A Great Circle

Interesting idea — what for, I don’t know, but it sounds good:

Aside from taking a nice long swim, the only way to get from Manhattan to Staten Island without paying a toll or the Staten Island Ferry requires a route incorporating two states, three counties, five modes of transportation, three hours and a three-mile walk.

About 30 brave travelers from as far afield as Ireland, California and Pennsylvania, made such a trip yesterday as part of “Terra Incognita: The Great Circle Tour,” hosted by the Municipal Art Society (MAS).

. . .

Beginning at the World Trade Center PATH station in lower Manhattan, the group took the train to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail. They then continued by foot with a walking tour of Bayonne, before a lunch stop and the strenuous mile-long walk across the Bayonne Bridge.

Jonathan Peters, a College of Staten Island finance professor and transportation analyst, pointed out the potential for future light rail service to connect Staten Island and Bayonne through the rail easements on either side of the bridge, built into the design by the forward-thinking architect, Othmar Ammann.

. . .

Descending the slope of the bridge on the Staten Island side, Peters reminded the group of the significance of their accomplishment.

“We did something that is actually difficult to do — we got to Staten Island without driving.”

The tour wrapped up with the final two modes of transportation as the group boarded an S44 bus to the St. George Ferry Terminal to complete the circle with a sail back to Manhattan.