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Downtown Post NYC

Volume 7, No. 3, June 25, 2025

CONTENTS:

Letter From the Editor: The Right to Vote

Bits & Bytes: Harbor Cruises Aboard the Seaport Museum's Pioneer and W.O. Decker

Bulletin Board:Seaport Museum Book Club: 'The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum'

Calendar: Summer on Governor's Island

For the latest weather info: www.weather.gov/okx/.

Go to www.DowntownPostNYC.com for breaking news

MASTHEAD PHOTO: Battery Park City and the World Trade Center as seen from the Hudson River. (Photo: © Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

Downtown Post NYC's website (www.DowntownPostNYC.com) is updated almost daily. That's the place to check for urgent messages, breaking news and reminders of interesting events in and around Lower Manhattan. So be sure to look at the website every day, especially if you want to know about breaking news.

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: THE RIGHT TO VOTE

Terese Loeb Kreuzer

Editor, Downtown Post NYC

June 24 was Primary Election Day in New York State. The polls in New York City were open until 9 p.m. I wasn't there. Hoping to avoid the worst of the heat wave, I voted early, on June 21. Even then, the heat was brutal and my polling site for early voting is around three-quarters of a mile from where I live. I walked part way, trying unsuccessfully to hail a cab. Finally one stopped for me.

The polling site was busy and I was told by one of the poll workers that it had been busy on previous days as well. I was glad to hear that.

As I was leaving the polling site, I stopped briefly to talk with a man and two women who were on the steps outside. I was told that for the younger of the two women, it was her first time to vote. I congratulated her. I told her what my mother had told me about voting -- that when she was born in 1916, women were unable to vote in federal elections. It wasn't until 1920 that women were given the right to vote.

I said to the young woman, "Don't take the right to vote for granted! Many women have struggled and fought to make this possible." Then, before I said good-by, I said, "My mother died at the age of 95. She never missed voting in an election. Never...That's been the same for me and I hope it will be for you, too." — Terese Loeb Kreuzer

POSTSCRIPT: I had intended to publish this issue of Downtown Post NYC no later than early on the morning of June 24. But my computer stopped working. I spent hours on the telephone with a man from Apple Support trying to rectify the problem. The man who was trying to help me said that I would have to take my computer to an Apple service center to get a diagnosis of the problem and that there was a good chance that all of my work would be erased and lost in the process. He made an appointment for me with an Apple service provider. The conversation that I just recounted had taken hours. For no good reason, I decided to try once more to get my computer to boot. It did and then started to go through its paces as usual. Then I realized that the problem I had been experiencing with my computer was entirely due to the extreme heat that has beset us. My computer has behaved flawlessly this evening, which I've spent finishing this issue of Downtown Post NYC. I decided to keep my "Letter from the Editor" entitled "The Right to Vote" even though it's too late for it to be relevant for the primary election. But we will have other elections this year. Please keep what I wrote here in mind when that time rolls around. — Terese Loeb Kreuzer

Election results for Lower Manhattan as of June 25, 2025 at 6:45 a.m.

City Council: Christopher Marte has been elected to represent District 1 in City Council, defeating Elizabeth Lewinsohn

Mayor: Although Andrew Cuomo drew the majority of the votes in Battery Park City, Tribeca and the western parts of Soho, Zohran Mamdani attracted the most voters in the Financial District, Chinatown and the South Street Seaport. With not all of the votes yet counted, Cuomo has conceded the mayoral primary to Mamdani who thus far has won 43.5% of the votes to 36.4% of the votes for Cuomo. Cuomo has left open the possibility that he may run for mayor in the general election, which will be held in November. Mamdani's support seems to be largely among younger voters while older voters have tended to back Cuomo. The extreme heat on primary election day may have had an impact on the results since older people are more susceptible to heat stroke and other heat-related physical problems, which may have affected their ability to get to the polls.

In August 2020, quotations from poets, playwrights, politicians and others turned a construction fence surrounding the former Union Square Savings Bank on the east side of Union Square in Manhattan into a giant mural for Black Lives Matter. Shirley Chisholm (Nov. 30, 1924 – Jan. 1, 2005) was the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. She served in Congress for seven terms from 1969 to 1983. In 1972, she became the first Black candidate for a major-party nomination for President of the United States, and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party's nomination.

(Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

A polling site in Tribeca, (Photo: © Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

Bits & Bytes

HARBOR CRUISES ABOARD THE SOUTH STREET SEAPORT MUSEUM'S HISTORIC SAILBOAT, PIONEER, AND ITS TUGBOAT, W.O. DECKER

The South Street Seaport Museum's 1885 schooner, Pioneer, sailing in the Upper Bay of New York Harbor. (Photos: © Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

Sailing on Pioneer

The South Street Seaport Museum's schooner, Pioneer, is 140 years old but she behaves like a teenager — full of energy and ready for anything.

This is the history of the Pioneer. She was built in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, which was then America's center for iron shipbuilding. Only two iron-hulled cargo sloops were ever constructed in the United States and Pioneer was the first of the two and is the only remaining American merchant sailing vessel constructed of iron. Pioneer was donated to the South Street Seaport Museum in 1970. That gift was the genesis of what became a marine school, leading to the museum's continuing work in kindergarten through 12th grade education. Pioneer has also been the site of the museum's sail-training program for volunteers.

On a recent afternoon I boarded Pioneer and struck up a conversation with the two women sitting next to me. I remarked to them that the motion of the boat as it sailed was comforting, like being rocked in a cradle, and helped me to forget for a few hours the enervating political situation that confronts us. They said that they felt the same way — that it was calming and peaceful to be on this wonderful sailboat, cruising around the harbor.

There is a great sense of freedom, being out on the water. It's wonderful to feel that free, especially in these troubled times. It's wonderful to feel that free of care because the water and the wind blow them all away.

It's exhilarating to watch Pioneer make her way through the harbor with her sturdy sails attached to her two masts. When Pioneer is under way, she looks like an extraordinary winged creature and flies through the air and the water like a bird.

It was so peaceful to be on to be on the water, — to be rocked gently in that strong boat that was built to be strong enough to carry heavy cargo such as sand needed by an iron foundry and mined near the mouth of the Delaware Bay near Philadelphia. Subsequently Pioneer transported coal, lumber, bricks and oil. Now Pioneer carries a cargo of passengers.

The color of the water, at least on the day that I was there, was an olive green and above it was a beautiful blue sky, full of clouds. One thing that I should not fail to mention is the smell of the water. When the wind is blowing from the right direction, you can smell the Atlantic Ocean! And otherwise you just smell the sweet expanse of air, cleaning the sky and the waters beneath.

We saw other boats passing by. We saw the ferries that link the numerous parts of New York City, every part of which is an island except for the Bronx, which is attached to the mainland. Most New Yorkers are living in an archipelago of islands. We saw the commercial ships — the oil tankers and the container ships that carry cargo in massive boxes. We saw a Staten Island ferry named Sandy Ground. That ferry and its name have an interesting history. Sandy Ground is the name of an area in Rossville, Staten Island. Sandy Ground was founded in 1828 by free Blacks and is the nation's oldest continuously inhabited free Black settlement. It was an important stop on the Underground Railroad. Five of the community's historic structures have been designated as New York City landmarks.

The ferry, Sandy Ground, also has an interesting history, though for other reasons. On Dec. 22, 2022, a fire broke out in the engine room during the evening rush hour. There were 884 people on board. Some passengers were given life jackets after the fire broke out but it took another 30 minutes before boats came to evacuate them from the ferry and take them to the St. George Ferry Terminal dock. After two years in dry dock for repairs, on April 30, 2025 the Sandy Ground ferry returned to service.

This was all news to me. An outing on the Pioneer can prove to be educational in unexpected ways.

It was lovely to be in the Upper Bay of New York Harbor where the Hudson River flows southward toward the Atlantic Ocean and where the sights, smells and sounds of several waterways mingle. The Hudson River brings fresh water down from the northern parts of New York State — specifically from a place in the Adirondack Mountains called Lake Tear of the Clouds.

The harbor is so beautiful. It's the reason that New York City was founded because the Europeans who first came here arrived in ships and they knew about seafaring and they knew how to recognize a great harbor. They saw it right in front of their eyes and began to imagine what it could become.

Being on the Pioneer with its two masts and its numerous sails feels at times like flying as it cuts its way through the water and the water slaps against the sides of the boat and sometimes — sometimes! breaches the railing and splashes onto the deck, and it's beautiful to hear the sound of the buoys — not the sound of an engine but the bell-like sound of the buoys that mark pathways and boundaries in the water. And it's beautiful to watch the seabirds flying past and it's beautiful to see the passing landscape as the boat moves through the water, carrying its cargo of people.

— Terese Loeb Kreuzer

Booking tickets on the Pioneer

On Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 5, Pioneer sails at 1 p.m. and at 4 p.m., weather permitting. Tickets are $50 for adults, $45 for seniors and students, $20 for youth, aged 17 and younger and $10 for infants under 1 year old. Members of the South Street Seaport Museum receive a 20% discount. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

Photo captions:

The Staten Island ferry, Sandy Ground
Waves in the Upper Bay, splashing against the side of Pioneer as she passes through them
As she traverses the harbor, Pioneer passes many landmarks, including the Brooklyn Bridge
Passengers on the Pioneer help the crew to raise the sails
Lower Manhattan surmounted by a dramatic canopy of clouds
A buoy in the Upper Bay marks the channels where ships can safely pass
This photo shows Pier A, one of many historic buildings in Lower Manhattan, and next to Pier A, Wagner Park, which is under construction

Seeing the harbor aboard the W.O. Decker

The wooden tugboat that goes by the name "W.O.Decker" is small but mighty. She was built in Long Island City, Queens in 1930 for Frederick and John Russell's Newtown Creek Towing Company. Tugboat owners seem to like to name their boats after themselves or other family members. The W.O. Decker is no exception. She was originally named "Russell I" after the towing company's owners but acquired her present name in 1946 when she was sold to the Decker family's Staten Island tugboat firm. Mary Decker renamed the tug for her father-in-law, William Oscar Decker and replaced the tug's steam engine with a diesel engine as a welcoming present.

Although the Deckers were not the last commercial firm to own the tug and to give her their own handle, the name "W.O.Decker" stuck. That was the name in 1986 under which she entered the South Street Seaport Museum's collection of historic boats and ships. It's also the name by which she's listed in the National Register of Historic Places as typical of the steam tugs that were once ubiquitous in New York Harbor. W.O. Decker's job was to tow barges in and out of the navigable creeks that branched off of New York Harbor. She also helped larger tugs tow strings of barges and nudged coastal schooners like the Pioneer into docks on the creeks where lumber and coal were off-loaded.

W.O. is the last surviving wooden tugboat to have been built in New York City.

By any name, W.O. affords an intimate harbor-viewing experience. Her cozy cabin provides respite from the sun, if needed, and a good place to sit and eat lunch. Inevitably, passengers will talk to each other and if they didn't know each other when they boarded, they are likely to be on a first-name basis when they dock again at Pier 16 after their 75-minute-long harbor trip.

Booking tickets on the W.O.Decker

From Wednesdays through Sundays, ending in October, W.O. Decker offers twice daily 75-minute-long harbor trips starting at 1:15 p.m. and at 2:30 p.m., weather permitting. Tickets range in price from $15 to $30. Members of the South Street Seaport Museum receive a 20% discount. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

W.O. Decker on the Hudson River. (Photo: © Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

Bulletin Board

BOOK CLUB TO DISCUSS 'THE TALENTED MRS. MANDELBAUM'

June 30: Meeting on the last Monday of almost every month, the South Street Seaport Museum hosts a maritime-themed book club in partnership with McNally Jackson Books. Seaport Museum staff and special guests lead the discussions. South Street Seaport Museum’s monthly book club continues on Monday, June 30 to discuss the story of Fredericka “Marm” Mandelbaum, who rose from being an impoverished peddler on the streets of Lower Manhattan to becoming one of Gilded Age New York’s most powerful and unlikely criminal masterminds. You don’t have to read the full selection to enjoy the event; everyone is welcome! The event is free, and advance registration is encouraged. Time: 6:30 p.m. Place: McNally Jackson Books, 4 Fulton Street.

For more information and to register, click here. "The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: The Rise and Fall of an American Organized-Crime Boss "is available for purchase at most bookstores. For more information about the book, click here. Registrants for the book club can get a 10% off discount on online orders of the book at McNally Jackson Books.

Some of the Downtown Post NYC bulletin board listings are on the Downtown Post NYC website. To see the bulletin board listings, click here.

The Battery Park City Authority's summer calendar lists events and activities through October 2025. For more information, click here. Most events are free. For some, reservations are required. (Photo: © Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

CALENDAR

Spotlight: Summer on Governors Island

Walking, bicycling or traveling in a surrey on Governors Island are among the ways to see its 172 acres. Around 22 acres of the island are under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. The Trust for Governors Island manages the remainder.

Things to do on Governors Island: A visit to Governors Island, which is in New York Harbor around 800 yards from Manhattan, can be as simple as selecting a shady spot on the grass and eating a picnic that you've brought with you or purchased from one of the Governors Island food vendors. Or it can entail taking a walk to see Fort Jay, the oldest existing defensive structure on the island, initially built in 1794 to help defend New York Harbor, the principal seaport of the United States or to see Fort Williams, which was built in 1812 as part of New York City's fortification to protect the city from British invaders.

The island has seven miles of car-free bike paths for those who prefer to cycle than walk. Cruiser and high-performance bikes, pedal cars and surreys for two to six riders, kids' equipment including trailers, tag-alongs and baby seats are available for rent from Blazing Saddles, a short walk from both of the island's ferry terminals.

Bird watchers are likely to see common terns on Governors Island, buffleheads, mallards, great blue herons, and owls and hawks among other species. More than 216 species of birds have been recorded on Governors Island, augmented in the spring and fall by migratory birds who use the island as a stop-over on their trips of a thousand miles or more between their winter and summer homes. You will also find art on Governors Island and vestiges of the island's past when it served as an outpost first of the US Army from 1783 to 1966 and then of the US Coast Guard from 1966 to 1996.

Governors Island food

There are 15 vendors selling food and beverages of various kinds on Governors Island. For more information, click here.

Picnics & Grilling

Visitors to Governors Island are welcome to bring their own food. There are many shaded green spaces on the Island that are perfect for laying a blanket on the grass. In addition there are Adirondack chairs and picnic tables. Grilling is only allowed at designated grill stations, located at Picnic Point and Nolan Park and available for rental daily from May through November. Click here to learn more and reserve a grill. Visitors are not permitted to bring their own alcohol onto the Island, but it can be purchased and consumed in specific areas.

Ferries

From Manhattan: Ferries operated by the Trust for Governors Island run daily from the Battery Maritime Building, located at 10 South Street in Lower Manhattan.

From Brooklyn: Seasonal ferries operated by the Trust for Governors Island run Saturdays, Sundays and holidays and on Mondays from May 24 to Sept. 14 from two Brooklyn locations: Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park and Red Hook/Atlantic Basin.

NYC Ferry, the City's public ferry service, also serves Governors Island daily year-round, with stops on the Lower East Side, Wall Street and along the Brooklyn waterfront. The Trust for Governors Island does not operate NYC Ferry, and tickets for NYC Ferry cannot be purchased on the Governors Island website. Click here for NYC Ferry information, ticketing, and schedules.

Fares are as follows: $5 (adults); Free for adults 65 and older and for children, 12 and under. Free also for residents of NYCHA housing; IDNYC holders; former and active military servicemembers and for Governors Island Foundation members. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

All passengers ride free on Saturdays and Sundays before 11 a.m. Reservations are still recommended. There's no surcharge for bikes at any time. However space for bikes and strollers is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

All ferries are wheelchair accessible.

The ferries that connect Manhattan and Governors Island leave from and return to the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South St. (Photo:© Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

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Editor: Terese Loeb Kreuzer

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