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