The ferry was free for years before the Metrocard & again, the Verrazzano has a toll to prevent cars from outside the city from avoiding a toll altogether which is only fair as everyone else has to pay a toll. You have a train which takes you to & from the ferry for only 2.75 each way, a free roundtrip ferry ride & transfer to & from it, and the lowest bridge toll fare in NYC if not the entire nation, so stop complaining, especially when a Jersey City resident has to pay $11 roundtrip a day for PATH & NYC subway for their commute to & from work in NYC (5.50 each system) or 236 a month for two 31-day unlimited ride passes (127 NYC + 109 PATH.) No one forced you to live on an island & bottom line is you pay only 5.50 roundtrip like everyone else in the city, although one could argue more money is spent on SI commuters than any other NYC commuters so perhaps there should be a ferry fare & perhaps a higher SI Railway fare. Bus to rail to ferry to subway & back & you pay only 5.50 roundtrip for all that or double the Jersey City resident. Again, you could use less than a gallon of gas taking your spouse to & from the ferry for her/his commute or spend nothing if you have a hybrid car. You could spend zero zip nada if you could walk or bike to the ferry & work in lower Manhattan. — Excuse me??? on Verrazzano Bridge toll will soon go both ways

I've had the pleasure of eating at the Odeon a few times with family members on Thanksgiving and birthdays. I am only sorry that I cannot eat there now. The food and the service is exceptional and I am glad the owner responded to the inaccuracies . I do hope to eat there again once this pandemic is over — Sylvia Johnson on The Odeon responds to The New Yorker

I have to admit that the wind blowing down Thomas Street does make one feel like Siberia at times. However, I frankly think that those are the best seats as they are away from the traffic noise on West Broadway! Best restaurant anywhere! — George Vogrin on The Odeon responds to The New Yorker

I went to RISD with the inimitable Diane Talan. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this wonderful story about a true New York genius. — Monte Mathews on The woman who painted Chambers Street

Thank you, even though we might think alike, I have no idea who anyone commenting here is. — Karen on Cocoon has opened in the Best Market Space

Glad they responded to the article. Odeon is my favorite restaurant in the neighborhood simply because they have the best food and cocktails (cosmo!). And the service is consistently good. — MME on The Odeon responds to The New Yorker

It was the NYCDOT that chose to eliminate the ferry fare because they didn't want to spend the money on installing Metrocard readers in the Whitehall and St. George ferry terminals. The Verrazzano (I-278) is SI's only physical connection to the rest of NYC. That is the sole reason for the SI resident discount. We do not and never will have a subway connection because of the enormous costs involved. The express buses. which of course use the Verrazzano. are in effect our 'subway'. — Staten Islander on Verrazzano Bridge toll will soon go both ways

...or househubby takes wife to & from the ferry. — Excuse me??? on Verrazzano Bridge toll will soon go both ways

From the Port Authority website: Commercial vehicles in classes 4, 5 and 6 (four-, five- and six-axle trucks) are prohibited from using the Holland Tunnel. Please use the Lincoln Tunnel or George Washington Bridge instead. Commercial vehicles in classes 1, 2 and 3 (two- and three-axle single-unit trucks) may use the Holland Tunnel in either direction. Tractor-trailers and trucks in classes 4, 5 and 6 (four-, five- and six-axle trucks) are prohibited from using the tunnel in either direction at all times. Trailers and towed vehicles are prohibited from using the tunnel in either direction at all times. — Peter Cuce on Verrazzano Bridge toll will soon go both ways

The collection is very well curated. It's terrific that they have introduced their children to art at an early age. — CC on Where art and family collide

I recently started collecting the fresh direct bags from my neighbors as it turns out food pantries and animal care and control can use them. I also posted them on freecycle and craigslist and got a lot of people that want them. I'd be happy to try and collect bags from anyone that has them, but i live in midtown. To the person that has 50, if you give me your contact info, I can have one of the acc volunteers potentially pick up from you. — allison on Plastic bags be gone

The only NYC residents who have to pay to get into town? Are you serious with that remark? When millions of outerborough people have to spend 5.50 roundtrip a day or 27.50 a week, or 127 a month just to travel to/from Manhattan & within NYC for work? While some SI-ers can literally walk or bike to the ferry then their FiDi or BPC office & back for $0. Or some can use just a gallon of gas to & from the ferry a week (housewife takes hubby to & from the ferry.) Try the only New Yorkers who get a free roundtrip ferry ride & commuter rail-NYC subway/busride like this: SI Railroad to SI Ferry (2.75) then free ferry ride & subway/bus transfer to work then a subway/bus ride back to the ferry (2.75) then another free ferry ride & transfer to SI Ferry. Six rides for the price of two. You do realize there's a toll on the Verrazzano so New Jerseyians don't get a free pass right? — Excuse me??? on Verrazzano Bridge toll will soon go both ways

It would make for better community relations if they offered discounts or scholarships to low income residents of IPN. — JSM on Cocoon has opened in the Best Market Space

I do not feel it is fair to stigmatize Staten Island residents. They are the only NYC citizens who have to pay to come into town. It should be free. — GC on Verrazzano Bridge toll will soon go both ways

They come from four different IP addresses and different emails, but many commenters use emails that are not real and/or are not functioning. I delete comments that are sent from the same IP address but use different handles. — Tribeca Citizen on Cocoon has opened in the Best Market Space

seems like the last 4 comments are all by the same person: kathy nancy karen donna — nyc on Cocoon has opened in the Best Market Space

Well, most of the time the Holland is already so backed up it won’t be able to take any more traffic. — GA on Verrazzano Bridge toll will soon go both ways

Quick correction. The rate is $550/month if your billed biannually. If you want to be billed monthly, it will be $600/month. — Donna on Cocoon has opened in the Best Market Space

The previous owners and now owners of Independence Plaza did, and are still making their fortune, just as the trumps did. Took money from the government for “temporary” middle income housing, I’m sure with the intention of it becoming what it is now. Don’t you think something should be done to prevent this in the future? Our educators, first responders, and those we run to in an emergency deserve better than this, and so do all of our children. — Karen on Cocoon has opened in the Best Market Space

Bravo for the Roxy staff. Such a lovely hotel. In these challenging times no one should have to tolerate or put up with rude & obnoxious destructive behaviors . — Jules Valach on In the News: Roxy kicks out Rich

No, they have no right to be open ‘til 2 A.M. I would be very vigilant about it. Once that door opens there is no turning back. We had been fighting the noise problem from the ‘ community gathering space’/event space/club/bar for more than ten years, Covid finally took care of it. Between the pounding music and the early morning sidewalk brawl plus Uber traffic, it was a real nightmare. Civility has left Tribeca since Covid as well. The proliferation of roof gardens and other outdoor space invited many rowdy late night gatherings, almost nightly, keep dialing that 311, file away those complaints, the police stopped responding months ago- maybe years ago. You are on your own. — Ruby on Lennon’s Nutopian Embassy reborn at 1 White

First off stop crying cuz your free ride is literally over. Next up should be Staten Islanders paying the full toll price like everyone else & 2.75 each way for the Staten Island Ferry. You should get two free ferry rides because you chose to live on an island? Nah. If so then people who take PATH to work & back should have free rides, too. Second commercial vehicles should be banned from the tunnel of they're not banned already. They should also be banned from using Canal Street unless they can show they need to use it e.g. you have to make a delivery on Canal or two blocks below it. Last so what if traffic will be the same? I think it'll be reduced since the free ride is over but if not the two-way toll will generate more revenue regardless. Now you will literally pay for clogging Manhattan streets. — Manhattanite on Verrazzano Bridge toll will soon go both ways

This is the most ridiculous idea for our neighborhood. I hope that this is not allowed open with the Covid virus still very much in our mists. And 6500.00 a year for a few toys and gym equipment? Have fun. — Nancy on Cocoon has opened in the Best Market Space

Good report, Pam, and you were smart to put in Sam Schwartz's account from Streetsblog. Sam fought for decades to restore the Verrazzano's two-way tolling, making the case to countless elected officials and civic groups. Several years ago he got the Hudson Square B.I.D. on board, and they commissioned a traffic study by Sam's consulting firm that quantified the traffic benefits to drivers and lower Manhattan from eliminating the skewed toll setup (more on that in a sec). Your description of the Verrazzano toll imbalance may be a bit off. The main damage from charging the double-toll westbound and offering free passage eastbound was to incentivize truckers and car drivers headed from Brooklyn to New Jersey to detour through downtown Brooklyn and over a free East River bridge into lower Manhattan and through the free (westbound) Holland Tunnel. Equalizing the Verrazzano tolls in both directions will cut down on that "toll-shopping." There will be some offsetting increase in eastbound traffic through lower Manhattan but it will be less than the drop in westbound. I worked on the 2018 Sam Schwartz study. A copy of the 7-page summary is available here: http://www.hudsonsquarebid.org/2015/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Finalized-study-with-brand.pdf. Last point: Your subhead refers to "closing the traffic loophole that clogged Downtown." I would say it closes *a* traffic loophole that has clogged Downtown. The other, even bigger loophole, is the absence of tolls on the East River bridges. Closing *that* loophole, with congestion pricing, will more than double the traffic improvement from balancing the Verrazzano tolls alone, as the Sam Schwartz study shows. With Biden's election win set to clear the Trump administration's hold on congestion pricing, all of us in lower Manhattan who want safer, quieter, cleaner and less-stressful streets should make sure that our elected officials and community leaders stand with Gov. Cuomo and the MTA as they (finally) move to implement congestion pricing. — Komanoff on Verrazzano Bridge toll will soon go both ways

Yes!! Sydney's Place- such a throwback. I have many great memories there. — Daniela on Cocoon has opened in the Best Market Space