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All you landlubbin’ bilge rats may not be ‘ware that today be TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY across the seven seas an’ deep as Davy Jones. That said, you may be wondering what is there to do in an urban metropolis to celebrate this noteworthy occasion.
I suggest you take to the high sea adventure, that is a free trip on the Staten Island Ferry. Just skip work, there’s a pretty good chance after all that your boss has already sent you home some time this year for an endless summer vacation, like mine did. The Ferry ride is free, so just get off at South Ferry and hop on the next big orange brigantine to the southern isle. En route, you may want to contemplate NY’s own pirate history, including such luminous names as Sadie the Goat, with her teeth filed shaped – the better to bite you with, or Albert Hicks, hanged with great ceremony on Bedloe’s Island on the site of today’s Statue of Liberty. [ http://www.sailstjohn.com/NYT.htm ]
From the ferry, take the #40 bus along Richmond Terrace to Snug Harbor Cultural Center to visit the grave of the privateer, Robert Richard Randall (1750-1801). Randall left his fortune to found a home “for aged, decrepit and worn-out.” Trustees of the institution chose to keep the estate’s holdings along Washington Square North to generate income for the home, which they located on a large tract of inexpensive farmland in a rural community far south of Manhattan. Once regal Greek revival building grew over the years into an extraordinary campus of fine architecture, spanning the 19th century. The deteriorating old salts had every convenience and amusement on the grounds of Snug Harbor in its heyday – except alcohol, which could be had by the inmates just a few yards east at an old watering hole, then known as the Old Stone Jug.
After skyrocketing maintenance forced Sailor’s Snug Harbor to retreat to Sea Level, NC, the site sat derelict for many years leaving the buildings to the tender mercies of developers and time. But through preservation efforts, the majority of the site was saved, and much of it has been redeveloped into its contemporary use as one of New York City’s premiere cultural destinations. Exhibits at the Newhouse Gallery are a treat, but for the maritime experience, don’t miss the site’s John Noble Maritime Museum , dedicated to the work of Staten Island artist and the maritime history of the region which greatly influenced the artist.
A good pirate will want to enjoy the sea over dinner, so after visiting Snug Harbor, walk west along Richmond Terrace to RH Tugs. The staff dishes a varied if inconsistent meals, including a very good shrimp scampi. But lift your heads up to enjoy work by many Staten Island artists, including the neighborhoods other favorite son, Bill Murphy, and don’t miss the stunning views of traffic along the Kill Van Kull waterway. Tankers, containers, and – of course – tugs put on a soothing show day in and day out. If you’re up to it, walk back east along Richmond Terrace, and then turn left at Jersey Street to follow the Waterfront Esplanade back, with spectacular harbor and skyline views.
Tags:
aarg, art, harbor view, history, maritime, pirate, privateer, staten island, statue of liberty
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Posted on 9/19/2008
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