The Rockaway Ferry Route Is Both a Booze Cruise and Breezy Commute
“Sorry!” I shouted over my shoulder. The wind whipped wine from my plastic cup onto the woman leaning over the rail on the top deck of the ferry. Fortunately, she either didn’t notice (or simply took the rosé facial in stride) as I tried to squeeze my face, my beverage and the Statue of Liberty into the camera frame to capture the experience for Instagram.
“Having a FERRY good time! #nycferry #roséallday!” Don’t judge me.
It was an overcast Saturday on Memorial Day Weekend, and I was one of many beachgoers taking advantage of the new Rockaway ferry route, which launched May 1st and shuttles passengers between Wall Street and Rockaway (with one stop at Sunset Park) via an easy—literally breezy—one-hour trip.
Unless you’re the seasick sort, NYC Ferry beats the train, not only in terms of novelty, but also reliability. There’s a generous amount of seating, no “Ladies and gentlemen, we are delayed because of train traffic ahead,” and the ride is incredibly smooth. And New Yorkers agree: 50,000 riders took the Rockaway route in May alone.
Along with those factors, one of the major perks of the ferry experience is New Stand, which describes itself as “if your favorite bodega and your favorite blog had a baby.” The shop, which also has three locations on land, offers an app where you’ll find articles, playlists and more, and sells a diverse selection of fun gifts, small bites and even booze. Snack traditionalists will be happy to find convenience store staples such as potato chips, popcorn and soda, while those looking for something a little more interesting can score Japanese snack mixes and Hu Kitchen chocolate bars stuffed with cashew butter or Vosges smoked salt chocolates. There are also commute must-haves like cold brew, headphones and phone chargers; goodies to keep the kids occupied (assuming they haven’t gotten too iPhone-obsessed for simplicities like bubbles and coloring books); and small gifts, cards and candles for last-minute occasions. And best of all, on the adult-beverage front, there’s beer from Brooklyn Brewery and riesling and rosé from Gotham Project—all on tap.
Be it the holiday weekend or simply a semi-sunny Saturday, on this particular afternoon, many of the 149 passengers on board charged straight to New Stand to take advantage of the beer and wine, making for a pretty long line of riders trying to score a pre-beach buzz.
“We’re going to be there before I even get a drink,” one woman in line grumbled, while other patrons—who presumably drew the short straw in their group to become designated drink fetchers—accepted orders and Venmo payments from friends. Despite the chaos, everyone was served as efficiently as possible by the one woman playing both bartender and cashier behind the counter. Soon enough, a festive feeling came on board after things settled down and the boat departed from Sunset Park
That being said, the ferry isn’t simply a wine bar on water with a $2.75 cover, and there was a different feel on a regular weekday evening, which reminded me that the ferry was designed for function as well as for fun. The ultimate goal, a spokesman for NYC Ferry by Hornblower said, is to “provide regular, reliable and affordable ferry service to an area that’s been traditionally underserved by transit and to create new connections across our growing waterfront where jobs and housing are growing rapidly.” And on a Wednesday at 5:30pm, it did feel more like a legit method of transportation than a booze cruise, with a crowd that seemed to consist largely of nine-to-fivers. One such commuter was attorney Charley Palella, who practices in Midtown and was pleased to see NYC Ferry in action.
“It’s been such an obvious thing to do for so many years,” Palella, a born-and-raised New Yorker, said. “It’s such a waste of water not to make use of it.”
When asked if he found the ferry experience to be more enjoyable than the train, he didn’t hesitate.
“Oh yeah, absolutely. Can’t say it’s always faster, but you can rely on how long it takes. And it’s just much more pleasant. … [I] feel like I’m on vacation.”
Pleasant isn’t a word you’d typically associate with a work commute, but I’ll vouch for the vacation vibe. There’s something inherently relaxing, particularly after a day pushing paper, about cruising across the water and soaking up sun and skyline views. But during the summer months, anything but your face pressed into a stranger’s armpit on the train can feel like vacation.
On the trip back from Rockaway, I sat outside next to a man and woman who’d been friends for thirty years and were taking the ferry just for kicks. “We’re just taking a joyride!” the woman said, letting out a “Woo!” and throwing her hands up, roller coaster-style, when the ferry took off.
Vacation or not, you’re not likely to find anyone in the subway doing that. Not even the tourists.
NYC Ferry | @nyc_ferry
New Stand | @thenewstand
Hu Kitchen | @hukitchen
Vosges | @vosgeshautchocolat
Brooklyn Brewery | @brooklynbrewery
Gotham Project | @gotham_project
