So what's happening?

Our wedding celebration!

Where's it happening?

The New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden at Snug Harbor (1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301) is one of only two authentic classical Chinese scholar’s gardens in the United States. So, unless you are planning to visit St. Louis soon, you are in for a unique treat. Modeled on a 15th-century Ming Dynasty walled garden, the NYCSG was constructed (without nails, no less) by a crew of forty Chinese artisans in the 1990s.

For more info on the location:

• Snug Harbor in general:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/09/02/secret-garden-2

• NY Chinese Scholar’s Garden in particular:

http://snug-harbor.org/botanical-garden/new-york-chinese-scholars-garden/

• Or read a novel by a connoisseur of scholar’s gardens: “There was no longer any music to be heard, nothing but the gentle rustling of the bamboo branches, which, swaying in the night wind, cast fleeting shadows along the moonlit garden wall…”

Getting there and back

Ferry  |  Drive

Staten Island Ferry

A quick (25 minutes), scenic, fun, and free way to travel between lower Manhattan and Staten Island. These massive orange ferries have character to spare, and they also offer a nice view of the Statue of Liberty on the west side of the boat. They run every half hour on the weekend, 24 hours a day.

From the St. George Ferry Terminal (Staten Island), there are a number of options to continue on to Snug Harbor:

1. Shuttle

2. Ridesharing (Uber / Lyft / Juno or other ride service of your choice)

3. Taxi

4. Bus (S40)

There will be an 11-passenger shuttle running from the ferry terminal to the venue at 4pm, 4:30pm, and 5pm. The shuttle will leave from platform E (see terminal map below). There are links to sign up for each shuttle below as well – plan on taking a shuttle that leaves 3o minutes after your target ferry departure time (so, if you are taking the 3:30pm ferry, sign up for the 4pm shuttle, etc.). Please sign up here:

4pm shuttle sign-up

4:30pm shuttle sign-up

5pm shuttle sign-up

Note: There will also be a couple shuttles back to the ferry terminal after 9:30pm – no sign-up for the return shuttles.

Out of the non-shuttle options to the venue, we recommend ridesharing. There are no street-hail cabs on Staten Island. While there is a taxi dispatcher at the ferry terminal, it is generally easier, less expensive, and more efficient to use a ridesharing app. A rideshare to Snug Harbor (search for “Snug Harbor Botanical Garden” in the app) is less than 10 minutes, and typically costs less than $11.

For those who would like to take a car but would prefer not to use an app, there is a taxi dispatch booth on platform E (just follow the signs for Taxi in the terminal). Both the shuttle and ride share pickups are also on platform E.

The S40 bus is also a possibility, though these buses can be a bit crowded. Staten Island buses use the same Metrocard system as the rest of NYC mass transit—swipe as you board. A bus ride from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal to Snug Harbor takes 10-25 minutes. (Here is a bus map and schedule for the S40). Tell the driver that you need to get off the bus at Snug Harbor when you board.

If you opt for the ferry, we recommend that you take the 4pm boat from the South Ferry Terminal. That will give you a little time to enjoy the other gardens at Snug Harbor before the ceremony at 5:30pm. The ceremony will start at 5:30, so you don't want to miss your target ferry (trust us, we've done that a number of times)! Here’s a link to the full ferry schedule.

If you are lost or having difficulty getting to the venue on 4/28, please call day-of coordinator Nelly Calhoun – 603-209-5675 

Don't Walk!

Even though Snug Harbor is relatively close to the ferry, it is at least a 30-minute walk along the breezy north-west shore of Staten Island. Save your steps for baila!

Drive

Staten Island is well connected by highway. There is a bridge from New Jersey on I-278 relatively convenient to Snug Harbor (the Goethals Bridge), and one from Brooklyn (the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge); both have tolls to enter Staten Island (there are no tolls on either bridge to leave the island).

Parking at Snug Harbor is free (don’t be put off by the old guardhouses!). The venue has recently introduced valet parking for events, to make parking easier.

Here are some more detailed directions:

http://snug-harbor.org/visit/directions/

Did someone say "baila"?

Yes. But what is baila? Excellent question.

Here’s what you need to know for April 28:

Baila is a terrifically fun Sri Lankan dance that one can do at any age, and this dance style will be dispersed throughout the dance party following dinner—in-between the cumbia, disco, jive, etc.

For those who are unfamiliar with this style, here is a taste of swingin’ 60s baila (@45 seconds, with some twisting thrown in for the heck of it):

And here is some contemporary baila sung by the one and only Sohan Weerasinghe (with some NYC-style baila dancing @3:30 secs):

What should I wear?

Party clothes! Festive, formal attire with personal flair encouraged.

The scholar’s garden and adjoining tented pavilion (where we will dine and dance later in the evening) are not climate-controlled, so bring a layer, to be ready for a late-April night.

Is there a registry?

Being able to share this event with you is gift enough! For real.

However, since some people have inquired, we put together a small registry:

https://www.blueprintregistry.com/registry/indika-seth-wedding-registry-4-28-2018