Charted Waters
Welcome aboard.
This is a visual research study of New York City’s ferry system. Using observation, drawings, diagrams, and data collection,
this project charts the rhythms of New York’s aquatic transit.
Welcome aboard.
This is a visual research study of New York City’s ferry system. Using observation, drawings, diagrams, and data collection,
this project charts the rhythms of New York’s aquatic transit.
Observational drawings capture the subtle details and lived textures of ferry life, translating real-time experience into visual documentation.
The NYC Ferry system is a publicly owned network of ferrys, operated by Hornblower Cruises.
It operates 38 vehicles on 6 routes with 25 piers that connect all five boroughs of New York.
The 38 ferries were named by NYC second graders
in a contest. Some of the names include:
Happy Hauler
Lunchbox
McShiny
Ferry Godmother
Seas the Day
Forget Me Knot
Tooth Ferry
City Fishy
Operating from 5:30am to 10:30pm, seven days a week, the ferries also run shorter headways during peak hours.
Additional seasonal service is offered to Rockaway Beach during the summer.
In 2024, the NYC Ferry saw 7 million riders.
Through direct observation, I translated moments on the NYC
ferry into sensory diagrams that capture how the ferry feels.
I also collected observational data about ridership
and rider behavior during a single trip from Wall St. / Pier 11
to East 90th St. and back on the Astoria line.
