ferry | Hand Luggage.

The Staten Island ferry

Posted on July 3, 2018 by collymarples

Next iconic experience on the New York adventure – the Staten Island ferry!

These super distinctive FREE orange ferries trundle their way from Whitehall in Manhattan to the St George terminal on Staten Island.

The ferry, which runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, carries over 23 million passengers annually on a 5.2-mile journey and has been in operation since 1905.

On a typical weekday, five boats make 118 trips, carrying approximately 70,000 passenger and numbers are swelled by hordes of visitors – all eager to catch a free glimpse of Lady Liberty from the boat.

Each ferry gets its own personal escort out of the harbour by armed coast guards – a little disconcerting! But you also get your first real view of Manhattan from the water.

And . . . . you also get your first glimpse of that most iconic of women – Lady Liberty… albeit a rather small glimpse!!

However you do get a bit closer to the Green Goddess as the boat floats onwards.

35514099_10155407724047353_7408422061334331392_n

35430753_10155407724262353_6025768086118858752_n

The journey itself takes about 20 minutes from start to finish and is a favourite thing for visitors to do.

The ferry is instantly recognisable as an icon of New York and has featured in numerous films including Working Girl and The Dark Knight.

We disembark on Staten Island and, like most passengers, immediately whizz around to rejoin the queue heading back to Manhattan!

In all fairness, Staten Island probably does have some sights to check out, but with time at a premium, and a long list of sights to tick off, we don’t have time!

So back to Manhattan we head, with yet another stunning view of the Manhattan skyline.

Just time for another snap of the Staten Island ferry sign for the hubby and me!

As we leave Battery Park I am distracted, and a little entranced, by the weirdest merry-go-round I have ever seen – The Seaglass Carousel. Enjoy this surreal snippet!

Isle of Wight

Posted on September 21, 2017 by collymarples

It’s a complete change of pace for our next adventure. This time we’re not heading too far, just a few days in the Isle of Wight. Not quite as exotic as we’ve become used to . . .

First up is an evening in the largest town on the island – Ryde. It’s where the ferry arrives and also has an rather exciting hovercraft!! It’s known as “The Gateway to the Island”.

Ryde has all the attractions of a traditional British seaside resort, including the museum of saucy postcards . . and of course a chippie.

As usual I snout out anything closely resembling street art for a quick snap.

Ryde pier offers the chance for some refreshing sea air but you have to contend with cars in the same space.

The pier is an early 19th-century pier and is apparently the world’s oldest seaside pleasure pier. There’s no arcades on it but there is a quaint little railway station.

Here’s a few random snaps of the pier including a social statement and a few signs that caught my eye.

In the distance you can see a passenger ferry and I am enjoying the greenish hue of the sea.

Next up we’re heading to our woodland cabin for a few nights and will explore more of this little seaside island.