numbering scheme used in telecommunication to assign telephone numbers to subscriber telephones or other telephony endpoints. Telephone numbers are the addresses of participants in a telephone network, rea ...

905) has come to have a similar meaning for the suburb area surrounding Toronto-proper, including areas such as York Region, Pickering, and Oshawa.

In popular culture

Book publishing

*Bridge & Tunnel Books is a literary press in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, Pennsylvania. * ''New York Times'' reporters

Jodi Kantor Jodi Kantor (born April 21, 1975) is an American journalist. She is a ''New York Times'' correspondent whose work has covered the workplace, technology, and gender. She has been the paper's Arts & Leisure editor and covered two presidential campa ...

and

Megan Twohey Megan Twohey ( ) is an American journalist. She is an Investigative journalism, investigative reporter at ''The New York Times'' and previously reported for Reuters, the ''Chicago Tribune,'' and the ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel''. Twohey's repo ...

described Irwin Reiter, vice president for accounting and financial reporting at the

Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company, LLC (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film production and film distribution, distribution company, which was founded in New York City by Bob Weinstein, Bob and Harvey Weinstein on March 10 ...

, as having a "'bridge-and-tunnel' cadence to his speech."

Film

*In '' Boiler Room'' (2000) reference is made to a group, while celebrating Seth's Series 7 in New York, about trying to impress the "bridge and tunnel crowd." *The movie '' Loser'' (2000) makes a reference to bridge and tunnel girls when one of Jason Biggs's character's ex-roommates calls his girlfriend by that term. *In ''

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist ''Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist'' is a 2008 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Peter Sollett and starring Michael Cera, Kat Dennings, Alexis Dziena, Ari Graynor, Aaron Yoo and Jay Baruchel. Written by Lorene Scafaria and ...

'' (2008), Norah makes a reference to Nick's being "bridge and tunnel", to which Caroline replies, "If he's bridge and tunnel, what does that make us?" *In ''

The Dark Knight ''The Dark Knight'' is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, from a screenplay co-written with his brother Jonathan. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman Begins'' (2005), and the second inst ...

'' (2008), the Joker tricks Gotham into escaping via ferry by having his hostage declare on the news that "...the bridge and tunnel crowd are sure in for a surprise." *In ''

Greenberg Greenberg is a surname common in North America and Anglosphere, with anglicized spelling of the German Grünberg (''green mountain'') or the Jewish Ashkenazi Yiddish Grinberg, an artificial surname.Beider, Alexander (1993). ''A Dictionary of Jewi ...

'' (2010), Roger Greenberg, who resides in New York City, doesn't want to go to a bar in Los Angeles on a Friday night because it's "probably full of bridge and tunnel people. Or whatever the L.A. version of bridge and tunnel is." *In ''

Paranoia Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety, suspicion, or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of co ...

'' (2013), Emma makes a reference to Adam's being "bridge and tunnel", after her attempt to lose Adam after their one night stand. * ''

Bridge and Tunnel Bridge and Tunnel (often abbreviated B&T or BNT) is a term – often used pejoratively – to describe people who live in communities surrounding the island of Manhattan in New York City, and commute to it for work or entertainment. It refers to ...

'' (2014) is a feature film written and directed by Jason Michael Brescia, set on Long Island.

Gaming

* The term was used in the game to describe the crowd of the Bahama Mamas nightclub in Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony.

Music

*Bridge and Tunnel are a New York City-based punk/post-hardcore band, with a number of releases on the

No Idea Records No Idea Records is an American independent record label based in Gainesville, Florida which focuses on punk rock and its sub-styles and produces both vinyl records and compact discs. No Idea Records started not as a record label, but as a zine ...

label. *

The Honorary Title The Honorary Title was an American alternative rock, alternative indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York (state), New York, United States. The band released their first self-titled Extended play, EP "The Honorary Title" in 2003 and then their ...

, a New York City-based rock band, released a song called "Bridge and Tunnel" as a single from their 2004 album ''Anything Else but the Truth''. *

Holy Ghost! Holy Ghost! were an American synthpop duo from Brooklyn, New York City. Founded in 2007, the duo consisted of Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel. History Millhiser and Frankel both grew up on the Upper West Side of New York City and attended Trev ...

, a Brooklyn synthpop duo, have a song called "Bridge and Tunnel" on their 2013 album ''Dynamics''. *

Sun Kil Moon Sun Kil Moon is an American folk rock act from San Francisco, California, founded in 2002. Initially a continuation of the defunct indie rock band Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon is now the primary recording moniker of vocalist and guitarist M ...

Mark Kozelek Mark Edward Kozelek (born January 24, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer and occasional actor. He is the vocalist and primary recording artist of the indie folk act Sun Kil Moon and was a founding member of the i ...

refers to fans of the band

The War on Drugs The war on drugs is a global campaign led by the United States government against the illegal drug trade. War on Drugs may also refer to: * Bangladesh drug war, 2018–2019 campaign against the illegal drug trade by the Bangladeshi government * C ...

as being bridge and tunnel people in a 2014 rhetoric song surrounding an on-stage festival incident between the two bands, titled "War on Drugs: Suck My Cock." *The 2018 single

Four Out of Five "Four Out of Five" is a song by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys. It was released as the lead single from their sixth studio album, '' Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino'' (2018), on 13 May 2018, with an accompanying music video. Composition ...

Arctic Monkeys Arctic Monkeys are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. They comprise lead singer Alex Turner, drummer Matt Helders, guitarist Jamie Cook and bassist Nick O'Malley. The co-founder and original bassist Andy Nicholson ...

also features the term in the song's lyrics: "Mr. Bridge and Tunnel on the Starlight Express".

Television

*In the first season of the television comedy ''

30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satire, satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live' ...

,''

Liz Lemon Elizabeth Miervaldis Lemon is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television series '' 30 Rock''. She created and wrote for the fictional comedy-sketch show ''The Girlie Show'' and later ''TGS with Tracy Jordan''. She is ...

's boyfriend is referred to as being "a little bridge and tunnel." *In the episode "The War at Home" of '' Law and Order: Criminal Intent'', Detective Goren refers to two types that attend the particular night club that the victim did as "Bridge and Tunnel" and Military. *In the pilot episode ("Flowers for Your Grave") of the television show ''

Castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

'', Rick Castle tells Beckett that she's "not bridge and tunnel ecause there isno trace of the boroughs when you talk." *''

'' is the name of an episode of Marvel's Agent Carter television series. *In the episode " D-Girl" of

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

, an obnoxious patron at a Manhattan bar calls

Christopher Moltisanti Christopher Moltisanti, portrayed by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character of the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course o ...

a "bridge and tunnel boy." *In the episode "Kimmy Kidnaps Gretchen!" of

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt ''Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'' is an American sitcom created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, starring Ellie Kemper in the title role. It premiered on March 6, 2015, on Netflix and ran for four seasons, ending on January 25, 2019. An interactiv ...

Titus Andromedon calls Mikey a "bridge and tunnel tadpole". *In the episode "Victoria" of

Human Target The Human Target is the name of two characters in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first is Fred Venable, while the second is private investigator and bodyguard Christopher Chance who assumes the identities of clients targeted by a ...

Christopher Chance tells Princess Victoria "I believe the term is: Bridge and Tunnel" *In the episode "The Anniversary" of

Red Oaks ''Red Oaks'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Joe Gangemi and Gregory Jacobs. The first season was released on Amazon Prime Video on October 9, 2015. On December 18, 2015, Amazon announced that the show would be returnin ...

Skye tells David that an art friend of hers said he was "bridge and tunnel". *In the episode "Citizen Ship" Of

Broad City ''Broad City'' is an American television sitcom created by and starring Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. It was developed from their independent web series of the same name, which was produced between 2009 and 2011. The sitcom, like the web serie ...

Iliana and Abbi make fun of "bridge and tunnel bros". *In the episode "Mother of the Year" of

Pose (TV series) ''Pose'' (stylized as ''POSE'') is an American Drama (film and television), drama television series about New York City's ball culture, an LGBT culture in New York City, LGBTQ subculture in the African-American and Hispanic and Latino Americans, ...

Elektra refers to customers at Indochine as the "bridge and tunnel crowd". *In the episode "Haven is for Real" of

Future Man (TV series) ''Future Man'' is an American comedy television series created by Howard Overman, Kyle Hunter and Ariel Shaffir that premiered on November 14, 2017 on Hulu. The series follows an underachieving janitor who is called upon to save the world. It st ...

Wolf says to Tiger about Haven "Tiger, this place is bridge and tunnel. Let's bounce." *In the episode Father and the Bride of

Gossip Girl (TV series) ''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series created and developed by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage and based on the series of novels of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar. It follows a group of students on Manhattan's U ...

Blair Waldorf Blair Cornelia Waldorf (married name Bass) is one of the main characters of ''Gossip Girl'', introduced in the original series of novels and also appearing as the lead in the television adaptation; she also appears in the comic adaptation. Describ ...

tells Beatrice "I have never been so happy to be surrounded by bridge-and-tunnel types" while partying at Panchito's for her bachelorette party. * In the opening episode of season 4 of You, the main character Joe makes reference to the ‘bridge & tunnel crowd’ via his internal monologue whilst walking through London. *

Bridge and Tunnel (TV series) ''Bridge and Tunnel'' is an American comedy drama television series written, directed and produced by Edward Burns for Epix. The first season consists of 6 episodes and premiered on January 24, 2021. In July 2021, the series was renewed for a se ...

is a 2021 American comedy drama television series written, directed and produced by

Edward Burns Edward Fitzgerald Burns (born January 29, 1968) is an American actor and filmmaker. He rose to fame with '' The Brothers McMullen'' (1995), his low-budget independent film that became successful worldwide. His other film appearances include '' ...

for Epix that ran for two seasons. *In the episode "Mazel, Meredith" of ''

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City ''The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City'' (abbreviated as ''RHOSLC''), is an American reality television series originally developed and cast by Los Angeles-based production company InventTV and then Shed Media. It is broadcast on Bravo. The '' ...

'', Lisa Barlow refers to

Britani Bateman Britani Bateman ( Martin) is an American actress, singer, and television personality. She is best known as a cast member of the Bravo reality television series ''The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City''. Personal life Bateman was born in Provo, U ...

's nail gems as "a little bridge and tunnel". The show's chyron translated the phrase to mean "unsophisticated". *In the first episode of ''

2 Broke Girls ''2 Broke Girls'' (stylized as ''2 Broke Girl$'') is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 19, 2011, to April 17, 2017. The series was produced for Warner Bros. Television and created by Michael Patrick King and Whitn ...

'', Peach Landis, the Manhattan socialite diva main character Max Black babysits for, tells her "Oh, thank God, you're here! There's a bridge-and-tunnel smell over by the babies that's stressing me out."

Theater

*'' Bridge & Tunnel'' is the title of a 2006 critically acclaimed, Tony Award-winning Broadway play

References

{{Reflist Class-related slurs Culture of New York City Stereotypes