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Verrazano Narrows
Verrazano Bridge
New York Harbor
Governor's Island
Statue of Liberty
Ellis Island
The original 3.7 acres of natural island has belonged to New York state since 1834, while the remainder of the 27 acres built on landfill since then, has been part of New Jersey state since 1998. Complicating the matter further, the structures on the island are Federal Property and National Landmarks. Between 1892 and 1943, 12 Million immigrants entered America here.
Liberty State Park
Central Railroad NJ Terminal
In 1889, New Jersey Central Railroad built the French Chateau styled terminal at Liberty State Park It was a busy railyard and receiving point for ferries into Manhattan & Brooklyn. In 1967, it was discontinued when Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) was created. PATH re-routed the train from Newark slightly north through Exchange Place and tunneled under the Hudson River and Battery Park City to the World Trade Center. The Terminal was renovated and turned into the Visitor's Center at Liberty State Park.
Ferries
PATH Trains
Holland Tunnel
The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey was created in 1921, when commuters began using automobiles instead of heavy reliance on public transportation and ferries. As far back as 1906 plans were in place for the future George Washington Bridge across the Hudson, but that bridge wouldn't be built for another 25 years. Instead, construction on the Holland Tunnel began in 1920, lasting 7 years, and opened in 1927. It is 8,500 feet long beginning at 12th St in Hoboken and connects to Pier 34 at Canal St, Manhattan. On each side of the tunnel is a pier with a ventilator building that forces air through the tunnel in 90 seconds. Today, over 33 million vehicles cross the bridge annually. It is one of 6 toll crossings from NJ-NY controlled by Port Authority. There has always been a toll to enter Manhattan, but no toll for NY-NJ.
The Hoboken Terminal was built in 1907. It was the eastern terminus of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. Rail passengers would ferry to Manhattan. Today, it is one of the few original rail station ferries left, still operating as both. Ferries leave here daily for Battery Park, and PATH trains to 33rd St, by way of Christopher St, as well as a connector to Exchange Place for Newark or WTC.
Just north of the Terminal is Pier A Park. Before it was a park, it belonged to Port Authority and On The Waterfront was filmed here.
North River Tunnels
At the turn of the century, railroads were still using ferries to cross from NJ to the 5 Boroughs, and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) ended in Long Island City, Queens and had to ferry to Manhattan. All the Hudson River crossings were far upstate. The Green Island Bridge in Watervliet, linking Schenectady to Troy in 1835, was the first bridge across the Hudson River. The Livingston Avenue Bridge was built from Albany-Rensselaer as far back as 1866, connecting to the Boston Railroad. The New York Central Railroad ran up the east side of the Hudson from NYC to Rensselaer. The famous Lake Shore Limited, since 1897, still runs through Albany from NYC to Chicago daily. The Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge (Walkway Over The Hudson) was built in 1889 connecting Maybrook, NY to New Haven Line.
The first railroad tunnel in NYC area was planned back in the 1850's, but construction wasn't started until 1873 in Jersey City. In 1874, the DLW Railroad which owned the Hoboken terminal sued them and stopped construction. 20 workers were killed when the airtight-vacuum tube seals were locked in place in 1880. A series of accidents over the next 20 years would delay funding and construction until 1900.
In 1904, NYC announced the Subway and approved funding for the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad's "Morton Street Tunnel" as a rapid-transit for trolleys from Hoboken to Penn Station, NYC to replace ferries. The Morton St Tunnel is today known as PATH's Uptown Hudson Tunnel. It opened in 1908 and runs 5,500 feet from 15th St, Jersey City to Morton St, Greenwich Village. 15th St, JC splits before the Hudson for Newport & Hoboken stations before crossing under the river. The Tube runs from Christopher St to W. 9th St Station before going North under 6th Ave to 33rd St. NYC originally asked the builders to fund an extension from Sixth Ave down W. 8th St to Astor Place and 2nd Ave, but they declined, and the Houston St subway serves Broadway-Lafayette & 2nd Ave instead. They also declined to extend the line from 33rd St to 42nd St for Grand Central Station. 5 Different Subway lines serve 42nd St today including an East-West route connecting Penn & Grand Central stations today from the Hudson Yards at the North River Tunnels. Even today the Uptown Tube and Sixth Avenue Subway is totally separate from MTA and operated by PATH.
The Hudson & Manhattan Railroad began the "Cortlandt Street Tunnel" in 1906. It opened in 1909 connecting two brand new terminals from Exchange Place in Paulus Hook, Jersey City to Hudson Terminal at Battery Park City. A line running from Exchange Place through Pavonia (Newport) connected with the Uptown tunnel at Hoboken. A 22-story complex was built on top of the Hudson Terminal and was torn down to make way for the World Trade Center in 1971. Today, the Downtown Tube is used by the PATH Train from WTC to Newark.
By 1911, H&M Railroad extended the Exchange Place line through Grove St & Journal Square in Jersey City to the Manhattan Transfer Center in Harrison, NJ and Park Place in Newark to compete with the Pennsylvania Railroad at Newark Penn Sation.
In 1926, 113 Million passengers used the H&M Railroad, but it declined to 26 Million in 1958.
The Pennsylvania railroad ran from Harrisburg, PA to Jersey City. They also decided to invest in a set of railroad tunnels under the Hudson River. Built from 1904 to 1908, the North River tunnels opened in 1910. Today, they connect Amtrak from Newark Penn Station to New York Penn Station. The Penn. Railroad extended a line from Newark Penn through Secaucus and under Bergen Hill & 24th St, Weehawken to a tube at Lincoln Harbor going under the Hudson to 34th St Penn Station, NYC. Today, the 7 Train starts at 34th St-Hudson Yards station at the High Line runs down 42nd St through Times Square, Bryant Park & Grand Central before crossing under the East River to Long Island City in north Queens and continuing until Flushing to connect to the Port Washington Line on LIRR.
Lincoln Tunnel
Port Imperial
Circle Line Sightseeing
Hell's Kitchen Cruise Port
George Washington Bridge
Palisades Interstate Parkway
Bear Mountain Bridge 1924
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