Jersey City and Statue of Liberty on the left,Hudson left of centre,Manhattan then East River to right.
This shot taken on a sail round New York Harbour last weekend.Todd and Melody took us out for a sail on this overcast day but it was still great to be out sailing. Even though we've been doing that pretty much constantly for the last 7 years we're usually coming or going not just out sailing about.
When we met Todd 4 years ago he was the leading mechanic at the marina and was just about to marry Mel. I've told the story of how he fixed our transmission problems once and for all and we've been good friends ever since.We spent some fun times up on Long Island Sound on the way to Newport this year. Todd is now Operations Manager for Suntex Marinas which has him travelling all over the country setting up marinas etc. .Melody ,at the drop of a hat,or the hint of a musical ,will burst into song. I think she knows all the words to all the musicals!
We do have lots of laughs.
The mast , with all its shiny new rigging, goes back in tomorrow. That should have us sailing out of NY on Saturday and if the forecasters aren't lying again we'll have some good northerlies to take us down to Norfolk without having to do the Delaware and Chesapeake route which will save us a few days and a lot of motoring which alone would be a shame, what with all the new rigging an' all.
So how do you fill in 3 weeks in NY.
Well the first weekend was the Puerto Ricans celebration in Jersey City. So just down the road.
Parades and food and lots of Latina. Kids in traditional dress for concerts.
And kids in non-traditional dress just being...Puerto Ricans
Them thar Latinos sure love a good time.
As for New York City...... as always just blows us away.
Times Square..Empire State..Wall Street...all that .
Just walking around you feel that electric energy that seems to give you something new with every corner you turn. Everywhere there is a space there are tables and chairs set out for people to just sit and read ,eat ,drink or watch the rest of the world go by. Don't look lost. Someone will ask you what you're looking for and if they don't know they'll whip out the Iphone and google it for you.If another one overhears the directions and doesn't agree they'll jump in and it's "No yerl be woiking past dat joint wher dere doin da road woik. Bedder take da next next toin ....."etc .Arms waving and all. Sounds like they're fighting but it's just the way dey toik.
Don't forget the lovely little parks here there and everywhere. And there's little doggie parks complete with wading pools for those hot days. Another little space between building and there'll be a one on one basketball court...or two. Kid comes flying down the street on a skateboard, straight past a cop. No problem...he ain't hurtin' no one. The buskers seem to be more like real good players out practicing with an open instrument case nearby....just in case.
The subways have always got some sort of entertainment, whether it's a string quartet or a brass band or a perfectly normal looking jazz duo.
Don't ask me why the stupid computer decided to leave a big gap.I think it was just pissed off because I fooled it when it tried to switch to blue writing and underline everything.
Where was I. Oh yeh.
They've got a two lane bike track going just about all the way round the island (Manhattan ). The day we decided to do that , we got on the subway at Jersey City with our bikes.....well I did and then the doors closed on Gail and left her standing on the platform. Dilemma.Should I go back and risk crossing or wait at the next station for her. To cut a very long story short( phew..I hear you say ) we got back together about an hour or so later after the railway authorities and Jersey City police ,JSPD , got me on the phone (by this time I'd decided to carry on to Manhattan and wait ) and suggested that I return to JC and pick up my wife. Anyway a ride up along the Hudson on a luverly sunny day with maybe a stop for a beer at The Frying Pan, a really cool converted Coast Guard ship.
A bit further and one of many converted piers where there's a band playing as a freighter makes it's way down the river and kayakers frolic near the shore ( frolic? )
And folks are flying their kites.
Cool.
Unfortunately , the first Sunday that we went to hang out in Central Park I forgot to put the SD card in the camera so I only got about 8 photos of the shenanigans....and... I can't get them out of the camera without a special USB lead that is now unavailable. I mean it's an ancient camera...all of 3 years old..what do I expect... and it is a little computer...curse it.
It was a particularly good day......really cool wierdos.....a live theatre show... the roller skating/disco was outstanding.......honest.
Anyway the next week was still delightful.
Central Park is just an amazing oasis...huge rocky outcrops.....lakes....trails and waterfalls etc. where you find it hard to believe you're in the middle of a huge city.
Gail's watching turtles and swans swimming about.
People just picnicking..these a bunch of kids obviously into acrobaticy stuff.
Quality volleyball ....softball...soccer...flying model planes and flying saucer thingies.
While on parks....we were walking through the city and noticed people walking across what looked like an old railway bridge so climbed the stairs for a butchers (hook) and.....
there it was....... an old railway line that used to run through the city.
Don't really know how long it went for but we walked a few blocks through a botanical garden type place. You can see the old railway tracks on the pathway.
Always another surprise.
Well...there are 8 million stories in the Naked City and this has been one of them.
(Hope there's a couple of you old enough to remember that one.)
Oh how we wish we could make it 8million and 2 but the mast is about to return to its proper position and we have to go.All going well we should be back in Oriental by the 10th or so and back in the land of wifi and hopefully nothing more interesting to report than we had nice trip/sail.
