Popcorn in Hand, Mayor Rides Ferry to Staten Island

By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg famously travels by helicopter and private jet, with an occasional foray into the subway. Most of the time, he is chauffeured around town behind the tinted windows of his city-issued S.U.V.

So it came as a bit of a surprise on Thursday when the mayor, heading to a news conference on Staten Island, hopped aboard the borough's famous ferry for the half-hour ride across New York's harbor. The rumpled City Hall press corps, startled by the impromptu appearance, was invited to come along.

Mr. Bloomberg, a billionaire, appeared comfortable on the big orange boat, whose shabby booths and fried-food concessions are patronized by thousands of commuters and tourists each day. He purchased a $2 jumbo bag of popcorn from the onboard kiosk shortly after boarding, paying in cash.

Asked if he'd like a soda to go with the snack, Mr. Bloomberg, who has introduced regulations on sugary drinks, said it would have to be “a diet one, so I don't have to worry about size.”

The mayor, a leather-bound iPad under his arm, settled in for the ride by the windows near the boat's prow. He rarely entertains casual questions from the news media, and he kept his answers brief.

How was his Yom Kippur fast? “I survived.”

What accounts for the rise in city tourism? “A great mayor.”

Only one semi-gaffe occurred, when the conversation turned to the subway system, which Mr. Bloomberg occasionally rides.

“The only time it's really crowded is when you go to a Yankees game,” the mayor said, of the subway. “The trick is, you got to leave early.”

Several reporters pointed out that, during rush hour on weekdays, the trains can get a bit packed.

“Amazing, it's crowded when everybody wants to use it,” Mr. Bloomberg replied, with a hint of sarcasm.

As the ferry glided across the harbor, a Police Department escort boat in its w ake, the mayor reminisced a bit about his bachelor days, when the ferry was one of his preferred spots for a date.

“You'd get a six-pack of beer, a pizza, and you'd sit outside; it was really romantic,” Mr. Bloomberg recalled, noting that he used to pay a nickel for the ride, which is now free. “If you stayed on the ferry, you could go back on the same fare.”

The ride also offered a chance for the mayor to rub his Paul Stuart-clad shoulders with the public, although, surrounded as he was by bodyguards and reporters, only one private citizen had the courage to approach.

“Excuse me, Mr. Bloomberg, could you do something about freezing the subway fare?” asked Gerveline Dorléant, 51, of Staten Island, a few minutes after the mayor settled in.

Mr. Bloomberg shook his head. “It's a state agency,” he explained, referring to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the subway. He pointed at the reporters who were hastily tran scribing his words: “But these people would be happy to help you.”

Later, Ms. Dorléant, who said she is unemployed at the moment, said she was not quite satisfied with the mayor's reply, although, she added, Mr. Bloomberg “was nice” about the whole thing. A longtime Staten Island resident, she said she was surprised to see the mayor among the ferry-going hoi polloi.

“I didn't recognize him at first, because he looked so dapper and fresh!” she said.