Throwdown: Circle Line Tours Downtown vs. Staten Island Ferry
See how Manhattan glimmers in the early morning sun and Lady Liberty’s torch is a beacon in the night sky. Some of the best views of Manhattan can be seen from the waters of New York Harbor. Luckily you don’t need one of those mega-yachts docked at North Cove Marina to cruise the harbor.
Guidebooks recommend taking a sightseeing tour and most visitors to New York choose Circle Line Tours Downtown. Circle Line offers a selection of tours, the most popular being the cruise of New York’s Liberty Harbor. The tour on the newly renovated Miss New York lasts sixty minutes and costs $15. There are very few sailings during the winter months; daily sailings begin mid-March with five sailings per day and continue through the summer with up to seven sailings per day.
But I recommend you mingle with some of the 60,000 New Yorkers that make the daily commute from Staten Island to Manhattan by taking a cruise on the Staten Island Ferry.
The Staten Island Ferry may just be the best bargain in all of Manhattan. The 25-minute ride from Manhattan’s Battery to St. George, Staten Island is free and provides spectacular views of the south end of Manhattan and Statue of Liberty. The ferry operates 24-hours a day, every 15 minutes during peak time and every 30-minutes during non-peak times. Added bonus: the ferry sells some of the cheapest beer I have ever purchased in Manhattan.
Manhattan Pier Location: Staten Island Ferry-South Ferry Pier, Whitehall Street (at State Street) map
Subway: R/W to Whitewall Street-South Ferry or 1 to South Ferry
Cost: Free
Staten Island Ferry photo from personal collection
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POSTED IN: Attractions, Battery, Downtown, Financial District, Must See Sights, Staten Island, Tours - Guided or Self-Guided, Travel Tips - General Information
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