Tourism Info Kiosk Closes In S.I. Ferry Terminal
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A source for information on Staten Island tourism will soon disappear, once an information kiosk run in Whitehall Ferry Terminal by a Staten Island-based arts organization closes after this weekend. NY1’s Tara Lynn Wagner filed the following report.Thousands of tourists line up each day in Whitehall Ferry Terminal in Battery City, Manhattan to catch the boat to Staten Island - mostly with one goal in mind.
“To see the Statue of Liberty,” said tourist Sue Langridge, who when asked if she would visit Staten Island at all, said, “Nope.”
For three years, Peter Anderson has manned the information kiosk at the Whitehall Ferry Terminal, which was operated by the Council on the Arts and Humanities on Staten Island. But after this weekend, he is officially unemployed.
“This is the last weekend that we'll be open. COAHSI doesn't have any funding to continue running this operation,” said Anderson.
For nearly a decade, COAHSI has used the booth to pass out literature touting the Staten Island Children's Museum, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, and the Island’s bus tour.
But the reality is that for the most part employees answer questions that have nothing to do with Staten Island.
“They mainly want directions, they want to know how to get to the Statue of Liberty,” said Anderson.
When tourists do ask about an Island destination, Anderson said it is rarely one of the kiosk’s featured cultural attractions. People frequently request directions to the craft store Michael's on Forest Avenue.
“Surprisingly, every weekend you get two or three people that ask about [Michael’s], or Joanne’s, one of the other craft stores,” said Anderson.
The information offered at the booth is free, like the ferry. But in the current economic crisis, many cultural organizations are reconsidering how they spend every penny.
COAHSI officials were not available to comment about their funding.
Anderson said he was informed of the closure in the past week. He said the move is not just bad news for himself and his co-workers, but for Staten Island as a whole.
“I think it will be less tourism on Staten Island because folks that come here won't be as encouraged to visit Staten Island. It's a shame,” he said.