This time of year, with warm breezes and still-cold waters in the North Atlantic, fog is common. And it was a common morning at West Bank Light, in the Lower Bay of New York Harbor.
The Narrows separates New York Harbor’s Lower and Upper Bays, and is spanned by the Verazzano Narrows Bridge.
Often when we enter a town, they celebrate. Manhattan is no different, with Fleet Week commencing. This week-long celebration honors the women and men of the United States Armed Forces, offers tours of military ships visiting New York Harbor…..
.... and features the only international Tall Ships in Manhattan (from Colombia and Ecuador). This year's Fleet Week also marked the bicentennial of the War of 1812.
In spite of the fog, haze and then rain, the harbor is busy with traffic, including the iconic orange Staten Island Ferries, bringing workers to and from Manhattan.
And the Statue of Liberty is impressive, come rain or come shine!
The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World was a gift from the people of France, and serves as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. Dedicated in 1886, the statue is currently closed for renovation and expected to open at the end of the year, though the island remains open to visitors.
Here is Ellis Island, where over 12 million immigrants arrived between 1892 and 1954, seeking freedom, opportunity and new lives. Among those hoping to achieve the American Dream was Marty’s paternal grandmother.
Through the fog and rain we can just make out the world’s most famous office building and New York’s tourist beacon, the Empire State Building. Opened in 1931, its observatories offer unmatched views of New York City and, on a clear day (not today!) New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
As an island, Manhattan uses many water-borne modes of transport, including the yellow water taxi.
We rendezvoused with Ed and Doris Cohen, fellow travelers on our China tour last October. They live in New Jersey, just across the George Washington Bridge and 20 minutes by car from our dockage at 79th Street Boat Basin on Manhattan.
Their penthouse co-op in Fort Lee, near the famed Palisades, offers wonderful views of the Hudson River, and if it was clearer, we could have used their telescope to sight Monarch in her slip.
Next morning, we went to Big Nick’s, our favorite nearby café, for breakfast and people-watching.
Next, underground to the Blue Line south. The subway is THE mode of transport on Manhattan – faster than taxis.
Ed’s recommendation for a great Manhattan walking tour was the Hi-Line. This is an abandoned elevated railway, which has been reclaimed as a walking trail.
The Hi-Line has been beautifully landscaped with interesting flowering shrubs, trees, grasses and plantings. In some places, the original tracks have been incorporated into the smooth walkway.
Benches are strategically placed if you want to bring lunch or your palette and brushes to capture a cityscape.
The Hi-Line was busy with many pedestrians enjoying the weather. Adjacent apartment dwellers can also enjoy this oasis of nature in the midst of the big city.
New Yorkers are friendly, as a passer-by offered to take our photo with the Empire State Building in the background.
We found this billboard attitude interesting!
The Hi-Line is an unfinished project, with more planned, so we returned to surface streets to walk back to 79th Street, passing Columbus Circle….
…and Lincoln Center, New York’s home for the performing arts, which swarms with people after dark.
Back at the marina, the on-site café was in full swing, starting the weekend early on a Friday afternoon.
Monarch was the prime view from the café.
Next morning, we went for a walkabout in Central Park, just a few city blocks from the boat.
With 6% of Manhattan’s total acreage, the 843-acre Central Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed our beloved Belle Isle Park in Detroit. We were just two of the 38 million visitors who come to Central Park annually.
The park is a perfect spot for impromptu entertainers……..
…..exercise fanatics……
….and all kinds of families.
Central Park’s shady willows provide a perfect spot for reading or a nap.
Next, on to fine Italian dining at Sofia’s on 46th Street, and a Broadway performance of the 2006 Tony Best Musical Jersey Boys. The play, based on the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, chronicles the rise of this group of blue-collar New Jersey singing hoodlums to super stardom.
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