Out in the Styx: Visiting the Staten Island Ferry Graveyard

Roar! Earlier this spring I decided to go on an odyssey to the land of the dead... Dead boats that is! It turns out on Staten Island there is a marine salvage yard where a number of old ferries, tugs, and barges from NYC's past have been scuttled. Just check out what this area looks like from space! Crazy!

The marine salvage yard isn't open to the public but the northern edge extends past the docks so it looked like I'd just be able to barge right in! I decided it was time to let Charon ferry me across the NY harbor so I could pay a visit to the land of the dead! Roar!

Turns out that analogy was more accurate than I realized! Right next to the northern part of the salvage yard there is actually an old Huguenot cemetery from 1700's called Blazing Star Burial Ground. It sure is spooky, I hope I don't run into Charley Boos! Roar! 

Here you can see the northern edge of the ferry graveyard beyond the marsh behind the graveyard! 

Here are a few pictures of the Ferry Graveyard across the marsh. Getting there was going to be quite a challenge! I had planned my visit to coincide with low tide, so I put some hefty trash bags around my feet and lightly stomped across the marshland! Roar! 

There are a ton of historic ships interred in the ferry graveyard. There are couple from World War II including one ship that took part in D-Day and the USS Mason, the first submarine to have an all black crew! In the back of this picture you can see one of the fireboats that responded to the General Slocum wreck in 1904! Roar!

After crossing the muddy marsh I emerged into a half sunken barge and climbed up onto the rusty hulks of dead ships. 

Here we have a look at the full salvage yard to the south. I don't want to head down there or the keepers of the dead might get me! Roar! 

Some of the scuttled ships in the salvage yard are so old that they have trees and bushes growing off of them! Talk about crazy! It makes me think of a post-apocalyptic future where all these barges have been turned into farm land once sea waters rise. Some one should make a movie about that... Roar! 

Some graffiti artists have also made it out to the ferry graveyard! Here's a cool piece that must have been done years ago, just look how it's faded with time. Roar! 

Besides all the ferries, tugs, and barges there were a number of life boats and dingys that had been piled up on top of all the other ships! There are so many ships here that are just falling apart. Talk about rest in pieces! Roar! 

Here I am hanging out on one of the old barges. This place sure is crazy. Turns out there used to be another salvage yard on the eastern shore of Staten Island that had old 19th century schooners scuttled along the entrance to the harbor. They were all removed when construction began on the Verrazano Narrows bridge. Next time you drive across the bridge be sure to watch out for ghost-ships! Roar! 

I guess I'm not the only person who has come to check out the Ferry Graveyard! Seems like a great place to take a date? Roar! 

Before heading home I decided to leave my mark on one of the barges. We'll see how this wears with time. The Ferry Graveyard might be a real trek to get to but it's a rare sight in a city that seems obsessed with eradicating its way spaces. I wonder how long the graveyard will remain? Roar!

Snuggle Harbor

Roar! Today was such a lovely day I decided I should take Giraffe to the Snug Harbor Cultural Center out on Staten Island. Snug Harbor was originally founded as a retirement home for sailors and was later home to the Governor of Staten Island. Now it's an amazing historical site with a bunch of super sweet gardens!

After taking the ferry over Giraffe and I went for a brief ride up Richmond Terrace where we arrived at the entrance to Snug Harbor. Once inside the first place we stopped was this awesome duck pond! There was even a goose! Maybe we could all play a game together? Quack, Quack, ROAR!

Next, Giraffe and I went over to the old Governor's Mansion. This is a pretty sweet looking house but it could probably benefit from a little work. Then this place would be even cooler than Gracie Mansion! Roar!

Behind the Governors Mansion is a sweet rose garden! I decided to take a moment and stop and smell the roses! Roar!

Up the road a bit there was this beautiful enclosed path that cut across the property. Wow, tis place looks so romantic! R-roar!

Snug Harbor also has it's very own hedge maze! Talk about awesome! Giraffe and I thought about going inside but we didn't want to get lost! That would have been so scary!

They also have this beautiful Tuscan garden! Maybe later Giraffe and I should go get a nice Italian pizza! Roar!

From the Tuscan garden Giraffe and I headed down the healing path past these awesome stone fountains! Too bad the water had been turned off for the season.

Snug Harbor also has one of the two Classical Chinese gardens in the United States! Bao Bao would love this place! Here Giraffe and I are in front of the moon viewing pavillion. I sure wish I thought to come here back during the moon festival!

Next we headed down to the pond and snuggle under a willow tree.  So cute!

Next Giraffe and I had some fun doing some live-action role playing in the reeds! "Roar! I'm coming to get you!" "Oh no! Eeee!"

Roar? Where did Giraffe go? I guess I better go look in these tall reeds and see if I can find her! Hold on I'll be right back...

When Giraffe and I were leaving Snug Harbor we passed by the front of the Children's Museum. They used to have this awesome sculpture of a praying mantis out front but it was recently damaged when that tornado came through New York City back in September! I sure hope they fix this guy soon because he is pretty awesome! Roar!

A visit to Fresh Kills Park

Roar! Yesterday I went to my second to last Key to the City location... and Giraffe came with me! After out fight last week I told her I only had two places left to visit, and the next place I was going was Fresh Kills Park on the 25th. It isn't exacly a romantic place, and certainly not my first choice for a date, but Giraffe said she didn't care. We left that morning to go out to Staten Island and see what was once the largest landfill in the city. 

Here is our tour guide, Doug, who is briefing us on the bus on the way to the park. Doug is a pretty cool guy, he was really proud of what they've managed to do with the site and what the park will be when they're finished. Though when someone asked him if he was from Staten Island he did have to admit he was from my neck of the woods in Brooklyn. Roar!

As soon as our bus arrived at the top of the North Mound, Doug got the Key to the City lock out of the way...

Woah! Turned out that box held this sweet set of binoculars! If we come to any crossroads on this tour it will be good to have these 'nocks on me! Actual viewing wasn't that great, though, seeing that the weather was pretty rainy yesterday. Roar...

Here I am with Giraffe on top of the North Mound. We are sitting 200 feet above sea level on a hill made entirely of trash from New York City! The story behind Fresh Kills is pretty amazing, amazing and horrifying! The city of New York used to just dump all its trash inthe ocean, then when the Supreme Court finally said this wasn't ok, everyone's favorite city planner, Robert Moses, stepped in and chose Fresh Kills as the site for the city's new landfill. For over 50 years Fresh Kills took the city's trash and what was once flat wetlands are now 200 foot tall hills of garbage! Roar!

Here I am looking at one of the many methane pumps on the North Hill. As the garbage beneath decomposes methane is released. It's collected at these pumps and then burned off as "clean" energy. I think that's pretty neat! Roar!

Here Giraffe is taking in the post-apocalyptic scenery up on the North Hill. Maybe T-Rex and the Shadowy Way will write a song about it! Roar!

Roar! Here is the plant where they burn off a bunch of the excess methane gas! Who ever smelt it dealt it guys! Roar!

Next we headed on over to the South Mound. On the way there we passed through what was left of all the wetlands that used to occupy this area. They are working hard to preseve whats left and even have an osprey nesting here! Here you can see the osprey nest buts it's kind of hard to make out the bird in it. Roar!

Roar! Here I am up on the South Mound. You can see one of the waste processing plant in the background. Apparently it's also the tallest building on Staten Island. I wonder what the view is like from up there?

Here are Giraffe and I together on the South Mound. We had a really fun time visiting Fresh Kills Park together. It's really impressive what they're doing with the site and it's clear to me that when the park is completed it will definitely be the nicest park in New York City! Roar!

On the way out of the park we passed this lone dump truck. I just read a report the other day about 14 of these babies that were stolen from a yard somewhere out here in Staten Island! I'm glad they didn't get this one! Roar!

Joe Holzka Community Garden and Buddhist Viarha

Roar! Today I rode my bike out to Staten Island to visit a couple more Key to the City Locations. First I headed over to the Joe Holzka Community Garden and then I rode to the Staten Island Buddhist Vihara.

Here I am outside of the Joe Holza Community Garden. It looks pretty nice! Let's go inside and check it out!

Roar! It sure is nice in here! The site for this garden used to be the old Plaza Casino. After it burned down the lot remained vacant for years until they established the sweet garden here.

My key opened the gate to the this sweet gazebo in the garden. It sure was nice and shady inside. This would be a pretty cool place to come and hang out if I actually lived anywhere near here.

There was also this mystery box on the table inside of the Gazebo. It had all these sweet oragami pieces inside of it! I decided to leave a few stickers for the next visitors to Gazebo. I hope they like it! Roar!

I took this neat looking paper hat to give to Giraffe. I wonder what she'll think of it?

Roar! The Joe Holzka Community Garden was pretty cool! I wonder what awaits me at the Staten Island Buddhist Vihara?

Here I am in front of the Vihara. It's a pretty neat looking place. It turns out this is the only Sri Lankan Buddhist center in the city.

My key opened this gate to the back garden. Back there they had an actual Bodhi tree growig in a pot! Bodhi trees arn't suited to our climate and the monks told me they needed to take it inside during the winter! Roar!

Inside the center they had all these really pretty lotus blossom lamps hanging from the ceiling. They also had this really awesome Buddha statue I got to meditate in front of. The monks at the center were all super friendly and said it was really nice to have a T-Rex come to visit the center. As a dinosaur I really like a bunch of the ideas in Buddhsim, particularly the stuff about impermanence, but I sure would make a terrible Buddhist seeing how much I like meat!

I threw up a sticker on the sign at the end of the street across from the Vihara. It sure was a lot of fun to come out here to Staten Island and check out these couple places. I bet there is a lot more to discover out here! Maybe next time I'll bring Giraffe along with me. Roar!