During one of our visits to Manhattan, we planned a day where we’d have the chance to do something we hadn’t done in a long time and it involved us taking a boat. No, we weren’t going to Liberty Island to see the Statue of Liberty. We weren’t going to Ellis Island either. We’d done both of those things before. Our trip was more important, we were going to Staten Island.
Yes, that Staten Island.
Sharon lived there for much of her life and for as long as I knew her before we moved to Florida. Once I got to go back to New Jersey for my reunion, she wanted to go back to her home borough for the Staten Island versions of authentic New York pizza and Chinese food (Note from Sharon: cuz they don’t taste ANYTHING like the pizza and Chinese you get in Manhattan).
One perk of going to Staten Island is that when you take the Staten Island Ferry from Manhattan, you get what might be the best view of the Statue of Liberty from the water—even better than the boats that take you to Liberty Island. The kicker is that the Staten Island Ferry is free.
Getting to the Staten Island Ferry Whitehall terminal using buses and NYC Subway is easy.
The Whitehall Terminal is accessible by the M5, M15, M15 SBS and M20 bus routes and by NYC Subway at the following stations:
- South Ferry – 1 train
- Whitehall Street South Ferry – R & W trains
- Bowling Green – 4 & 5 trains
- Broad Street – J & Z trains
When you get off the subway, the way to the Staten Island Ferry is clearly marked on the overhead signs.
You can’t miss the ferry terminal getting off the escalator from the station.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t seemingly hundreds of people in the area, going to everyone they see who looks like they’re not local and trying to sell them a ticket on the boat to see the Statue of Liberty. Of course, they’re selling tickets to one of the many tourist boats that’ll take you on a trip around the harbor and a look at Lady Liberty.
Since we still can put on the New Yorker face, we plowed through them and into the terminal. During the day, ferries leave on a regular schedule, every 30 minutes or sooner before or after work hours. Remember, this isn’t just a tourist attraction but a way for 70,000 people to commute to and from work every day.
We only had to wait around 10 minutes to board the next ferry.
It was November in New York, but we still picked a spot outside along the railing, and in a few minutes, we were on our way. Right away, you’re treated to some fantastic views of Lower Manhattan.
It wasn’t long before we saw the Statue of Liberty. We were treated to views worthy of a Liberty Mutual insurance commercial (You know you can’t be on land and see the statue like they do on TV, right?) (Note from Sharon: OMG, the views in those Liberty Mutual commercials are SO FAKE! You’d have to be IN THE WATER to get those views. Good theme song, though. “Liberty, liberty, liberty. Liberty.”)
We kept chugging along towards Staten Island, and we docked about 25 minutes after we left Manhattan. Many people on the ferry with us turned around and got in line for the next ferry headed back to Manhattan. We didn’t, though. I think Sharon was the happiest person on the ferry to get off at Staten Island. (Note from Sharon: I was! I was HOME!)
We did what people do in Staten Island. We went for some pizza, saw a movie, walked around the mall, and finally went for dinner at the Chinese restaurant Sharon grew up going to before her family started going to the other place closer to their house.
Just a bit of warning: there’s not much to do near the ferry terminal, but there is a shopping center called “New York City’s only outlet shopping destination.” To get anywhere else on the island, we had to Uber.
By the time we headed back, it was late, and the ferry was empty. We tried to get some night shots, but with our iPhones, we weren’t able to get any good pictures due to the distance, limited light, and movement of the ferry.
If you’re solely going to see the Statue of Liberty and want to do a quick turnaround, the whole trip would take about 90 minutes to two hours. For a free trip and two hours of your time, you can get a good look at the Statue of Liberty from a boat, the same way that millions of people getting to the United States for the first time did.
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1 comment
Perhaps the best time to take the Staten Island Ferry is during the heat of the NY summer. Ride on the shady side of the ferry (port to SI, starboard to Manhattan). Once the ferry is about 20 feet away from Manhattan the temperature drops about 20 degrees.