The highly-anticipated East River Ferry, took its maiden voyage this morning and most tweets suggest it's a good, quick alternative to overcrowded trains connecting Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn.
@KRSTrois was pleased to see bike racks on the ferry (http://yfrog.com/h47vumqj) and said of the new boat, "hauls ass and is awesome."
And @secretadmiral said, "I took a boat to work today! Super fast & super fun. Thanks, @eastriverferry!"
The East River Ferry, operated by New York Waterway, is free to all commuters for the next 12 days, at which point a ride will cost $4.
The New York Times has been liveblogging from the ferry since early this morning, interviewing people and taking photos from the decks. Most of the passengers today appear to be taking joyrides or just testing the ferry against their normal commute.
And the only trouble so far, it seems, is people hanging over the railings to look at the boat's wake. "Do you want to fall off?" the ferry operator warned a passenger, according to the Times. "Because you will fall of into the water."
Mayor MIchael Bloomberg, City Council President Christine Quinn, Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz, Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer, Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, and local district leader Lincoln Restler all boarded a ferry at North 6th street in Williamsburg for a series of photo-ops. Most of the pols got off at 34th Street in Manhattan, where, as The L Magazine put it, they got "into waiting cars, concluding their ceremonial use of sustainable and public transportation."
The East River Ferry makes stops at 34th Street, Long Island City, Greenpoint, North Williamsburg, South Williamsburg, DUMBO, Pier 11 and, on summer Fridays, Atlantic Avenue and Governor's Island.