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On Sunday I wandered out to Staten Island, in order to give ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cattitude a bit of time and space to himself. I had been curious about the Staten Island Railroad, a piece of the city transit system I'd never been on, which turns up under "subways" when I go to the MTA website for maps, information about schedule changes, and the like. It seemed like a not-too-strenuous outing, on a warm enough day that the ferry ride across the harbor was also appealing.
What I got was more or less what I expected, an odd cross between a subway line and suburban/commuter rail. Payment is by Metrocard (the SIR is included in 7- or 30-day unlimited cards), but fares are collected only at the two stations closest to the ferry, including on exit to the ferry. (I think those are the only city subway stations with Metrocard vending machines on both sides of the turnstiles.)
The line uses ordinary city subway cars, but not all cars open at all stations, because some platforms are too short even for a four-car train; the conductor says things like "Atlantic next, doors open in the rear" (the PA system was quiet enough that it might have been a problem if I'd needed to get out at one of those stations). The train cars have the usual "riding between cars is prohibited" signs, but the doors between cars aren't locked, so people can move forward or back to exit.
The trains run to a published schedule, but more frequently than commuter rail, usually every half hour (including on Sunday afternoon), more often in rush hour, and the train and ferry schedules are coordinated. The most frequent SIR service change notice on the MTA website is "Tottenville-bound trains will leave precisely on schedule" (I infer that the rest of the time, they will wait for a delayed ferry.) Instead of subway maps, the cars have strip maps of the railroad and Staten Island bus maps.
I got out only at Tottenville, the far end of the line from the ferry terminal at St. George. There's very little there other than parking: I wandered down a ramp to a rocky, seaweed-covered beach, listened to dried seaweed crunch underfoot, and took a few photos of boats, geese, and the train station itself. Having looked out the windows at trees, houses, and a few shops on the way out, I spent most of the trip back reading.
I sat on the Brooklyn side of the ferry on my way home, because the Statue of Liberty/New Jersey side had been very crowded with tourists on my way to Staten Island. (It's probably the best view of the statue available, certainly the best you can get without paying and waiting in line for the ferry to Liberty Island.) If the weather stays hot, I may pick a day and just ride back and forth two or three times. The Manhattan terminal has a line from Edna St. Vincent Millay on the wall, including "all night on the ferry," enough to have me recalling more of the poem but probably puzzling people who hadn't read it. But the same is true of "above us only sky" in the Liverpool airport terminal.
So, that was a pleasant and not-very-strenuous outing. The only stairs I climbed were a half dozen down to St. George station (on the way back I found the elevator, that being one of the few accessible stations) and the single flight to the upper deck of the ferry (there is an elevator, and I used it once). I rode upstairs because these ferries have no outdoor seating on the main deck (the ones I remember from my teens and twenties did).
With my unlimited Metrocard, my only expenses were tea and gelato at Columbus Circle on the way home, and a cold drink I bought in the SI terminal and threw away unfinished; I could have done it cheaper by bringing water or tea with me. The price isn't the main reason I selected this rather than some other outing, but it was nice to know that I wasn't risking anything but time, on a day when "get out and about for a bit" was the goal rather than an unfortunate necessity. (I think SIR-Ferry-subway or vice versa counts as a free transfer, probably with the same 2 hour limit that applies to bus-subway transfers.)
cattitude a bit of time and space to himself. I had been curious about the Staten Island Railroad, a piece of the city transit system I'd never been on, which turns up under "subways" when I go to the MTA website for maps, information about schedule changes, and the like. It seemed like a not-too-strenuous outing, on a warm enough day that the ferry ride across the harbor was also appealing. What I got was more or less what I expected, an odd cross between a subway line and suburban/commuter rail. Payment is by Metrocard (the SIR is included in 7- or 30-day unlimited cards), but fares are collected only at the two stations closest to the ferry, including on exit to the ferry. (I think those are the only city subway stations with Metrocard vending machines on both sides of the turnstiles.)
The line uses ordinary city subway cars, but not all cars open at all stations, because some platforms are too short even for a four-car train; the conductor says things like "Atlantic next, doors open in the rear" (the PA system was quiet enough that it might have been a problem if I'd needed to get out at one of those stations). The train cars have the usual "riding between cars is prohibited" signs, but the doors between cars aren't locked, so people can move forward or back to exit.
The trains run to a published schedule, but more frequently than commuter rail, usually every half hour (including on Sunday afternoon), more often in rush hour, and the train and ferry schedules are coordinated. The most frequent SIR service change notice on the MTA website is "Tottenville-bound trains will leave precisely on schedule" (I infer that the rest of the time, they will wait for a delayed ferry.) Instead of subway maps, the cars have strip maps of the railroad and Staten Island bus maps.
I got out only at Tottenville, the far end of the line from the ferry terminal at St. George. There's very little there other than parking: I wandered down a ramp to a rocky, seaweed-covered beach, listened to dried seaweed crunch underfoot, and took a few photos of boats, geese, and the train station itself. Having looked out the windows at trees, houses, and a few shops on the way out, I spent most of the trip back reading.
I sat on the Brooklyn side of the ferry on my way home, because the Statue of Liberty/New Jersey side had been very crowded with tourists on my way to Staten Island. (It's probably the best view of the statue available, certainly the best you can get without paying and waiting in line for the ferry to Liberty Island.) If the weather stays hot, I may pick a day and just ride back and forth two or three times. The Manhattan terminal has a line from Edna St. Vincent Millay on the wall, including "all night on the ferry," enough to have me recalling more of the poem but probably puzzling people who hadn't read it. But the same is true of "above us only sky" in the Liverpool airport terminal.
So, that was a pleasant and not-very-strenuous outing. The only stairs I climbed were a half dozen down to St. George station (on the way back I found the elevator, that being one of the few accessible stations) and the single flight to the upper deck of the ferry (there is an elevator, and I used it once). I rode upstairs because these ferries have no outdoor seating on the main deck (the ones I remember from my teens and twenties did).
With my unlimited Metrocard, my only expenses were tea and gelato at Columbus Circle on the way home, and a cold drink I bought in the SI terminal and threw away unfinished; I could have done it cheaper by bringing water or tea with me. The price isn't the main reason I selected this rather than some other outing, but it was nice to know that I wasn't risking anything but time, on a day when "get out and about for a bit" was the goal rather than an unfortunate necessity. (I think SIR-Ferry-subway or vice versa counts as a free transfer, probably with the same 2 hour limit that applies to bus-subway transfers.)
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I think that technically, Picnic Point on Governor's Island is as close as you can get to the Statue on land, aside from Liberty Island of course. I don't know if you've been, but the view from there is actually great. At this point in the summer I'm usually quite happy to envision shipping the tourist population off to an island of their own anyway. :)
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