New York 40:27.3N 73:59.88W
Lotus
Sat 9 Oct 2010 15:51
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We timed our transit through Hells Gate, which
has a strong tidal current that flows at over 6knots, to perfection, but our
transit down the East river was made slightly more difficult as there was a
security zone in effect on the western channel at the United Nations
building. This meant that we had to use the eastern channel and pass under
a lift bridge, before rounding the Battery at the south end of Manhattan and
making our way 5miles up the Hudson river before the tide turned against
us. We arrived once again at the 79th street yacht basin only to
find that so had everyone else and there were no free mooring balls.
Despite good holding the Hudson is a difficult place to anchor as the river
flows first north then south at three to four knots. This current is often
accompanied by fresh winds and the ever attendant wash from commercial ships
that ply their trade up and down this main arterial river. Old hands at
this as we are, it was not a problem, we set two bow anchors and the ever
trusty fortress anchor 30m to the stern and this kept us secure for our
three day stay. We found out from a French couple anchored nearby
that despite a mooring only costing $30 the boat basin charged $25 a day
simply to dock your dingy. Sneakily yet brazenly, we came and went as we
pleased over the next three days and didn't pay a penny despite the fact that we
had to pick up a spare part which had been forwarded to the office here.
We felt that whilst we'd been in the states
for quite some time, we had yet to fully appreciate the national cuisine
only provided at the true American Diner so we set off on our bikes in
search of Big Daddy's Diner (of the fat American variety and not the English
wrestler) - it was okay! We were used to blasting through the New York
city scape on our trusty steeds, so fighting the yellow cabs as we went,
we set off in search of culture and ended up buying tickets for a night at the
Ballet from the New York Ballet Box office. A performance was full of
athletic gay men and flat chested scrawny women but fantastic never the
less. Whilst shopping the next morning John dragged me into a shop, bought
a tutu and announced that he was born for the boards and was going to become a
ballet dancer, or was that a ballerina (maybe there's a sex change
coming!).
In the morning we donned our hoodies and to the
local Amtrak train to hang out with the hoods in the Bronx. I excelled at
my usual tour guide role and found a fantastic little Italian eateries at a deli
in a market in downtown The Bronx, the food was great and half the price of the
nearby restaurants and was obviously good Italian food as it was full of local
Italians and their mafia families. Whilst in town we visited the Botanical
gardens where we watched a Bird of Prey (probably some sort of Buzzard) munching
on a squirrel, this gave us the appetite for savage animals so we went to the
World famous (well famous in New York) zoo which is situated on a huge open site
and has won plaudits for it's natural enclosures which meant walking our legs
off and being disappointed as some of the animals could hide behind the natural
landscape of rocks and bushes. We did however get great views of a field
mouse!
   That evening, back at the marina, John was accosted
by a British woman that worked for a rich American here in the city.
To cut a long story short, she invited us to go the next morning to look around
her bosses 79th floor penthouse apartment. When we arrived the doorman had
been notified of our coming and we were ushered into a swanky marble lined
elevator and whisked into the stratosphere where only the rich and famous dare
to tread or rather, can afford to tread. The apartment was absolutely
amazing with 365 views of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Central Park and Denzel
Washington's apartment. It was nice to get a taste or is that a small
sniff of how the other half live. Can you believe that the owner only uses
this $65million apartment for a few weekends a year - seems
criminal!
Once more we were lucky to have a forecast of
Northerly component winds and so despite wishing to stay a couple more days in
New York we pulled up the anchors and heading out beneath the Verazano Bridge as
night fell. The bright lights of the city lit up the skyline behind us and
the statue of Liberty waved us goodbye.
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