We awoke on the 4 July to the sound of raindrops pattering on the deck and heavy cloud. This gave serious cause for concern as this was the day we were planning to go to the top of the Rockefeller building for the views from a height. We had decided on this rather than the Empire State building partly because they promised better 360° views from different levels and partly because the Explorer pass brought with it the opportunity to fast track past the queues. The other issue we had to contend with was that as it was a holiday no ferries were running from Lincoln Harbour and we would have to go further up the river to Port Imperial to get a boat from there.

After breakfast we took the boat to the fuel dock to fill up with diesel and pump out the holding tank. We didn’t return to our original  berth but went to one nearer the exit, where it was hoped the water would be deeper for our departure early the next morning.

The rain soon stopped and the cloud cleared as the sun came out. We caught a light rail car across the road and for $1 we travelled the mile and a half to the next stop at Port Imperial. Having established that the ferries would not run between 7 and 10 in the evening, while the fireworks were going off and the river was closed to traffic, we hurried off to the Top of the Rock. The reduction in traffic was appreciable from the normal working day and the bus driver said no-one would come into town until later and then they would stay all night partying!

The views from the Top of the Rock were indeed amazing and it was improved by not being too crowded. We followed this by an audio tour of the Grand Central Terminal and finished off with a visit to the Intrepid Air and Sea museum, conveniently sited near the ferry terminal. By the time this closed at 5pm the police were gathering in large numbers and the roads were already being closed to traffic as people started to gather along the barriers to reserve a good vantage point for watching the fireworks.

We made our final ferry crossing back to New Jersey and the boat, and, having remembered to take our wristbands with us, were allowed back into the marina where people were gathering and virtually every boat was hosting a party (apart from ours). I took advantage of the marina washing machines to catch up on laundry while we waited for the action (it seemed slightly incongruous lugging dirty clothes past all the people dressed in their party best) and before long cheering greeted the arrival of the firework barges. There were 4 in total -one immediately opposite our marina, one slightly upstream and 2 downstream. I’d just retrieved the last load of dry washing when the display started. The 4 barges were more or less synchronised and the display was, indeed, amazing. Ted kept muttering about the cost of it all, as it went on for at least three quarters of an hour, but like everything else in the USA, it had to be big. Eventually it was over and all the partying girls, who had drunk too much, were carried away, so we went to bed in anticipation of an early start the next day to catch the tide down the Hudson, under Brooklyn Bridge, up East River, and through Hell Gate.

Empty streets on 4 July morning                                                                                       The elevator at the Top of the Rock

Views from the top

Lincoln Harbour marina from the Top of the Rock                                                                                                     Grand Central Terminal  - much more than just a station!

The main concourse and the famous clock                                                                                                                 Staircase modelled on the Paris Opera House

    As in the UK it was railways that caused time to be standardised

The Vanderbilt hall and the tribute to Jackie Onassis who was a driving force in the preservation of the terminal, which had been scheduled for demolition

On board Intrepid                                                                                                             Intrepid’s anchor chain – glad I don’t have to pull this one up

The flight deck                                                                                                                                                                            It almost seems as if it shouldn’t stay upright

Police gathering to control the 4th July crowds                                                                                                          The Macy’s firework barges move into place

And there were fireworks!!