Museum of Modern Art. Three miles later runners enter Manhattan on the eastern side of the island and run up First Avenue until they cross Willis Avenue Bridge into the Bronx Although the borough once suffered from crime and drug epidemics(one used to say that runners always ran fastest in this borough), it has recently undergone a major renaissance and is becoming a popular residential neighborhood once again. The race begins on Staten Island, an island that is dotted with historic buildings and many parks, and is home to over 440,000 New Yorkers. Runners complete their first mile the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to Brooklyn, which is the borough where most of the race takes place. Brooklyn, which is home to people of many different cultures and backgrounds, has a population of 2.5 million, many of whom line the streets and cheer the runners on in these early stages. Brooklyn is steadily becoming famous as an artistic community, and runners will pass many art galleries selling artwork from promising new artists as they approach the halfway stage and enter Queens by crossing the Pulaski Bridge