The Staten Island Ferry shuttles between lower Manhattan and Staten Island, passing along the Liberty Island where the Statue of Liberty stands. Most of time, this ferry is basically public transportation for the people living in State Island, but tourists like us who want to see the Statue of Liberty board the ferry. I was surprised that the price of it was free. The New York City government is quite generous.
We went to Battery Park at lower Manhattan by the subway and got on a ferry. On the left side of the deck was full of tourists who waiting to take pictures of the Statue of Liberty. I hung out of the side of the ferry, and my wife took a picture of the Statue of Liberty and me, just like the other tourists.
When we arrived at Staten Island, we boarded the ferry returning to Manhattan because we had nothing to do there. At this time we were on the other side of the ferry, and we found a variety of people living in New York. A business person wearing a business suit was just reading the newspaper. A group of women were gossiping loudly. An old man looked tired and was sleeping on the bench. There are ordinary lives in New York.
While I sat on the bench with surrounding New Yorkers, I felt as if I was also living in New York. For a while, I was just watching the view of hazy Brooklyn and I started to wish that I didn't have to go back to Tokyo and could stay here forever. I didn't know why I thought so.
Yagian,
ReplyDeleteI completely understand that feeling. A similar thing once occurred to me when I was in a small street a bit far from the center of Paris having a beer. After staying awhile surrounded by the neighborhood French residents which were also drinking beers, I got up and I had the absolutely convincing feeling that I was heading home which "was supposed to be just a few blocks away"...
Since you did the trip close to the statue of Liberty did you have the chance to visit Ellis Island nearby?
Thank you for your comment. I'm very glad to hear you could understand my feeling.
ReplyDeleteThe Staten Island Ferry is just going back and forth between Manhattan and Staten Island, so I wasn't able to visit Ellis Island.