The Staten Island Ferry has been operating between Staten Island and Manhattan since 1817. It is the only non-vehicular mode of transportation between the two boroughs, riding 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the ferry transports 60,000 passengers a day and 22 million people a year, bringing together all kinds of people from different areas and backgrounds for 25 minutes. Onboard is one who used to serve in the Vietnam war, one who is going to a job interview, one who used to work in the World Trade Center, one who is visiting his hospitalized wife who recently was diagnosed with cancer. The ferry is a gathering place for the population.