October 20, 2003 -- Deep in my New York brain, I felt I wasn't supposed to see bridges like this.
I was passing under the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges, traveling on a ferry that wasn't the well-trodden Staten Island or tourists-only Circle Line route, but a lesser-known gem of the Big Apple called the New York Water Taxi.
From the deck of this custard-yellow, checkered boat, I saw the miserable neglect of New York's waterfront, the decaying warehouses and mysterious smokestacks with which we insult our rivers. But I also saw the Brooklyn Bridge from a perspective few do, and had the wind muss my hair on a brief but unforgettable 15-minute journey that dropped me in one of the city's most picturesque neighborhoods.
The nation is full of these unsung ferries, humble community means of transport that are hidden treasures for tourists: they get you somewhere interesting, with a bunch of locals, in a breathtakingly fun manner. There's no way we can cover the dozens of ferries in US cities here, much less the car ferries that cross lakes, rivers and bays. We'll also try to avoid the terribly obvious, like the Baltimore Water Taxi (www.thewatertaxi.com), or the touristy, like the Philadelphia RiverLink (www.riverlinkferry.org). So here's a thoroughly biased list of some of our favorite alternative ways to enjoy cities by water.
New York Water Taxi (www.nywatertaxi.com)
Almost unnoticeably, this scrappy little local company has set up a string of ports around the edges of Manhattan, making the Water Taxi a fun and interesting way to flit around. Rides cost $4-8, and ferries run seven days a week, albeit infrequently. (Check the schedules on their Web site.) We recommend using the ferry to connect from East 34th Street, near midtown sights, to the beautiful old neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights: you pass under three bridges on the way. Adventurous travelers can go all the way up to East 90th Street, in the genteel Upper East Side neighborhood.
San Francisco Ferries (www.transitinfo.org/Ferries)
It's called the City by the Bay. See it from the bay. The classic commuter ferry journey is from San Francisco to the upscale Marin County town of Sausalito, a half-hour ride that costs $5.60. Take a stroll around Sausalito, have a coffee, and head back. You'll see breathtaking views of the Golden Gate, Bay and Richmond bridges and see the Transamerica Tower emerge from the fog. Unforgettable.
Boston Inner Harbor MBTA Ferries. (www.mbta.com)
Tired of the T? Bounce along Boston Harbor with the $1.25 local ferries. The most useful, the F4 route, connects Long Wharf (by the aquarium) with Charlestown (by Bunker Hill); you can then continue on the F3 ferry to Lovejoy Wharf, behind North Station. A longer ride, the F5 connects Lovejoy Wharf with the World Trade Center, in South Boston by the Seaport Hotel. Some of these ferries run every 15 minutes during rush hours, but check the schedules on the MBTA site anyway.
Chicago's RiverBus (www.wendellariverbus.com)
Chicago is surrounded by water, but lakeshore commuters don't seem to have taken to ferries yet. Until then, there's the Wendella RiverBus, a stub of a ferry that takes eight minutes and $2 to shuttle from a spot near the Sears Tower down to the Wrigley Building on Michigan Avenue. Sure, you could walk this trip, but then you wouldn't get to see the weird, vertiginous canyon that Chicago looks like from its little tongue of a river. The ferry runs daily from April to October, and Mondays-Fridays the rest of the year. Take it during morning rush hour southbound or during evening rush hour northbound to see commuters.
New Orleans' Algiers Ferry
One of the easiest and cheapest fun ferry rides in the country, this free ferry cycles back and forth, back and forth across the Mississippi from the foot of New Orleans' Canal Street to the charming and historic Algiers district daily from 6 a.m. until midnight. The passage takes 10 minutes, and Algiers' historic houses and charming B&Bs are certainly worth a stroll. The ferry has been running continuously since 1827.
Pretty much the entire city of Seattle
Washington State has the most extensive system of ferries in the nation, and various boats leaving from Seattle and nearby points offer cheap cruises to various islands in the area. We'll leave you with Frommer's official guide to Seattle ferries: www.frommers.com/destinations/seattle/0032030260.html. Enjoy!