News

The upper decks of Staten Island ferries will now be closed on weekends

Written by
Taya Kenny
New York attractions
Photograph: Alys TomlinsonStaten Island Ferry
Advertising

Besides holding up the subway, the line at Katz’s Deli and sometimes the entire dang sidewalk, tourists have another slow-moving tendency that's making New Yorkers cringe.

Over the past few years, the Staten Island ferry has regularly been operating behind schedule due to people taking too long to disembark. In particular, the Hurricane Deck, the highest level of the ferry, has been a hot spot for tourists to take pictures and get a better view...but also to take too long to exit, thus holding up the cleaning and re-entry process. Studies have been coming out recently showing that the MTA is slowly ruining our lives, and commuters from Staten Island have long been familiar with that feeling.

RECOMMENDED: Find more things to do in Staten Island, New York

In an attempt to rectify this, the Department of Transportation is going to be closing the upper levels of the deck on the Staten Island Ferry for four weekends, the busiest times for tourist traffic. If the program is successful in expediting disembarkment, it may be instituted permanently and may also expand to weekdays.

So, if you’re on a vacation (or even a staycation) over the next few weekends and looking to grab a snap of Lady Liberty, you might be better off shelling out for the Ellis Island tour or hitting up a booze cruise. And next, could we maybe shut down Times Square altogether during rush hour? We can only dream. 

Popular on Time Out

    You may also like
    You may also like
    Advertising