Back in the USA

Well, I'm back. Sort of. I'm actually still in NYC. The ship arrived at the pier in Manhattan around 7:30 a.m. I've been up since 4:30 a.m. Why would I voluntarily get out of bed at that inhuman hour? Because we were scheduled to sail into New York Harbor around 5. I've arrived in NYC by plane, car, and train. I've never arrived by ocean liner and I wasn't going to sleep through it. Since sunrise was not until about 6:30, we approached the city in the dark. And the rain. I didn't realize it was raining until I was out on the deck. I wrapped a pool towel over by head and shoulders and very much felt like part of a "huddled mass" since there were several others on deck with the same rain protection. We sailed under a lit up Verazanno bridge (connects Staten Island and Brooklyn and you probably know it as the starting line for the NYC Marathon) and I could spot Lady Liberty's torch through the rain. It was still a ways off and the lights of Manhattan were not even penetrating the dark yet. We were escorted by a tiny USCG boat - there to protect us should any wacko terrorist decide to crash into the ship. I watched the Staten Island ferry cross the harbor in front of us and find it's dock on SI. Mom and Dad joined me after the bridge but before we got to Lady Liberty. They brought an umbrella. Smart. Very smart. By the time we got to Liberty Island, there were many passengers out on deck. We all bellied up to the port side rail for a look. Crew members were out on the very tip of the bow (like in Titanic) getting their look, too. The sun was still not up. As Liberty fell behind us, downtown Manhattan started to form. The lights of the financial district and the skyscrapers were visible. Ground Zero is lit in perpetual flood light and that spot was the brightest. We sailed very, very slowly up the Hudson and it started to get light out. I ate a quick breakfast and then got back down to the deck to watch some more of Manhattan go by in the rain. When it was time to finally disembark, I went before Mom & Dad because I was staying in the city. I was an "independent traveler" rather than one who needed a transfer to a hotel or airport. But there were many independent travelers, and I had to stand around for about an hour for a taxi. I would have walked to the subway if it hadn't been raining.

And so that is the story of the end of our trans-Atlantic journey. I think I will dish out what happened along the way in reverse. My next entry (which might immediately follow this one) will cover Greenland and the four days at sea before arriving in NYC.