A Day in the Life - My Commute in Pictures and Timestamps

What is it actually like to commute from St. George to midtown Manhattan?

I warmed up my trusty cellphone camera this morning and took as many snapshots as I could on the way to work without arousing suspicion. I drew a great number of uneasy glances while I snapped away (domestic paranoia on public transportation is at an all time high, so this was to be expected). Some of the shots are especially blurry or badly backlit as the result of my stealthy maneuvering. Without further ado:



9:14am - Leaving from the side door. I was at the office until 9 last night, so a late start today.




9:14am - Down the front steps




9:14am - And more steps. Getting to this house is a bit of a hike.




9:15am - Looking down Fort Hill Circle towards Daniel Low Terrace. Oops, it's time to rake.




9:15am - Looking back towards the house; I ran into a landscaper working on my neighbor's house and accosted him for a card. The prodigal homestead gardens are becoming a little big amazon-esque and I've yet to find enough time to spend on it, so it might be time to bring in some help. It was Tom Henri from True Green Landscaping, and I think I'll be giving him a call soon to discuss getting some help.




9:17am - The big tudor house at the intersection of Vine St. and Daniel Low Terrace. Rumor has it that the original owner of this house and the owner of ours were brothers. Their yards were connected into one giant ramble complete with swimming pool.




9:17am - Pleasant, green, and sleepy on Vine Street.






9:18am - Corner of Vine and Belmont, more of the same.




9:19am - I can't remember what this park and playground is called, but I pass it twice a day every day.








9:19am - Rounding the corner of the park towards the water. My camera doesn't show it, but the horizon is the Brooklyn skyline.




9:20am - The water at the end of Wall Street. Not that Wall Street. It looks like sunrise because the exposure was weird, not because it actually looked that way.




9:20am - Looking right from Wall St. down St. Marks Place.




9:21am - Looking down Wall St. near Academy Place. This is what they mean when they say San Francisco-esque.




9:23am - Moving (too) quickly by the corner store on Stuyvesant Pl.




9:23am - Doesn't look like much, but it's our local NYPD precinct.




9:23am - My daily viewing of the ballpark on Richmond Terrace and Wall St.




9:24am - Crossing Richmond Terrace




9:24am - Looking back up Wall St. from the ferry side of Richmond Terrace.




9:24am - Ferry parking, new terminal arch, and breathtaking skyline view (use your imagination here since the camera didn't catch it) from the viaduct.




9:24am - Fellow commuter scurrying along the viaduct.




9:25am - A glance back towards Borough Hall and the courthouse on Richmond Terrace from the viaduct.




9:25am - Manhattan Skyline from the viaduct.




9:25am - The brand new St. George Staten Island ferry terminal.




9:26am - Sauntering up the steps of the ferry terminal with 4 minutes to spare.




9:27am - Skyline and ferry activity from the plaza outside the terminal.






9:27am - Stragglers heading in for the 9:30 ferry.




9:28am - Some of New York's Finest checking out the stragglers.




9:28am - Each ferry has a name. This one is the Samuel I. Ne....um, nevermind. Some ferries are larger than others, it just depends on the time of day.




9:29am - The ferry next door.




9:29am - I love to sit on the outer deck when it's warm to get the ocean breezes.




9:30am - Always lots of tourists enjoying the views.




9:30am - Departing on time to the minute. My fellow islander making use of his cellphone cam. It's hard to resist taking photos.








9:31am - Waiting in line at the Liberty Cafe, the onboard coffee and food place for a croissant and some coffee.




9:40am - Coffee in hand, now to enjoy the ride.




9:45am - No, that's not a mushroom cloud behind the Statue of Liberty.




9:45am - Passing the ferry going back towards the Island. Manhattan on the right, Jersey City on the left.




9:46am - Passing ferry with Jersey City backdrop.






9:46am - Nearing Governor's Island




9:48am - Happy tourists taking pictures of downtown on this blindingly blue day.




9:49am - The money shot: This is why they ride the ferry.




9:49am - Let's take a moment to remember our happy days in Brooklyn.




9:50am - Manhattan and Brooklyn are friends.






9:50am - More skyline splendor.








9:51am - The brand new Staten Island ferry terminal on the Manhattan side.




9:52am - Our friends at the U. S. Coast Guard, who can occasionally be seen walking patrol on the ferry, guarding the landings, or speeding by in their light patrol boats and waving.








9:52am - A NYCDOT employee gets ready to unleash a torrent of tourists and speed-walking commuters on downtown Manhattan.




9:54am - I am actually the first one off the ferry. As I dash ahead, I snap this shot.






9:54am - Rushing down the terminal ramp to the subways and the workday beyond.




9:55am - The beautiful but tragically backlit Battery Maritime building.




9:56am - About to go subterranean in front of 1 New York Plaza. If I lived here, I'd be home by now.




10:01am - Scored a seat on the R train. 47 minutes and counting. Rather than post a picture of the subway for each station, I took notes on the arrival times as follows:


10:06am - City Hall

10:09am - Canal St.

10:13am - 14th Street. Dashed across the platform and grabbed an N express train.

10:16am - 34th Street.




10:18am - 42nd Street. I didn't realize it actually takes only a minute from 34th.




10:21am - Bryant Park. Fashion week is over.




10:23am - Welcome to the big city.


1:09 from door to door. If I worked downtown, it would be faster; if I worked uptown, it would be slower. Having express train service directly from Whitehall would certainly make this much quicker. I've heard rumors it's in the works, but who knows when that will be. Interesting that the commute breaks down this way:


14 minutes: House to ferry (I can cover this in 10 minutes flat if I'm not taking pictures)

26 minutes: Ferry ride

24 minutes: Whitehall to 42nd Street