We’ve visited New York eleven times together and never caught the Staten Island Ferry. So today is the day. It’s 20 degrees Celsius, the sun is shining ands it’s a public holiday in New York, so it should be pretty quiet. Right? Wrong!
As we alight the subway at Bowling Green and walk to the ferry terminal the cruise hawkers are out in force. To the uninitiated, a cruise to see the statue can cost hundreds of dollars. To those in the know, the Staten Island Ferry is free and goes right by the statue. Check out my photo. But the hawkers grab people and direct them to paid ferry services. They’re just doing their job.
We ride the ferry over and back. All up it takes about 90 minutes. It’s glorious out on the water and the city gleams in the midday sunshine.
When we return we start a walk up Broadway. Broadway starts at Bowling Green and runs the full length of Manhattan and then extends into the Bronx. We plan to walk it for a while to put together a video of key highlights along this iconic street.
Broadway is one of the oldest roads in Manhattan and traces its origins back to the Indigenous Lenape people. When the Dutch settled in the area in the early 17th century, they adopted and adapted the existing pathways. As a result, Broadway follows a diagonal path, cutting across the grid pattern that was later established by the Commissioners’ Plan of 1811, which aimed to organise the city’s streets. Its meandering route reflects its historical significance as a major thoroughfare and trade route.
We start at Bowling Green. Other sites in this area include the Charging Bull. The cue for photos here is quite quirky. It extends in two directions. One way people standing at the head and the other…well they sit on the ground and touch its testicles and have their photo taken. A bit weird!
We continue along this iconic trail. We pass Trinity Church and the graveyards attached. Trinity Church, located at the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway is the final resting place for several notable figures. Some of the most prominent individuals buried there include:
John Jay – A Founding Father of the United States, first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and a key diplomat and statesman.
Alexander and Eliza Hamilton – One of the Founding Fathers of the United States and the first Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton is perhaps the most famous person interred at Trinity Church. His grave is a popular site for visitors.
Robert Fulton – An inventor and engineer best known for developing the first commercially successful steamboat.
DeWitt Clinton – The seventh Governor of New York and a key figure in the construction of the Erie Canal.
We take a detour to see dome Gille and Marc artworks along Liberty Street.
We return to Broadway, passing City Hall and other examples of gorgeous architecture in the area. The street is lined with ornate buildings most erected in the 1800s. We finish for the day at Canal Street at around 4.00pm. We head home for a break before dinner.
Dinner that night is a delicious steak at Keens Steakhouse. We enjoy a delicious steak, spinach and potato. It’s a balmy evening when we leave, so the six block walk home is nice. We pop into the whole foods store for some milk before heading home.
