NYC Day 14 - The Colossus of New York

Sunday, 29 May 2005 - And so, we took power naps, roused just past three in the morning and took the '1' train down to South Ferry. Unfortunately, we narrowly missed the 4:30 ride out to Staten Island, and had to content ourselves with the view from Battery Park while waiting for the next ferry.



Like so many other things on this trip, Staten Island Ferry Terminal had its little surprises. Pigeons flew around indoors; randy sailors embellished their sleeping colleagues with makeshift confetti, and fisticuffs among them were broken up by a stern "I don't want no mo' of this crap!" from their supervisor.



The ride to and fro was lovely. Out on the deck, the chilly morning wind blasted against our faces as gashes of light broke slowly across the sky. We took photographs of each other as the ferry passed the Statue of Liberty. To us, however, the ride wasn't just a tourist activity. For my host, it was a closure of sorts, as he'd made this very trip several times in the past months while covering the Staten Island beat for his journalism course. For me, the sight of the Statue--with all its metaphorical gravitas--was a poignant reminder of far I'd travelled (literally and figuratively) to arrive here.