The Staten Island Ferry Thinks Its "Sexy" And "On Par With Lady Liberty" When In Reality Its Getting Big For Its Britches
It’s no Miami superyacht, but with a little love from Kim Kardashian and two “Saturday Night Live” funnymen, the Staten Island Ferry is now considered “sexy.”
Fashion photogs and Hollywood filmmakers have been swarming to secure city permits to shoot on active, city-run Staten Island ferries ever since comics Pete Davidson and Colin Jost purchased one of the retired orange vessels on Jan. 19 with plans to convert it into a New York’s hottest comedy club.
Trish Neve, a Manhattan-based photography agent, said she noticed the uptick in interest — especially among her clients overseas – after born-and-bred Staten Islanders Davidson and Jost made their purchase, and Kardashian — Davidson’s girlfriend — began riding it.
“Whatever Kim Kardashian does seems to light the world on fire,” said Neve. “I’ve had numerous conversations with clients recently about shooting in New York, and all of a sudden they want to shoot on the ferry.
What are we talking about here. The STATEN ISLAND FERRY? I get it, Kim and Pete are cool, Colin Jost is cool. You know what is NOT cool, and would never want to BE cool? Staten Island. Those people don't want us over there, and that's a fact. Staten Island is a place for cops, firemen, ex cops, ex firemen, and all of their extended families. They don't want any trouble, and they don't want to be bothered. Especially not by a hoard of influencers and magazine shoots taking up space on their best method of transportation, a jail-jumpsuit-orange Ferry. I think the idea of Pete and Colin buying an old one to turn it into a comedy club? Amazing. I bet it'll end up looking perfect...for a comedy club. A very cool one. But the REAL Ferry?
As of mid-May, the city’s Department of Transportation approved 17 permit applications this year from photographers and videographers to shoot aboard the 310-foot long iron and steel goliaths – putting it on pace to reach 38 by year’s end, records show. That would exceed last year’s total of 34.
Neve said the 17 permits are probably just tip of the iceberg, since most outdoor shoots don’t happen until the summer.
Linda Gumus Gerritsen, fashion director of Vogue Netherlands, called the Staten Island Ferry a beloved New York “icon” on par with Lady Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge. She said its sudden star power makes it even more attractive for businesses looking to promote their product.
ON PAR WITH LADY LIBERTY? WITH THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE? Even Page Six has "icon" in quotes because they couldn't publish that with sincerity! What the fuck kind of brainwashing are these people going through? To be fair, my headline is a little misleading. The Staten Island Ferry did not call itself iconic and just as good as the fucking Statue of Liberty. A fashion director of Vogue in the Netherlands seems to think that this boat that....maybe 1/100th of people in this city right now have traveled on, is going to be the next Empire State when it comes to New York City landmarks. I guess to be fair, when I think of the Netherlands I think of windmills and clogs, and I bet they get sick of that!
Leave Staten Island alone. Let it remain a mystery, let all the nice people that have lived there forever, be able to travel back and forth to Manhattan without being shoved aside for a model who wants to hang herself off the back of the boat. Carrie Bradshaw already did it, why does anyone else need to?