Our visit to the "Big Apple"

June 4, 2002 - Our visit to the "Big Apple"

We got up early and got ready to see the sights of New York. The Waterway Ferry is 5 minutes away, so we walked over and took it across the river - a 5-minute trip. The ferry is great because is goes every 15 minutes and our $5.00 ticket entitles us to ride a Waterway Bus all over town all day and can be found at most bus stops and flagged down anytime, and taken back to the Ferry for the return trip. The last ferry goes at 9:30pm, which worked for us as we were plenty tired by then, except once and I'll tell you about that a little later. We decided that the best way to see the town was to take the New York Sightseeing double-decker bus tour, so we started at the Empire State Building and then boarded the bus, which gave us a good overview of the city. We could get on and off the bus at any of their stops and resume the tour. We got off at the Battery and took a boat over the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Interesting, but we got better pictures as we came along side them on the Rendezvous. Then back to get coffee at Starbucks, Catherines favorite spot, and to walk around the Battery section. Then we went to Rockefeller Center, had dinner and took the ferry to the boat.

The next day we went back to Rockefeller Center to see how the Today Show works. We got there and there wasn't too large a crowd, so we hung out and waited for the cameras to come by so we could wave. We wished we had made a sign, RENDEZVOUS HITS THE BIG APPLE HEADING NORTH, but all we could do is wave at the camera. It was real fun. I guess we are real tourists. It was fun to see Katie, Ann Curry and Al Roker doing their thing. They run back and forth, inside and out, to do different segments.

We had decided that we wanted to see Mamma Mia, so we struck out to see if we could find some tickets. There were hundreds of people waiting at the Cheap Ticks, and we heard that they probably wouldn't have any, so we went directly to the Winter Garden Theater. There was a short line and the matinee was sold out, but we did get tickets for the evening show - they were pricey, but we really enjoyed it. Very fun and worth it.

As we knew we would have to take a taxi back to New Jersey after the show, we stood with the masses outside the theater and after some time, a taxi stopped for us. I don't think he was too happy about having to take us through the tunnel, because he probably couldn't get a fare back. We were told at the marina that it would be about $30.00, but he quoted us $40.00 plus the tunnel fare. After we said o.k. He said he didn't know exactly know where the marina was even though we had an address. He couldn't speak much English and got on the phone with someone who didn't help much. After driving around for almost an hour, at near midnight, he finally figured it. I was somewhat freaking out, and Catherine tried to direct him through the streets. Oh well, we finally made it and were safe. But when we got to the Marina the gates were locked and the security guard wasn't around - how frustrating after a 14 hour day traipsing the streets of a big city. Catherine climbed over the fence and opened the gate just as the guard showed up. He hadn't heard the bell????? Not too good. Now keep in mind, Catherine is 6 months pregnant. There is so much traffic on the river that the boats are rocking and rolling all the time, and when you walk down the floating docks, it feels like you're at the old fun house at Silver Beach. Definitely not very comfortable, but all the marinas have the same problem so we had to grin and bear it.

Our last day in New York City, it rained so we relaxed and headed for the city in the afternoon, and took a bus to Greenwich Village and walked around and had lunch. Then we took a subway to Ground Zero and walked around the block and saw the crowds and the memorials. It truly was a very soberly experience. It's hard to believe that America has had to go through that terrible thing. It certainly has taken a huge toll on every one of us. In spite of all that has happened in New York, we felt safe in New York everywhere, even tho' it is a very big city with millions all over in every section of the city. Later that day we decided it was too early to have dinner, so we went to a movie. Can you believe we actually went to a movie in downtown N.Y.?? We went to see the Devine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood at a nearby theater. Good. Then we took a subway to 42nd Street and caught the last ferry back to the marina. Tried to have dinner at a local restaurant at 9:45 pm. But there was a 2 hour wait. We went home and had dinner at the boat and to bed. Catherine took a taxi to the Newark for her trip back to Denver. We surely enjoyed having her with us and are so excited about Catherine and Mikes baby arriving in September. We will head to Denver in early September to await baby boy Collier's arrival. We enjoyed New York a lot, but it is a very big, busy city, with a lot going on and I'm glad that we reside in little St. Joseph. On to Tarrytown tomorrow and the trip up the Hudson, to Lake Champlain and Montreal Canada, and on to our way back home.