Farewell to ol' New York

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This year, big boat traffic and the race made
for a little more exciting entry to NY harbor.
Returning to New York to start where we left off last year, AQUAVIT spent a week at Liberty Landing Marina to ease back into cruising. This is a very comfortable place off the bustling harbor and and an easy ferry ride across the Hudson to Manhattan. A little busier than usual as there was an international sailing competition being staged from the marina. High-tech cats, achieving impossible speeds on hydrofoils. The race was SailGP.
To see these incredible boats visit 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKCZh1HQojg

How serendipitous that our young friends, Anna and David were in Brooklyn taking a break from their Appalachian Trail adventure. They were able to join us for a cruise around Ellis Island and Lady Liberty. Then, AQUAVIT took us through a bit of river traffic, up the East River, under the Brooklyn Bridge, past the UN and up through Hell Gate to Rikers Island. Adding to the pleasure was a couple of their friends, Dave and Sophie coming along. Sophie, a New York native, entertained us with her local knowledge. Tuesday we met Anna and David in Manhattan for a little sightseeing, beer in a pub and rum in The Rum House (at least 100 rums on the menu!) We even found discount tickets to the Pretty Woman musical that was pretty good! David and Anna spent the night with us on AQUAVIT before heading off to restart their own adventure of a lifetime.

Lee and Betsey checking out the top level
of a two story Caribbean  diorama.


A planned visit to the Whitney and trek on the High Line was rained out, but we met Lee's cousin Betsey and husband Doug for a great re-visit to a very crowded but spectacular American Museum of Natural History.

Wow! What a place and what an insight into the natural world so imperiled by the prevailing anti-science, anti-environment political climate. (Although, even if we say so ourselves, our mangrove/seagrass/salt marsh dioramas were as good or better.)
Then on to see the much-anticipated play, Hamilton, which proved its acclaim.

 Hadestown, at a matinee performance the next day, was terrific and moving for both of us, entertaining us with a roller coaster of emotions and high energy from start to finish. Clearly worthy of the numerous Tony nominations. It's a folk opera about the love story of Eurydice and Orpheus with folk, soul, blues music by Anais Mitchell.
Hadestown - compelling from the start!



A special bonus was seeing a classmate from high school who stayed true to her talent and passion for art.  Marcia and her husband Michael met at FSU and live on Staten Island. Both are artists, with lots of shared interests and coincidences, including our neighbor Jim being Michael's MFA art professor at FSU. Hard to catch up on 50 years over a delicious dinner of Brazilian cuisine. But perhaps we'll resume our conversation on our return trip back. We look forward to seeing
The Who at Madison Square Garden in September.

Building on the experience of spending a few weeks here last year, while we are still bumpkins in the big city, but a lot more comfortable in transportation and finding our way around to discover the variety of interesting people and places of New York. It is certainly salad bowl of cultural diversity.
So much to see as we wander the sidewalks of New York.
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After this wonderful week in New York City, berthed in Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City, it's time to move on. Up to Long Island Sound to visit with Steve and Edie, owners of a sistership to Bay Breeze who split their time between Marathon and Long Island. Then onward toward Boston for a date with the Pops for the 4th of July!


6.28.2019

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