Staten Island - Ferry

If you have never been to Staten Island let me tell you it is made up of hills. I don’t know how it happens but all of them go up --- or at least that is the way it seems when I am walking. Even though I have now lived in New York for about ten years, this is my first trip on the Staten Island Ferry.

Today the winds are fierce. Much of the time it is difficult to stand up out on the deck… of course I want to be on the deck so that I can take some photos. I did try to take some photos through the windows; that is impossible. Spray blows up against the glass leaving so many spots that it is even difficult to see out. Of course the regular commuters are sleeping, reading the paper or listening to something on their earphones and they spare not a single glance for the scenery that is so-o-o-o attractive to tourists or newcomers. The ferry is very different from the tour boats where the glass is cleaned regularly and everyone is interested in seeing the city skyline and the Statue of Liberty. The trip across takes about thirty minutes and as a free ride it is the best sightseeing bargain a tourist can find. We join the crowds exiting through the terminal then we head to the subway