Staten Island

Casey and I are always on the hunt for free activities in the city, which besides strolling around Central Park and exploring different neighborhoods, seem few and far between. We were therefore excited to find that the 30-minute ferry to Staten Island did not cost a single dime. The ferry leaves from the southern tip of Manhattan in the financial district and makes its way to the most suburban and least well-known of the 5 boroughs of New York (the other 4 being Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan). Its population is about 1/3 that of Manhattan's, but when we stepped off the ferry we felt like we were in the Twilight Zone because there were absolutely no people around. We should have explored more of the island, because Google Maps shows that there are a lot of parks scattered throughout, but we couldn't shake that creepy we're-about-to-be-the-stars-of-a-horror-film feeling. Here's what it looked like when we first got off the boat:

The rolling fog didn't help the eerie feeling...

As shown above, the fog that day was pretty thick. Here are a few more photos...

Can't see the fog, but the inside of the boat was kind of eerie as well

And, per usual, here are few interesting facts about Staten Island:

• Fossil remains show that Native Americans were the first inhabitants of the island, possibly as far back as 1500 B.C.
• European settlers (the Italians) were the first non-indigenous folks to reach the island, in 1524. 
• British troops set camp on Staten Island during the American Revolution under Lord William Howe, and received their first notification of the Declaration of Independence while at the island's Rose and Crown Tavern (which would have been a cool place to check out).
• Citizens of Staten Island wanted to secede from New York City in the 1980's, and 65% actually approved the secession, but it was blocked in a state assembly. 
• Population of the island has increased from 3,835 in 1790 to 468,730 in 2010. 

The best, and most popular, aspect of the ferry ride to the island is passing the Statue of Liberty along the way. The boat gets pretty close to the statue, and people get VERY excited. And pushy. Oh, tourists. Anyway here are a few shots of the lady herself, as well as other views from the boat:

Lady Liberty

A view of Manhattan from the boat

Another shot of the financial district with one of the new World Trade Center buildings on the right

And finally, since Native Americans were the first ones on Staten Island, here is a photo of the National Museum of the American Indian, located a few steps away from the ferry dock on the Manhattan side.

National Museum of the American Indian