February 12, 2008
Statue Cruises settling in to new Statue of Liberty route
NewYorkology contributor Vidiot commits journalism by night and explores NYC by day. He's especially interested in the infrastructure, transit, architectural wonders, drinking establishments, and hidden corners of the greatest city in the world. Today he provides an update on the new company providing the only ferry service to and from the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
NewYorkology visited Ellis Island recently, and we were interested in seeing if ferry operator Statue Cruises had overcome the problems that plagued them on their first day, January 1.
Our tickets said 9 a.m., but that's not when the ferry leaves: the "Tour Options & Ferry Schedule" page of the Statue Cruises website (under the "Plan Your Trip" heading) says the 9 a.m. time refers to "Security Gate Boarding Times."
To make sure we'd get aboard the first boat of the day, we got to Battery Park at 8:30 a.m. and waited outside until the security screening tent opened at 8:50 a.m. As we walked into the tent, a Statue Cruises employee collected our tickets -- we'd printed them out after purchasing them online -- and tore off and collected the corner with the bar code printed on it.
The security screening was similar to airport security, but not exactly the same: passengers have to remove their watches and belts, but not necessarily their shoes. The screening staff was efficient and pleasant, and before long we found ourselves in another tent next to the dock. We waited about 10 minutes as more people arrived.
Statue Cruises staff were in high spirits, as this was the morning after the New York Giants' Super Bowl victory; at one point, a staffer announced: "Ladies and gentlemen, you have to have one of these in order to board the boat", while holding up a "SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS" shirt. Another employee told the crowd: "Everyone that works on the boat is from New England, so please, when you board, tell them 'Better luck next time.'"
The boat pulled up to the dock at about 9 a.m., and we were among the first to board at 9:10 a.m. We shoved off at 9:30 on the dot, and arrived at Liberty Island at 9:45, some passengers went ashore before we departed there at 10 a.m., and arrived at Ellis Island at 10:15 a.m.
The ferry itself (the Provincetown II) was spacious but lacked heat, with clean men's rooms and seating areas. Its snack bar had more options than it did in January, with muffins and bagels in the morning and hot dogs and pretzels in the afternoon. The snack bar also sold Statue of Liberty souvenirs, even though its Massachusetts heritage was evident in the life rings (emblazoned with "Boston") and framed maps of Cape Cod on the walls. All the ferry staff were polite, good-humored, and efficient.
Photo credits: Vidiot.
February 12, 2008 03:12 PM in Downtown, History, Out of Manhattan, Sightsology, Tours
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