A Visit from Italy

July 2011

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Francesco, Paul's cousin-in-law, came over from Italy to Connecticut to visit Aunt Tina & Uncle Danny. Paul took him to New York City one day (July 7th), and we had him up at our house for the following weekend.

Francesco and Paul took the train in to NYC from the Bridgeport terminal. Their first goal was the Staten Island Ferry. This ferry leaves from Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan, and provides some excellent views.

This 1st picture shows Battery Park, as seen by the Ferry just leaving it's dock. New York City is on the right, and you can see New Jersey slightly further away on the left side of the picture, separated by the Hudson River. With the marvels of modern technology, these NYC pictures were taken with Paul's smartphone. I think they are very good for being taken by a phone! He had some concerns of the battery life, though, so he did not take as many as he otherwise would have done.

View from the Staten Island Ferry past Battery Park with lower Manhattan buildings rising behind the waterfront

Looking back from the ferry, you can see the terminal. The very nice new terminal can be seen on the left, and what must be the older terminal is on the right.

Staten Island Ferry terminal and lower Manhattan skyline seen from the water, with a small Coast Guard boat in the foreground

The small boat you see following the ferry is an armed Coast Guard boat. This boat escorted the ferry to and from Staten Island.

Armed Coast Guard boat speeding across the harbor and throwing up a white wake

There are MANY bridges in this area. Looking Northeast, you can see the Brooklyn Bridge in front of the Manhattan Bridge. On the right, in the foreground, is Governor's Island, which looks like a place we should visit on some future trip. Behind that you can see Brooklyn. On the left is Manhattan

Brooklyn Bridge in front of the Manhattan Bridge seen across the harbor, with Governor's Island at the right

The ferry provides a good view of the Statue of Liberty.

Statue of Liberty seen from the Staten Island Ferry across the water

The ferry itself is very large. Paul took this picture looking back at Manhattan, and the second ferry is on the right side of the picture. You can also see the Freedom Tower; I will point it out again in a subsequent picture.

Lower Manhattan skyline seen from the ferry with the wake trailing behind and another orange ferry ahead

There were many commercial barges in the water, waiting for tug boats or for their next load to be ready. This picture looks South, and the bridge is the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which is the longest span bridge in the Americas. This bridge connects Staten Island (on the right) to Brooklyn (on the left).

Commercial barges waiting in the harbor with the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in the hazy distance

On the return journey, Paul got a good shot looking at Manhattan. In the front is Battery Park. Behind that, on the left, is a tall building with a crane at the top. That is The Freedom Tower. You can also see another building just to the right of the Tower; we are guessing that is another building within the memorial complex. On the far right you can again see the ferry station, with the glass terminal behind it.

Lower Manhattan skyline seen from the ferry on the return trip, with Battery Park and the ferry terminal along the waterfront

After their ferry ride, Paul and Francesco went to Greenwich Village. This is a pretty section of the city, now residential, once an artist's haven. A famous pastry shop there is Magnolia. They bought some caramel pecan cheesecake, and ate in a little park across the street. Francesco thought the cheesecake was "tropo dolce" (too sweet).

Front of Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village on a sunny street corner

Of course, they had to go through Times Square. Francesco thought it was 'incredible'. It is certainly in-your-face commercialism. Paul told Anne afterwards that the Disney Store was a big success in the start of turning around this area, which for a while was a bit seedy.

Busy view up Times Square with crowds crossing the street beneath towering billboards

Times Square street scene with the tall Toshiba sign tower, traffic, and pedestrians

Planet Hollywood and surrounding billboards in Times Square with taxis and pedestrians below

After this they had a late lunch at Grand Central Station. Diane and Frank were kind enough to join Paul and Francesco on a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Francesco particularly enjoyed the modern art collection there.

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Updated April 2026