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Apr 8, 2025 | 5:04 am

#90

Concerto

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Join Date: Feb 2002

Location: Montreux CH

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Posts: 12,682

53. New York City: Staten Island Ferry and Bubble Tea in Chinatown

I think that one of the best ways to avoid overpriced tourist offerings, such as the boat excursions to the Statue of Liberty, is to seek out all the possible free options. In this case a trip on the ferry-boat from South Ferry to Staten Island beckons and it is completely free and has been ever since its creation. On the outbound the ferry passes close enough to the famous statue for good photo ops. You also get a wonderful view of lower Manhattan and Battery Park that no wag has managed to monetise...yet. It's a pity that Staten Island is such a dump, a true hole with not a lot worth seeing - it's unusual for me to say such a thing and be so dismissive about a place. But the best thing you can do is to turn around and come straight back on the next ferry. The ferry staff deal with the crowds in a calm manner and always answered people's questions politely.

There are now good Chinese restaurants all over New York along with a plethora of other Asian offerings, which means there is less need as such to specifically visit Chinatown. So seeing Mott Street again brought back lots of memories of earlier times. Meeting with Vietnamese friends, we were taken to San Chen, a very popular Taiwanese bubble tea cafe judging by the long line of customers waiting in the street. I had never had bubble tea before because I had always thought it was some kind of silly money making gimmick. But actually, choosing the first item on the menu which was a milk tea variety of bubble tea, I thought it was surprisingly good and I am looking forward to my next bubble tea!!

From San Chen we wandered into the street markets of Chinatown, with displays of exotic fruits, nuts, seafood and meats. It was like being back in Wan'Chai in Hong Kong again. To finish the evening we had a very good Vietnamese dinner in Thai Son, a nearby restaurant in Baxter Street. I ordered squid with red and green peppers and chilli sauce, which was great!