New York, It’s No Walk in the Park!

October 2 – October 4, 2010

We woke about 8am, ready to pull out and travel further down the river that runs two ways (and it does!). Suddenly, as we came around a bend, the skyscrapers came into sight on the horizon. There it was! New York City!

As the city came closer we began to make out certain land marks. The Empire State Building. The Chrysler Building. And then, yes, there it was, tiny but certainly her – The Statue of Liberty.

We also spotted a beautiful wooden sailboat on our horizon. We exchanged waves as we sailed past them. What a beautiful boat!

Though we were delayed on our approach to the Big Apple, our wait gave us two beautiful sunny days to walk the city streets. We decided to stay on the Jersey side of the Hudson in Jersey City for our NYC stay. We docked in at Newport Marina with only a five minute walk to the Path train over to the city.

We had lunch at Joe’s Pizza. Mmmmm, real New York style pizza!

Then it was off to Little Italy for dessert. Cannolis and cappuccinos from Ferrara’s. mmMMm! So good!

The Empire State Building. Kris and I wanted to go up to the top, but the lines looked exceedingly long, so we opted not to. There were too many other things to see. Macy’s, for example. We went down to the Cellar, but it was unfortunately not as spectacular as Carol and Gary remembered. Canal Street was still as exciting, filled with trinkets, purses, scarves, hats , and belts.

As the sun went down on our first day in NYC, the lights in Times Square came on. They were spectacular. And to spice the square up, the city had blocked off the entire square streets and made them open to pedestrians. Apparently many companies on the square were irritated, but I thought it amazing to be able to slow down and see the lights all around me.

And where do you think we went next? Oh, why the Apple store of course! The entrance to the store was a glass box on the sidewalk with a glass elevator and staircase down into the store below. Very cool.

The view from our dock at the end of the day. Beautiful (though a bit blurry, I apologize).

The next day we took the morning slow, then started off on our city visit at the tip of Manhattan. The train stopped at the World Trade Center. Ground zero was right beside us as we got out of the station. It looked as though construction was going on behind the gates. The spotlights that used to shine up toward the sky were not there any longer.

We also saw the church near ground zero that miraculously wasn’t hurt in the explosion. Inside, many different booths to the side displayed memorials to those who lost their lives in the towers, and to those who worked to help on ground zero after the tragedy. One of the simplest of these memorials was a church pew with a fireman’s uniform at the end. The scratches on the pews of the church were from the boots of firemen and policemen who dozed in the pews when on duty at ground zero. They were never sure when they would need to jump up and be ready to go, so they slept in their full uniform.

We walked on down the road to Wall Street. Here’s the building where George Washington was sworn in as the first President of the United States.

Then it was off to the Naval Pier on the East River. There was an interesting mix of sights here: large, old, restored sea ships, an Indian festival, and above are some dancers recording what appeared to be some kind of pop video.

Then it was off to Central Park! Here stands Spinny’s hero, Balto. We went all over the park, from the zoo, down the central walkway, to the fountain by the lake, the John Lennon “Imagine” Memorial, by the Boat House, and to the boat racing pond.

We brought New York to a close shortly afterward…but not without making a stop at F.A.O. Schwartz! I liked the giant stuffed elephants and the giant piano board.

We brought our tour of New York City to a close as we sailed out of the Hudson the next morning, right past the Statue of Liberty.

Good bye New York! Instead of first seeing Lady Liberty as we approach, we will wave to her as we leave and turn our heads toward New Jersey, Sandy Hook, the Atlantic Highlands, and Monmouth Beach.