New York New York
It took three day-hops from Newport to New York down the Long Island Sound, plus a weekend stuck in harbour waiting for a gale to blow through. Apart from two wild and windy days in Port Jefferson, we had perfect autumn weather – crispy cold but dry, sunny and windless. For some reason there was a strange mirage effect on the water, the horizon more than a mile away disappeared and boats seemed to ‘float’ on a white cloud above the water, although there was no fog at all.
Our first sight of the New York city skyline came as we passed through ‘Hell’s Gate’ leading to the east side of Manhattan. It was Halloween night and the sun was setting as we skirted the city through busy waters full of barges, fast ferries, cruise ships and even a water-plane which took off just in front of us. By the time we reached the bottom of Manhattan it was completely dark. Rush hour was in full swing with endless ferries and water taxis kicking off a nice wash and the sky was full of helicopters.
The city was quite a sight with the skyscrapers all lit up and a forty-foot high clock on the New Jersey riverbank blazing the time in red lights. The mayhem receded behind us as we steamed the five miles up the west side of Manhattan to the 79th Street Boat Basin where we picked up a mooring buoy (for a very reasonable $30/night – reasonable for New York that is!).
Once safely moored up, we rode the subway to Greenwich Village to join the throng watching the Halloween Parade. The parade itself wasn’t as impressive as we expected, there was a big turnout but not many organized floats with music and a lot of the costumes left something to be desired. In fact, some of the best costumes were among the spectators - along with the traditional witches and ghouls, there were a lot of bumble-bees, fake police officers (often scantily dressed with fishnet tights) and even the odd Snoopy.
We spent the next few days exploring the city, from the Empire State Building to the Twin Towers site. It certainly brings the scale of the 9/11 disaster home to you when you see the large hole left in the middle of the city. We strolled through Chinatown and Battery Park, along Wall Street and Fifth Avenue. We glowed in the neon lights of Times Square and went to an off-Broadway show. The antidote to the hustle and bustle was Central Park, which looked glorious in its autumn colours. There we wandered round the lake and through the tree-lined pathways and even had a go on the outdoor ice rink at the end of the park.
After four days, we’d seen all we wanted to see, the freezer was full of ice cream, and the weather was still settled. We motor-sailed past the Statue of Liberty, down the Hudson river and out to sea again.
Our first sight of the New York city skyline came as we passed through ‘Hell’s Gate’ leading to the east side of Manhattan. It was Halloween night and the sun was setting as we skirted the city through busy waters full of barges, fast ferries, cruise ships and even a water-plane which took off just in front of us. By the time we reached the bottom of Manhattan it was completely dark. Rush hour was in full swing with endless ferries and water taxis kicking off a nice wash and the sky was full of helicopters.
The city was quite a sight with the skyscrapers all lit up and a forty-foot high clock on the New Jersey riverbank blazing the time in red lights. The mayhem receded behind us as we steamed the five miles up the west side of Manhattan to the 79th Street Boat Basin where we picked up a mooring buoy (for a very reasonable $30/night – reasonable for New York that is!).
Once safely moored up, we rode the subway to Greenwich Village to join the throng watching the Halloween Parade. The parade itself wasn’t as impressive as we expected, there was a big turnout but not many organized floats with music and a lot of the costumes left something to be desired. In fact, some of the best costumes were among the spectators - along with the traditional witches and ghouls, there were a lot of bumble-bees, fake police officers (often scantily dressed with fishnet tights) and even the odd Snoopy.
We spent the next few days exploring the city, from the Empire State Building to the Twin Towers site. It certainly brings the scale of the 9/11 disaster home to you when you see the large hole left in the middle of the city. We strolled through Chinatown and Battery Park, along Wall Street and Fifth Avenue. We glowed in the neon lights of Times Square and went to an off-Broadway show. The antidote to the hustle and bustle was Central Park, which looked glorious in its autumn colours. There we wandered round the lake and through the tree-lined pathways and even had a go on the outdoor ice rink at the end of the park.
After four days, we’d seen all we wanted to see, the freezer was full of ice cream, and the weather was still settled. We motor-sailed past the Statue of Liberty, down the Hudson river and out to sea again.
posted by Katie at 9:08 PM
1 Comments:
Dave & Hazel:
Greetings Folks, just thought I'd check your blog sight out again. Sounds like your slowly making your passage south enjoying the scenery. Keep an eye out for Maniana (44' Beneteau). They are in your area heading to the Bahamas. They are friends that left the St. John River back in October. Nice couple with two kids. They'll be on the ICW further south. Hope all is well!
Cheers,
Dave & Danielle (from when you anchored in Gagetown)
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