The Most-Used Free Boat in America
The Staten Island Ferry has been crossing New York Harbor between St. George on Staten Island and Whitehall Terminal in Lower Manhattan since 1817 — first as a private operation, then as a city-run service from 1905 onward. The ferry has been free since 1997. The fleet consists of eight active vessels, all painted the same yellow-orange ('Staten Island Ferry Orange,' an official Pantone color); the boats hold roughly 4,400 passengers each and run year-round on a fifteen- to thirty-minute headway depending on the time of day.
Every weekday, 70,000 passengers cross between Manhattan and Staten Island on the ferry. Of those, perhaps 40,000 are Staten Island residents commuting to work. The other 30,000 are non-residents — workers from Manhattan jobs commuting backward, tourists doing the loop, and the New York-native experience of taking the ferry across at sunset, looking at the harbor, and turning around. The ferry is by some margin the most-used free transit service in the United States.
What the Sunset Crossing Actually Is
In summer, sunset across New York Harbor falls between 8:15 and 8:30 p.m. on the longest days (late June and early July). The Whitehall departure that catches it most cleanly is the 8:00 p.m. The boat leaves the south end of Battery Park, swings out past the southern tip of Governors Island, threads past Liberty Island (within roughly 200 yards of the Statue of Liberty's base — close enough to read the inscription if you have binoculars), passes Ellis Island on the right, and arrives at St. George at 8:25. Sunset on the open water happens during the crossing.
The boat's open-air decks — the front bow on most boats, the rear stern on others — fill quickly for the sunset run. Arrive at Whitehall by 7:30 p.m. to board first; the boats stage at 7:35 and begin loading at 7:45. The outer deck of the lower level is the prime spot. The right side (starboard) on the outbound leg gives you the Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island; the left side (port) gives you Governors Island, Ellis Island, and the receding Lower Manhattan skyline. Wait for sunset on starboard.
How Free Means Free
There is no fare gate. There is no ticket machine. There is no swipe. You walk into the Whitehall Terminal, follow the signs to the departing boat, and board. The terminal is open 24/7. The boats run every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays, every 60 minutes overnight, every 30 minutes all weekend. The ride is identical day or night, except for what is visible outside. The night crossing, around 10 p.m., shows the Lower Manhattan skyline lit and reflecting in the harbor; the daytime crossing shows the geometry of the harbor and the Statue of Liberty at midday glare.
On Staten Island side: walk off the boat at St. George Terminal, walk twenty feet, walk back into the same terminal to board the return. Round trip is built into the design — no fare to come back. The typical New Yorker's ferry visit lasts ninety minutes: the outbound crossing, a five-minute look at the Staten Island side, the return crossing. You are home for dinner at 9:30.
What to Do on the Staten Island Side, If Anything
Most ferry riders turn around. The disciplined version is one of three: (1) walk five minutes east to the Staten Island Yankees stadium (officially Maimonides Park since 2018) for a minor-league baseball game — Yankees-affiliated Class A team, $15 a ticket, summer schedule of about 70 home games, the stadium's outfield wall is a fifteen-foot opening directly onto the Manhattan skyline; (2) walk fifteen minutes west to the Postcards 9/11 Memorial at North Shore Esplanade — two sail-like sculptures by Masayuki Sono, with the names of the 274 Staten Islanders who died in the September 11 attacks; (3) walk twenty minutes to Snug Harbor Cultural Center, the 83-acre former sailors' retirement home, free to the grounds, $10 to the Chinese Scholar's Garden inside.
For dinner: Beso, the Spanish tapas restaurant on Bay Street six blocks from the terminal (open since 2005, the closest sit-down to the boat); Da Noi, the Italian neighborhood spot ten minutes east. For drinks: Flagship Brewing Company, two blocks east, brewery taproom in a converted 1920s building. Most ferry-trip riders skip all of these and turn around. The Staten Island side is genuinely good; the ferry is the headline.
How to Time the Whole Thing
The clean sunset ferry, summer weekday: 7:30 p.m. arrival at Whitehall Terminal. Eat a slice from Joe's Pizza on Carmine first if you have time (twenty minutes north). Board the 8 p.m. boat. Outer deck, starboard side, mid-boat. Cross. At 8:30 dock at St. George. Get off. Walk five feet. Board the next return (8:45 typically). Cross back. Sunset reflection on Lower Manhattan now ahead of you, port side. Dock at Whitehall at 9:15. Walk fifteen minutes north to Brookfield Place or the South Street Seaport for dinner, or get on the 1 train home.
The clean sunset ferry, summer weekend: 7:00 p.m. arrival at Whitehall. The 7:30 boat. Sit on the upper outer deck (less crowded but slightly higher angle on the harbor). Cross. Spend an hour and a half on Staten Island — drink at Flagship Brewing, dinner at Beso, walk to North Shore Esplanade for the 9/11 Memorial in twilight. Catch the 9:30 return. Dock Whitehall at 9:55. Eight dollars spent on dinner. Total trip cost: dinner only.
How to Actually Get to Whitehall
The 1 train terminates at South Ferry — the station is built directly underneath the Whitehall Terminal entrance. The R or W train to Whitehall Street is the same building. The 4 or 5 train to Bowling Green is one block north. The terminal itself is a 2005 rebuild — glass-and-steel, ample seating, restrooms, a small cafe, and a public observation level with a view of the harbor. The terminal is the staging area; the boats are the show.
Bring a light jacket for after sunset (the harbor breeze cools quickly), a phone with the camera and a charged battery, and an open mind about photography from a moving boat. The ferry is a free harbor cruise. The Circle Line Statue of Liberty cruise charges $44. The DUKW amphibious tour charges $46. The Staten Island Ferry charges nothing. The Statue is the same statue.
Practical notes
- Where: Whitehall Terminal, 4 Whitehall Street, Lower Manhattan. Boats to St. George Terminal, Staten Island.
- When: 24/7. Every 30 minutes 7 a.m.–11 p.m., every 60 minutes overnight. Crossing 25 minutes.
- Cost: Free, both directions, always.
- Best for sunset: the 8 p.m. departure from Whitehall in mid-June through mid-July (sunset 8:15–8:30 p.m.).
- Best deck: lower outer deck, starboard side outbound (Statue of Liberty), port side return (Lower Manhattan skyline).
- Getting to Whitehall: 1 to South Ferry, R/W to Whitehall, or 4/5 to Bowling Green.
- Bring: light jacket, camera, patience for crowds at the railings.
- Optional Staten Island side: Maimonides Park (minor league baseball), Postcards 9/11 Memorial, Snug Harbor.
The point
Every major harbor city in the world has tried to make a free ferry happen. Most of them eventually start charging. New York has held the line since 1997. The Staten Island Ferry crosses the harbor 117 times a day for free, and on any clear summer evening at 8 p.m. you can walk into the Whitehall Terminal, board a 4,400-passenger orange boat, stand on the deck, and watch the Statue of Liberty drift past at 100 yards' distance with the sun setting behind New Jersey. There is no charge. There is no reservation. The boat leaves whether you are on it or not. Take the 1 to South Ferry. Get on the boat.
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Sources consulted: siferry.com · nyc.gov/dot · en.wikipedia.org · nycgo.com
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