The Staten Island ferry ...A New York bargain
I
told a friend recently about working for WABC Radio in NY city in the
50's and she was interested in how much I'd been paid then. I
told her that my yearly salary had been $13,000 and that it was more
than adequate to pay for a rental on a nice apartment and to stay up
to date on the Broadway shows. This seemed unbelievable
compared to what an apartment in Manhattan costs today so we did a
"cost of living" check.
I
was blown away when we found that I, as a 23 year old, was paid the
equivalent of $117,000 in today's analysis. It reminded me of
the only thing that I've ever known in New York City that costs LESS
TODAY than in 1956 !
I
wasn't prepared for the incredibly hot August days in the city. Air
conditioning was not an option then and the big overhead fans were a
help but not with this extreme heat.
Luckily
a friend told me about the ferry. I couldn't believe that the subway,
which cost 10 cents to get there was double the price of the ferry. 5
cents was all it cost to take the trip to Staten Island … complete
with refreshing breezes and spectacular views of the Statue of
Liberty and Ellis Island.
The
nickel fee for the ferry lasted for many years but then it steadily
increased to a high of 50 cents per ride in the '90's. Then in 1997
the city of New York decided to suspend all charges. The same trip
that I paid 5 cents for is now FREE … amazingly making it an even
bigger bargain today that it was 53 years earlier.
The
5 cents fare was established in 1897. On October 10, 1972 the fare
was raised to 10 cents. In 1975 the fare was increased to 25 cents.
On August 1, 1990 the fare went up to 50 cents. Finally, on July 4,
1997 the fare for foot passengers on the ferry was eliminated.
posted by Goldendaze-Ginnie at 3:00 PM
6 Comments:
Yeah, that was a very good salary for the 50s -- certainly compared to what we lived on even well into the 70s.
Well for comparison my first job at age 16 in St. Paul Minnesota's first supermarket was in 1957 at $1.12 per hour. I paid my way through the University of Minnesota and similar jobs I performed during the college years. Amazing considering the cost of colleges today.
That was a super salary. In the 60's I earned half that as an officer in a bank.
I have been on the Staten Island ferry and loved it. It was in the 50's so I guess we did pay the big nickle. It sure was worth it.
From my friend Possum:
WOW! $13,000 a year!!!! In the 50’s! My first year teaching job here in VA, I got paid $5,300 – before taxes and NEA dues came out- 1967. A fellow art teacher and friend bought a house 2 years later- it cost $12,000. It was a small house, granted, but would probably sell for $100,000 today.
I had to teach 10 years before I made $10,000 a year. That was 1977! 20 years after you started at WABC! But the cost of living was lower here. On the other hand, there was NO public transportation, so everyone had to have a car… and if you bought a new car, you had to have it treated for exposure to salt water. My first car, a Ford Ltd, bought new, was rusted out in 4 years, 85,000 miles, from driving across the Chincoteague Causeway every day, occasionally thru salt water. Lessons learned from that experience, do not drive to school when there are white caps on the road. A VW got lifted up and got stuck up on the guard rail one day! That was a sight that stuck in my head!
And yeah, you had access to Broadway. I was lucky to be able to go back up to the Poconos every summer and we had off Broadway there- but with real stars- the first play I saw there had Angela Lansbury. I even had a summer job there when I was in college helping make scenery. Got paid a buck an hour! 1965? But I never got to ride the Staten Island ferry. My loss!
In all the years we lived in NJ, Ginnie, I never rode the Staten Island Ferry and reading this post makes me think we should return for a bargain ride now. I can't remember my annual salary for my first "real" job. It was interesting to read your comparison of then and now.
1956 I graduated from college. The cousin who loaned me the money to attend taught at Columbia Univ. wanted me to visit her. She had a small apt and I would likely have stayed at the “Y”. I remember being concerned about how hot and miserable it would be when she wanted me to come in the middle of summer. I could have gone but decided against it and hoped to go in cooler weather. I really wanted to go partly because I was entertaining thoughts of drama school either in NYC or at Pasadena Playhouse. Recall exciting times then with Broadway and Off Broadway shows and plays I wanted to see. Circumstances developed that altered those ideas and I never went to drama school. I was active in all capacities with local little theatre where I was living then to sate my theatre appetites. With what little money I would have had, I would have needed a job, but sounds like expenses might never have been as low as later.
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