Ferries of New York City

On the Staten Island Ferry

When you think of New York City and modes of transportation, you probably think of the subway. But ferries are also a popular way to travel for both commuters and visitors -- and a lot more pleasant.

A new ferry stop opened in our former Brooklyn neighborhood of Bay Ridge since we had last visited, so giving it a try was on my must-do list for this trip. We walked along Shore Road Promenade, with it's beautiful view of Manhattan's skyscrapers, to the 69th St. pier. There we boarded the NYC Ferry for the 45-minute ride to Governor's Island. A direct route to Governor's Island, just off Manhattan's shore, wouldn't be long at all, but the ferry had a few other stops to make first. No matter. We brought along bagels and cream cheese (what else can you eat on a Sunday in New York?) and took in the views of the Brooklyn Bridge and Statue of Liberty.

On our last full day in New York, we took a much more famous boat -- the Staten Island Ferry. This was much more for the kids' benefit. I wasn't at all convinced that they had a clear idea of what the Statue of Liberty actually was, and the ferry gives you a close, clear view. Plus: Free.

The ferries didn't rank as highly for the kids as the subway (riding the train was pretty much tops for the whole trip for them), but it was a relaxing way to spend a couple of hours with a breeze and a view.

Photo Friday: NYC from Staten Island

My Latest Ride on the Staten Island Ferry

The Staten Island Ferry is the not-so-secret way to get the best views of the Statue of Liberty for free. Paul and I took yet another trip across Upper New York Bay this past weekend when his mom and our 10-year-old nephew, Conrad, paid us a visit for a few days.

I've lost count of the number of times I've ridden the ferry, but I don't really mind. It's relaxing and a nice rest from the constant walking the remainder of New York City invites. Besides, the views really are pretty spectacular.

As I've said before, I also enjoy seeing New York from a visitor's perspective, and Conrad is the youngest visitor we've had. He's a great nephew -- polite, smart and funny to boot -- so I was especially eager to hear his take on the city. The adventure started the first night, when he was surprised (1) that we were crossing the street when the sign said don't walk and (2) we had to park our car three blocks away from our apartment. Welcome to New York.

The views of the Statue of Liberty, however, didn't disappoint. I, on the other hand, pointed my camera off the other side of the boat, toward Brooklyn and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

Statue of Liberty, from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal

Statue of Liberty, from the Staten Island Ferry terminal in Manhattan

Staten Island Ferry Terminal at Night

Staten Island Ferry terminal: Battery Park, Manhattan

Jolly holiday

Paul's mom and sister visited us last Thursday through Sunday, so that meant more exploration. This time, however, we stuck mostly to our neighborhood.

Paul and I had never walked to the shore since we moved here, so that was the first order of business. It's an easy 20-minute stroll, and the views are lovely. Across the bay is Staten Island. Look south and you see the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Look north and you see lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. A nice hiking/jogging/walking trail hugs the bay, and I'm sure I'll be using it more next spring.

The shore is also lined with beautiful multi-million dollar homes with garages (sigh), along with more modest (but still outrageously expensive, I'm sure) houses on the side streets. We also walked down Third Avenue, which has a long stretch of restaurants and stores.

On Friday we rode the Staten Island Ferry and visited Chinatown and Little Italy. But I was most looking forward to seeing Mary Poppins on Broadway that night. For a little under $40 a pop, we got the second to last row in the balcony. No matter. I love the movie, and I found the show surprisingly different but still fun. The show has a few different songs (but "Jolly Holiday" was still included, hence the title of this post. I hope someone got that reference!), but the spirit is still the same. The backgrounds were beautiful and ornate, as was the theater itself.

Paul, Sherry and Becky went to the botanic gardens on Saturday morning, while I headed to the main Brooklyn Public Library. Another thing to add to my list of annoyances: I can only reserve five books at a time. In Columbus, I would reserve 10 or so books and just make a visit every month or so. In any case, I had to print out a few pages from the computer there, so I took the time to pick out a handful of books. The branch closest to our apartment is small and doesn't have much of a collection, so it was nice to actually be able to browse.

In search of the perfect cannoli and other adventures

The rain continued through Saturday morning and into the afternoon, but Paul, his friend Ryan and I braved the downpour and visited Chinatown and Little Italy. Carrying around an umbrella wasn't nearly as annoying as trying to bypass the small ponds that collected where the sidewalk met the street.

In any case, we ate at a small Chinese restaurant and walked down the streets. I liked peeking into the markets. Like the markets in our neighborhood, these had no front wall. However, they sold things that didn't look the least bit familiar, and the Chinese signs didn't help much.

Little Italy abuts Chinatown and is more my style. Lots of streetside cafes and restaurants, and the smells are hard to resist. Paul and Ryan got some gelato at Ferrara (which dubs itself "America's oldest pasticceria") while I continued on my quest for the perfect cannoli.

The pastry part of the one I got there was covered in chocolate, which I was surprised to find I didn't enjoy as much as the plain ones I've eated before. The search continues.

By the time we took the train to the Staten Island Ferry, the sun was shining and the weather was warm. We hopped on the 5:30 boat, which meant we had perfect views of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island at dusk on the way there and lit up at night on the way back. We could also see our neighborhood near the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.