Red Hook Cheers Its First NYC Ferry
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RED HOOK CHEERS ITS FIRST NYC FERRY
Thursday, June 1, 2017, 6:30-8:30a.m.
Aboard ship MARY A. WHALEN
Next to the new NYC Ferry dock, near the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, Atlantic Basin, Red Hook, Brooklyn
Directions http://portsidenewyork.org/visitor-info/
Event URL http://bit.ly/2qkzjrU
After years of fighting for a commuter ferry service, Red Hook has finally got it and is celebrating in its usual colorful way!
The first NYC Ferry to arrive in Red Hook is due at 6:52 am Thursday, June 1, and PortSide NewYork is planning celebrations! PortSide is laying out a spread with free continental breakfast (while supplies last) from 6:30-8:30am aboard our base of operations, the 79-year old tanker MARY A. WHALEN. A sip of free champagne for a toast and a newspaper for all passengers of the first boat will be provided compliments of the local newspaper, The Red Hook Star Revue. Expect some maritime costume characters in the mix. NYC Ferry is hiring and will be there with information.
QUOTES
PortSide NewYork’s President Carolina Salguero says, “I’m so excited. My advocacy for commuter ferry service in Red Hook goes back 14 years, before founding PortSide. The creation of Atlantic Basin in the 1840s, transformed Red Hook; adding a ferry here will have Atlantic Basin transform Red Hook again, reconnecting us to the world. This is Red Hook’s ferry sweet spot - close to NYCHA residents who live furthest from the subway, the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, Van Brunt retail, and attractions such as Pioneer Works and PortSide NewYork. PortSide is poised to be an amenity to waiting passengers who will enjoy the deck of our ship MARY A. WHALEN during TankerTime, and we can do more if we fulfill plans to grow our footprint on site. We thank the EDC for responding to community input in Red Hook and around the harbor about the ferries. Next up! Ferries for Brooklyn to Staten Island, Brooklyn and Staten Island to NJ, and free transfers to the MTA.
Councilman Carlos Menchaca says, “Citywide NYC Ferry service will transform the way New Yorkers experience transportation and our waterfront neighborhoods. Red Hook worked hard to ensure the ferry dock was located at Atlantic Basin, adjacent to the Cruise Terminal and maritime cultural hub, Portside. I thank the NYEDC for working with our community. Fares matching MTA rates are a good start but free transfers between the ferries and MTA subways and buses should be our goal. I welcome summer service to Governor's Island and look forward to expanded routes and schedules as our City rediscovers the benefits of a robust passenger ferry system.”
About PortSide NewYork www.portsidenewyork.org
PortSide NewYork is a living lab for better urban waterways. PortSide brings WaterStories to life. PortSide shows how to combine the working waterfront, public access and community development. We bring the communities that are ashore and afloat closer together to the benefit of both.
PortSide is creating a maritime center with inclusive programs and services for the general public - and the working waterfront. PortSide NewYork currently delivers water, waterfront and maritime-themed programs, services and advocacy, on and off a historic ship, the tanker MARY A. WHALEN.