| The Staten Island Ferry is a fabulous institution. It is a | | | | question them and we just continued the ride. All of |
| huge ferry that departs from a very modern, glass | | | | a sudden, I heard a big noise, like someone fists |
| enclosed terminal, holds several thousand people and | | | | hitting another person and all the people in the bus |
| in just about 20 minutes whisks you over to Staten | | | | turned around, and the two young men were beating |
| Island, very close to the Statue of Liberty, and all | | | | up a young short Latino teenager. It all took just a |
| this for free! One thing we really noticed about New | | | | few seconds, right before a bus stop. The whole |
| York City is that we definitely love the public | | | | event was too quick for anyone else to react, |
| transportation system. With our week long pass we | | | | although I have to say, the crowd showed |
| have been hopping on an off subways as we please | | | | compassion and shock at what had happened. The |
| and we have found the transit system to be very | | | | minute the bus came to a stop, the two guys |
| efficient, pretty clean and quite safe (for the most | | | | jumped out and ran away. |
| part). | | | | Everybody was shocked. The Latino kid was sitting |
| The Staten Island Ferry is a great insiders way of | | | | there, rumpled, stunned, not seriously hurt, but had a |
| sneaking a peak at the Statue of Liberty since it | | | | very pained expression on his face. After he had |
| passes pretty close by Ellis Island. Not close enough | | | | calmed down he explained that about 8 kids were |
| to take really great pictures with a simple digital | | | | trying to extract money form him at the bus stop, |
| camera like mine, but I gave it a shot anyway. | | | | he said he didn't have any and gave them an expired |
| As we got off the ferry terminal on Staten Island I | | | | transit pass and 2 of the guys followed him onto the |
| had a bit of a hare-brained idea: I suggested that we | | | | bus. |
| board one of the buses that was waiting there, just | | | | I have never personally witnessed public violence, so |
| to hop on and ride around and see the island. Of | | | | this was very shocking to me and I was glad that |
| course I didn't have a bus map with me, didn't have | | | | the kid wasn't really hurt. But I did feel very sorry for |
| any literature about Staten Island, so didn't know | | | | the victim and the whole event left a bad taste in |
| where we were going or what the major | | | | my mouth, particularly since we had had the |
| destinations were on the island. So we got on the | | | | impression that New York City had felt so clean and |
| #46 bus without any idea where we were going or | | | | safe. As a matter of fact we had commented on |
| how long it was going to take. (I guess I figured how | | | | that a number of times, of how little litter there was |
| big can the island be? Well, it's bigger than I | | | | in the street, how few street people or hustlers |
| thought...). | | | | there were, how there was no graffiti in the |
| But we saw a good chunk of Staten Island's | | | | subways, and how safe it felt to be taking transit at |
| neighbourhoods and there are some pretty nice | | | | all hours of the day. We heard that former mayor |
| residential neighbourhoods, although I had expected a | | | | Rudy Giuliani as well as current mayor Michael |
| more upscale, more landscaped environment. The | | | | Bloomberg have really been cleaning up the city, and |
| ethnic mix in the area seemed to be very much | | | | it shows. I guess it still doesn't prevent all violence |
| characterized by Blacks and Latinos, at least those | | | | from happening. |
| were pretty much the only people getting on the | | | | After our return to Manhattan we subwayed it all the |
| bus. School had just ended so a bunch of highschool | | | | way up to 103rd Street and essentially walked all the |
| kids had gotten on with us. | | | | way down through Central Park, admiring all the |
| Well, we rode the darn bus until the end, which | | | | recreational facilities and the beauty of this giant |
| ended up being a non-descript shopping mall called | | | | green space. Further south we strolled over to 5th |
| "West Shore Plaza", where we ended up having a | | | | Avenue and then down into the Broadway Area just |
| sandwich and strolling around in a sports store which | | | | north of Times Square, where we had some quick |
| had amazingly good prices on most merchandise. | | | | Italian food at Ray's Pizza. The evening was pretty |
| Then finally another bus showed up and we had to | | | | chilly, probably only about 12 degrees or so and past |
| run to catch it. | | | | 11 we headed back home on the Q train, processing |
| It was a pretty non-eventful bus ride, people of all | | | | the memories of another packed day and studying |
| ages got on and off, then two young black teenage | | | | the behaviour of our fellow transit riders all the way |
| boys got on, but didn't pay. The bus driver didn't | | | | back. |