Day 41 - Land Ho! First Day In NYC
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Disembarkation Day
I got up around 6am the morning that we docked and toured the Promenade Deck. This was the first opportunity I had to walk on the Promenade Deck without fear of being pitched or blown overboard.
View From The Bow Of The Statue of Liberty At Sunrise
Yours Truly At The Railing
To The Starboard Side, New York At Sunrise
On The Port Side, Brooklyn ..
Hobbit! Hobbit! We Are Here!
Hobbit was half-asleep, cold, hungry and somewhat grumpy at being dragged out of bed early in the morning for a tour of the promenade deck. This is a photo is of her freezing on the bow deck, squinting into the morning sunlight trying to make out the Statue of Liberty in the distance.
The modern art sculpture in front of Hobbit is one of the spare propeller blades that the crew stores up near the bow.
Hobbit At The Bow
Wendell On NYC
Upon disembarkation I discovered that the "Black Car Service" was not letting any cabs into the disembarkation station until 9:30am. We had the option of paying $50 per person for a ride into midtown Manhattan or carrying 200+ pounds of baggage 1/2 mile and finding a cab. We decided to drag our baggage to the front gate and try our luck there. Once at the front gate, wegrabbed a cab for $35 to Chris and Hilary's place.
Hilary greeted us at the door, we dumped our bags and we went off in search of food and a visit to Ellis Island. Hilary loaned us her cellphone and we were able to stay in contact with her and Chris and make plans for that evening. Chris got us reservations at Les Halles - the NYC restaurant made famous by Anthony Bourdain.
Ellis Island was a nice museum and, as happened frequently during our trip, we were chased out by the guards as they closed it down.
We took the ferry back to Manhattan, I navigated us through the subway system, and we met Chris and Hilary at Les Halles for dinner. The food was excellent.
At the end of dinner, we went outside, snapped a few photos in front of the sign, then Chris hailed a cab.
Hilary explained that, in the time it took to step out to the curb and raise his hand, Chirs had performed the necessary calculations to determine the optimal mode of getting back to the apartment.
New Yorkers have a subconscious ability to instantaneously perform the differential calculus necessary to analyze the optimal cost/time benefits of walking, subway, taxi and/or limosine service, plus factors of combining two or more modes of travel.
QM2 And Staten Island Ferry From Statue Of Liberty
Hobbit Writes About Disembarkation
I have heard horror stories about de-barking the ship, but it wasn’t that bad. Breakfast was a bit rushed, but not terribly, then we pretty much walked off at our leisure. I think that taking all of our own luggage ourselves helped, we could leave whenever we wanted to and didn’t have to wait until our deck was called.
Tthe problems started after we finished with Cunard. New York has put in a new cruise ship terminal in Brooklyn. The black limo car drivers have a racket going whereby they get to come in to the terminal to pick up passengers (at twice the price) but the cabbies are prevented from coming in for two hours. There was a looooong line of people waiting for cabs that weren’t going to be allowed in for a couple of hours, so Wendell and I loaded up our gear and started walking out of the terminal. Our gear can be carried by us both, but it is by no means easy. It is very heavy in fact. Also it is a long ways from where you get off the ship to where the gate to the dock is. Once we got outside the gate we picked up a cab no problem, but it was a long walk. I have no idea how long it took other passengers to get a cab.
Hobbit and Me At Les Halles
Cousin Chris and Me At Les Halles
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