The Staten Island ferry is one of the top tourist destinations in the city—as well as being a popular date location—but the buck stops there. Despite our valiant efforts to tell people of the fun things in the borough beyond, lots of folks won't step a foot past the ferry terminal (unless maybe for a Steve Martin concert). Which is why the borough is now looking for a few good volunteers. more ›

A Staten Island woman says the NYPD wrongly forced her to go to the hospital while she was waiting for the ferry after a night of drinking in Manhattan. On December 8th last year, just before midnight, Chloe Sowers was sitting on the floor of the Lower Manhattan terminal drinking a coconut water and waiting for the boat to take her home. She was sitting on the floor because no seats were available, but this caught the eye of one Officer Kevin McKeon, who was so "concerned" about Sowers that she ended up handcuffed and taken to New York Downtown Hospital, where she was bound and drugged for the night against her will. more ›

A Staten Island artist/activist spent the morning dressed up as a Christmas tree and wishing commuters a ferry Merry Christmas, in protest against the DOT's ban on holiday decorations in the terminals. Scott LoBaido, whom you may recall from previous stunts such as paying the $10 Verrazano Bridge toll in pennies and trying to hang his own art in protest at the Brooklyn Museum, is upset about the decoration ban, like many other commuters. But instead of just griping about it, the Staten Island Advance reports that he ensconced himself in this impressive-looking tree and went forth to spread holiday cheer. more ›

Staten Island has HAD IT with the War on Religious Holidays That Have Been Secularlized To The Point Of Insipidity. So says the editorial board of the Staten Island Advance, who penned an article entitled "Bureaucratic Cowardice" in response to the DOT's decision to remove Christmas and Hanukkah decorations from the Staten Island ferry terminals. "It’s out of some warped sense of political correctness that the people in charge of places that attract a lot of traffic…seem to live in abject terror of offending a handful of cranks." Who's worse: litigious cranks or cranks on an editorial board? more ›

There's been a bit of an uproar among commuters who use the Staten Island Ferry, which has been stripped of the holiday decorations that formerly livened up the terminals in Manhattan and Staten Island. The DOT has taken away the "holiday" tree and the big electric Hanukkah menorahs, which Rabbi Moshe Katzman has provided every year for decades. DOT spokesman Seth Solomonow issued a statement explaining the new policy, suggesting that the change is mainly about "keeping the passenger terminal clear" to "allow staff and crew to focus on their primary mission: Getting the system’s 65,000 daily commuters where they need to go safely and on schedule." But could there possibly be more than a desire for "clear" terminals at work here? more ›

A former deckhand for the Staten Island Ferry is suing the city, claiming she was terminated after complaining about sexual harassment. According to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by the Daily News, Jennette Suarez alleges that she was fired last year after reporting a ferry security guard for allegedly leering at her "intimate body parts" and making "slurping, smacking" sounds. As she tells it, the ferry is nothing more than a lecherous floating frat house where boys will be pervs. more ›

A 31-year-old Pennsylvania man is currently in stable condition after leaping off a Manhattan-bound Staten Island Ferry yesterday evening. The crew of the Spirit of America rescued the man after he jumped near Liberty Island, and he was transfered to Bellevue Hospital where he was treated for hypothermia and is currently undergoing a psychiatric evaluation. Police confirmed that the man jumped from the ferry, but it's unclear whether it was a suicide attempt. more ›

Recently the Staten Island Ferry became the epicenter of indie cool, albeit briefly, when improvisational dancer Anne Marsen (and a supporting cast of contemporary dancers) joined forces with the new Girl Talk album. Part of the video can be seen below... but the ferry's 15 minutes aren't up just yet! The team behind the video promises it's nowhere near completion—they call it a music video of "epic proportions," and say they'll be shooting through the spring of 2011. After some polishing, the piece will be screened in public (hopefully on the ferry!) and be made available online. more ›

We may be hurtling toward an uncertain, unsustainable future in which the sky and everything in it is falling (currently: big frozen clumps of moisture, run!), but it's nice to know that some things never change. There's just something perversely comforting about this video of two guys fighting at 5:30 a.m. on New Year's Day on the Staten Island Ferry: No matter how dreadful things get, you can always count on a couple of macho dudes to roll around on the floor together after a night of partying—and for the NYPD to discourage the loser from filing a police report. The fisticuffs start around the one minute mark: more ›

The Times tallies it up and notes that that in addition to the fare hike, in the past year prices have also gone up on everything from bridges to pedicabs to carriage rides in Central Park! Transportation costs in our region "rose 3.7 percent in the 12 months that ended in November, far outpacing the overall rate of inflation." On the plus side there are still a few free alternatives we can think of: the Staten Island Ferry, the Staten Island Railway (sort of), walking and, if the paths are plowed, that two-wheeled enemy of the people, the bicycle. What are we forgetting? more ›

In an attempt to be a bit more politically correct about the holiday season, officials have removed a nativity scene from the St. George Ferry Terminal, leaving the more pagan-friendly Christmas tree to hold its own against Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and celebrations of the solstice. One commuter told CBS 2, "Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Christmas, everybody should be able to celebrate." And the Catholic League isn't too happy, especially because they can't counter the "attack" with a billboard. more ›

Yesterday afternoon, a woman died after jumping off a Staten Island-bound Staten Island Ferry boat and into the New York Harbor. According to the Staten Island Advance, "The unidentified Hispanic woman, who was in her 30s, was pulled unconscious out of the water by two ferry deckhands who were lowered in a rescue boat launched off the ferry. The deckhands then handed the woman off to the crew of an NYPD rescue craft, which rushed her to South Cove Marina in Manhattan, where she was taken to" Beekman Downtown Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 5:42 p.m. more ›

During the horrific Staten Island Ferry crash of 2003, which killed 11 people and injured many others, the Dorothy J. tugboat was one of the vessels that came to the aide of the crashed ferry. In 2006, the crew and owners of the tugboat sued the city for millions, citing "ancient maritime law" in which mariners are encouraged to help other boaters in distress, with financial compensation as a reward. But in a ruling today, a Brooklyn federal judge decided that the Dorothy J. wasn't really much help after all, and tossed the owner and crew a mere $46,203.33, to be split three ways. more ›

Reports of a woman overboard from the Staten Island Ferry were sent to an NYPD boat patrolling near lower Manhattan around 7:50 last night, beginning a high stakes rescue of a possibly suicidal woman. The woman plunged into the water near the Statue of Liberty, jumping from—of all ships—the Andrew J. Barberi, aka the "Ferry of Doom." more ›

A federal judge awarded a victim of the 2003 Staten Island ferry crash $500K yesterday because apparently the ladies don't love men who can eat only pureed food. Though the judge tossed out all of Michael Grynberg's other claims—depression, post traumatic stress disorder, brain damage and lost wages—his heartstrings tugged at Grynberg's claim that his engagement ended because of his injuries, and that he stopped dating two years ago because of all the embarrassments. The judge said, "He would actually order 'liquid stuff like soup' to avoid jaw discomfort." Man who eats soup for dinner? Dealbreaker! more ›

The Andrew J. Barberi ferry sailed for the first time yesterday since crashing in May. Last month's crash was just one more accident, leading many to say the boat is "jinxed." The Barberi was responsible for 2003's deadly crash, and has had a history of propulsion failure since leaving the shipyard in Wisconsin in 2005. But rider Brenda Harris wasn't scared. She told the Post, "There's been three accidents in 100 years. I feel safe." more ›

A report by the National Transportation Safety Board has determined that the Andrew J. Barberi's propulsion system was "possibly defective" at the time of the May 8th crash, which injured 48 people. The ferry had passed inspections less than a month before the crash, but Coast Guard spokesman Charles Rowe reassuringly told the Daily News, "Any mechanical device can, for any variety of reasons, go wrong at any single moment." more ›

Most tourist interaction with Staten Island involves the few minutes spent at St. George Ferry Terminal in between free rides from Manhattan, so it's no surprise that tourism kiosks advertising life outside the Terminal aren't getting much love. The interactive kiosks (the live person-manned ones were canned in 2008) advise tourists how to get to the aquarium and pointing out area restaurants in the area, but the buggy machines haven't inspired many to venture outside the docks. What's more, the the Staten Island Advance reports that the city's tourism arm, NYC & Co. doesn't even bother keeping track of Staten Island's tourism trends. more ›

Eek: A man was arrested after allegedly touching a 14-year-old boy under a bathroom stall on a Staten Island Ferry yesterday morning. According to the Advance, "The victim left the bathroom and told his father what had happened, and the two then informed police officers stationed on the boat." Francisco Andrade, 31, of Queens was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, loitering and harassment. The Advance adds, "The arrest comes as the city Department of Transportation instituted a cut to deckhands and restroom attendants onboard the boats in a move expected to save $1.4 million a year, but which raises safety concerns." more ›

The Staten Island Advance reports, "Police officers are evacuating the St. George and Whitehall ferry terminals after a bomb threat was called in, a source told the Advance." The caller allegedly said that a bomb would go off at the "Staten Island Ferry Terminal at 9:30 a.m.” It's unclear which terminal the caller was referring to, so "Both terminals on the Staten Island and Manhattan sides are currently being swept by bomb-sniffing dogs." Update: The terminals reopened after the dogs found nothing suspicious. more ›

A passenger from Queens will be the first to file a lawsuit over a wrenched back he got on board the crashed Andrew J. Barbieri ferry this weekend. Flabio Silva, a construction worker, said he thought the ship had been taken out of service after the 2003 crash, and is filing a $5 million suit today, claiming he has had a difficult time sitting down since the crash. His lawyer, who represented six victims of the 2003 crash, told the Daily News, "The City of New York is responsible for the action of its employees, the crew and the operation and maintenance of this boat." more ›

Last week, Mayor Bloomberg blamed Albany and Governor Paterson for giving him no choice but to cut programs and thousands of workers from the city's budget. Now, Paterson is reportedly rolling up his sleeves, because he's tired of being kicked around. A "source close to the Paterson administration" tells the Post's Fred Dicker, "Mayor Bloomberg is not going to treat the governor poorly, with disrespect! We've got just as many muscles as the mayor and his people do—and if they want a street fight, then so be it." more ›

In the wake of yesterday's Staten Island Ferry crash, many are wondering why the Andrew J. Barbieri—the ship also responsible for a crash in 2003 that killed 11—is still in commission. The second-oldest ship in the Staten Island Ferry fleet, the Barbieri had engine failure problems on its christening in 1981. The ship was named for a Curtis High School coach who died in 1979, but yesterday his son told the Times, "Papa would be concerned about the ferry. He’d say, ‘If the boat has safety problems, get rid of it.’ ” more ›

A Staten Island ferry crashed into a dock at the St. George terminal on Staten Island around 9:15 this morning, and emergency units are responding to the scene. Wire reports say the boat is not taking on water, and EMS is reporting 50 green tag injuries and 10 yellow tag injuries (According to triage, green means walking wounded, yellow means non-life threatening injuries, red means life threatening and black means not breathing). NotifyNYC is predicting delays at the St. George Ferry terminal. more ›

Has one of the Staten Island Ferry pastors been silenced from preaching to his (involuntary) commuting congregation? SILive reports that Michael Ihedioha (also known as Michael Nwadiuko) has been sentenced to three years probation and is likely to keep mum after cutting a plea deal yesterday to a misdemeanor obstruction charge. more ›