An Old, Abandoned Ferry Terminal in Lower Manhattan
Did you know: David Byrne, best known as the lead singer of the Talking Heads, is curating an unusual art exhibit at the Battery Maritime Building, an abandoned ferry terminal adjacent to where the Staten Island Ferry docks in Manhattan.
I lied. The picture you just saw on the main page is the exhibition. An old organ in a cavernous, totally dilapidated building that once was a ferry terminal. That's it.
If you sit and play the organ, it makes the building make strange noises. So it's not just any ordinary organ. But there probably would be strange noises in this place without the organ.
The ceiling might collapse at any moment. People who want to see the exhibit have to sign a legalese-laden waiver before entering the building. I kid you not. A waiver. It's like Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, but without the chocolate.
Creepy.
An approaching Governors Island ferry, which docks right next door.
Not much of an "exhibit," but it made for an interesting 12-minute diversion while I waited for my ferry home to arrive. And it was free.
One of the much-ballyhooed waterfalls that have sprouted up all over New York harbor. Another million dollars might have gotten us waterfalls that come down straight and not lopsided. Alas, nothing is perfect.
An increasingly rare sight on the weekends: the ferryboat John F. Kennedy, one of the old wooden ferries beloved by Staten Island Ferry riders. Usually, these days, the 43-year-old Kennedy is only seen during weekday rush hours. The Kennedy's sister ships, the American Legion and the Gov. Herbert H. Lehman, have long since been turned into scrap metal.
Nothing to see here, tourists. Move along, move along.
I lied. The picture you just saw on the main page is the exhibition. An old organ in a cavernous, totally dilapidated building that once was a ferry terminal. That's it.
If you sit and play the organ, it makes the building make strange noises. So it's not just any ordinary organ. But there probably would be strange noises in this place without the organ.
The ceiling might collapse at any moment. People who want to see the exhibit have to sign a legalese-laden waiver before entering the building. I kid you not. A waiver. It's like Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, but without the chocolate.
Creepy.
An approaching Governors Island ferry, which docks right next door.
Not much of an "exhibit," but it made for an interesting 12-minute diversion while I waited for my ferry home to arrive. And it was free.
One of the much-ballyhooed waterfalls that have sprouted up all over New York harbor. Another million dollars might have gotten us waterfalls that come down straight and not lopsided. Alas, nothing is perfect.
An increasingly rare sight on the weekends: the ferryboat John F. Kennedy, one of the old wooden ferries beloved by Staten Island Ferry riders. Usually, these days, the 43-year-old Kennedy is only seen during weekday rush hours. The Kennedy's sister ships, the American Legion and the Gov. Herbert H. Lehman, have long since been turned into scrap metal.
Nothing to see here, tourists. Move along, move along.