Manhattan is connected by bridges to every borough in New York City except Staten Island. So the Staten Island Ferry provides the only direct link between the two boroughs. There are other routes of getting to Staten Island from Manhattan but it would involve a detour through either Brooklyn or New Jersey. There has been a ferry service between Manhattan and Staten Island, in one form or another, since the 1700s.The Staten Island Ferry service is currently free of charge for all commuters because law makers and citizen activists argued that it is possible to walk from Queens, Brooklyn or the Bronx to Manhattan (across bridges) but not from Staten Island. Therefore, the city cannot reasonably expect commuters to pay for a service that the city failed to provide (ie. build a bridge between Manhattan and Staten Island). That's what I was told at a dinner party and I don't know if it is true. Nonetheless it is a valid arguement, don't you think?!?!
N.B.: Click on the photo to see the vibrant blue color.
6 comments:
Nice photo Ming!
I remember taking this ferry, a long time ago. Had forgotten it was free. Very interesting comment. You can tell that Newyorkers know their way down the legal path!
the characters are wonderful...
:))
i saw that brilliant blue,and thx for the interesting information.
have a nice weekend
jing
Randy - thanks!
Natalie - it wasn't always free. I think someone filed a law suit against the city and won. So now it is free. :-)
Jing - my friends said I have too many "blue" pictures on the blog.
A free ferry -- well that's great and so it should be.
Great photo thanks!
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