Real Bang For Your Buck

For just $2.75 + $1 bike fee, I rode the ferry from Manhattan to Rockaway Beach.   The silhouette of a roosting pigeon caught my eye before boarding the 10:15 a.m. boat at Pier 11 on a perfect summer morning.

I managed to snag a seat on the top of the brand new boat, equipped with a bar.

First and only stop:  Sunset Park, near the Brooklyn Army Terminal which housed the largest military operation in America through the Second World War.  It occupies 95 acres.  The Woolworth Building's architect designed the main terminal.  Three million soldiers passed through.

The ferry ride offers truly awesome views of Manhattan and Brooklyn.  I captured all but the video on the return trip.

 

The ferry passes beneath the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.

I've lived in New York City since 1974 but had seen none of the Brooklyn waterfront past Williamsburg from a boat.  Shipping is alive and well.

Who knew there was a lighthouse in Norton's Point?  Who even knew there was a place called Norton's Point?  It's in Brooklyn just past the Verrazano Narrows.

Apparently some Brooklyn neighborhoods even have semi-private beaches.

Coney Island looks like a Tinkertoy or Erector Set creation.

We cruised past fishing boats and below jets headed for JFK Airport.

When we arrived at our destination, Manhattan shimmered like the Emerald City in the distance across Jamaica Bay.