Ferry Tales

For hundreds of commuters, it is just another routine trip from the quiet of Staten Island into the frenzy of Manhattan. Some spend the half hour traveling across New York Harbor anxiously waiting, suffering through the boat’s motions and sipping their third cup of coffee while burying their heads in the newspapers. Some attempt a hopeless nap. But not all. A few use up every precious minute of the ride preparing themselves in a very exclusive place: The Staten Island Ferry Powder Room. Ferry Tales is a sneak peek into a culture that only happens 30 minutes a day in the women’s bathroom….a place where no men are allowed. As they put on their make-up, they are transformed from housewives to businesswomen, from mothers to lawyers, from sisters to socialites. The women who step inside this room leave their race, social status and net worth at the door, sharing their most intimate secrets, solving each other’s problems or just dishing up the latest ferry gossip. What starts as funny anecdotes turns into a deep and moving account as these women, one by one, draw each other out, solve one another’s problems and dish up the latest ferry gossip. This is a story of the vibrant life that goes unnoticed in a place that goes ignored.