New York, Day 7...Walking in Staten

 Day 7

Saturday, January 14, 2023

    Today was all about Staten Island.  The original plan was to try and time the ferry out for sunrise.  When I went to bed the night before, we were expecting sunny and cold.  When I woke up that had changed to gray and possible snow.  So, no need to get up quite so early.

     But why Staten Island?  Simple. I only remember going there once and it was a brief visit.  What other reason did I need.

     In the subway and headed south on the 1 Line to South Ferry...

     By the time the train got to the end of the line, I had it to myself...

     The Staten Island Ferry is a free service back and forth.  Even better.

     From the ferry terminal, you can catch the Staten Island Railroad.  I took it south-west as far as the Old Town station.

     Old Town is where the Dutch first settled on the island in 1661, when New York was still New Amsterdam.  There's no real historic district.  But, it seemed a good place to begin.  After a quick stop for breakfast started walking east towards the coastline.   After walking in Manhattan, the suburban vibe felt a little quiet.

   For some reason, this made me laugh.

    Finally, off in the distance, the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge.  The first talk of a bridge connnecting Staten Island and Brooklyn was in 1927.  Plans were scraped with the idea of a tunnel.  That fell apart.   The bridge was completed in 1969.  With a span of 4,260 feet, it was the longest suspension bridge of it's time, only surpassed in 1984.  Unfortunately, you can't walk the bridge.

     This shot is actually taken from the grounds of Fort Wadsworth.  The first fortifications here were built by the British to protect their forces occupying New York City during the American Revolution.  After the war, fortifications were built up and the guns modernized.  This would happened multiple times over the years.

     By the Civil War, the brick fort was rapidly becoming obsolete as weapons technology increased.  By the time of the Spanish American War, even more guns had been added, including a few batteried designed to be invisible from the water.  The fort was still in use during WWII, acting primarily as an anti-aircraft defense.  

     Afterwards, it was turned over to the National Park Service.   Some sections are still fenced off and overgrown.  

   

 

    After leaving the fort, Bay Street was the straightest way north and back towards the ferry.  Periodically, there would be a park offering a glimpse of the he city skyline.

     I ducked into a place called Bella Beans to get out of the cold and wind.  It was obviously a locals place with everyone knowing everyone else.  I was just getting a kick out of the accents.

     Zigzagging my way back to Bay Street from the waterfront, I passed Maker Park, a small art part with an even smaller outdoor stage.

     The identifying sign on this sculpture is worn, but it looks like Nancy Ojin is the artist.  Though I can't find anything on line about an artist by that name.  

       Cutting across on Thompson Street...

     
      When I left the fort and started up Bay Street, I was seeing signs for "Manhattan Ferry."  Closer to the actual terminal, the signs shifted to "Staten Island Ferry."  It makes sense, but still humorous.

   

        The second of two goals for the day was the National Lighthouse Museum.   

Yup, just a bit windy...

      They're currently in the process of expanding from their small space, to the much larger space next door.  

     In 1862, this site became the central supply depot for the country's lighthouses.  In the central courtyard stood a smaller lighthouse whose sole purpose was to test the lenses coming in from Europe.  All construction, repairs and payroll was controlled out of their offices.  It's a small museum, but well worth the stop.

     The museum offers boat tours of New York's lighthouses, just not in January.

     There are two breweries near the ferry that serve food.  The first was closed for a private event.  The second was a place called the Killsboro Brewing Company, and it turned out to be my kind of place.  

     The menu had the usual food you'd expect to find.  The beer menu intriguing.  In places like this, I usually do what they call a flight, four five ounce pours.  This way you get a nice variety without getting loaded.

     One of the regulars was sitting two stool down and told the server, "come on, you've got to give him the Longest Line, too."  That's their house specialty, a West Coast IPA.  He agreed.  

    The owner comes in, realizes I'm not a regular and asks what I thought about the selections.  To kill the keg of the house Pilsner, he gave everyone a half pint on the house.  He replaced it with a blueberry pale ale and again gave everyone a sample.  The blueberry was subtle and the ale surprisingly good.  

      There was no hope of a sunrise from the ferry as I had hoped, but I was still hoping for perhaps some colors for sunset.  So, it was back to the ferry.