Sunday October 11, 2015 On Board the Caribbean Princess

We had most of our stuff packed before going to bed last night.  I got up at 7 and started the coffee.  The coffee maker was a Keurig and only makes one cup at a time.  We made sure all of our bags were ready to go by 9.  The bus arrived about 20 minutes late.   We were seated first after the arriving passengers got off the bus and their luggage unloaded. 

Holland Tunnel

It was about an hour bus ride to the ship.  We went through the Holland Tunnel to get to New Jersey. 








At the cruise terminal in Bayonne, NJ we checked our carryon  bags instead of carrying them.  Check in went smoothly except for the Passport scanner rejecting Gerri’s passport a couple of times.  A ships employee brought a wheelchair and took Neva right to the cabin door. 

Lower Manahattan

Panoramic from our balcony

We are in cabin D514, which is a little back of mid-ships  It isn’t far to walk to the elevators to go down to the dining room on deck 6.  The room is on the port side and our view was of lower Manhattan and the Statue of liberty in the distance.  Gerri went and got some pizza slices for an afternoon snack.

Our waiter Will giving Neva her left over dessert

We had our mandatory safety muster.  Neva didn’t have to go.  It was well after dark before the ship sailed.  We went to dinner at eight.  Our three table mates are ladies from New Orleans.   I had prime rib, very good.  Gerri had bass and Neva had grilled salmon.  I had an appetizer I hadn’t seen on the menu before, a red snapper mojito.  It was very good.  Better even than shrimp cocktail.

We went directly back to the room, it was nearly 10.  We were in bed by 11:30.  It seemed like a very hectic day and we were all tired.

Tomorrow we will be in Newport, RI.  Neva has done really well with her foot.  We have to ride a tender in the morning so that will be a real test of her recovery.

Saturday October 10, 2015, New York City, New York

We had coffee in the room before heading out to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  We took a taxi to Battery Park and eventually worked our way through the security checks.

Battery Park

Freedom Tower

The boat was rocking and the gang plank was sliding as the boat rose and fell.  A crewman  helped me negotiate the moving ramp.  When Neva stepped off the ramp it rose and hit her foot.  After she sat down Gerri noticed that Neva's left foot was bleeding.  With the help of a crewman she got the bleeding stopped. Once we got to Liberty Island a Park Service EMT arrived and put a better dressing on the wound.  We stayed on the boat while it unloaded and then loaded again with people going on to Ellis Island.  The Park Service EMT had obtained a wheelchair and once the boat was docked at Ellis Island we met an ambulance which took us to the Jersey City Medical Center ER.  There is a bridge from the New Jersey side to Ellis Island for employees and emergency vehicles.

A piece of art that survived the Trade Center

After 1st aid

Ellis Island

Even though we did not get off the boat Gerri got some good shots of the Statue of Liberty. She also got a shot of the front of one of the buildings being restored on Ellis Island the building.

Neva's treatment at the ER was quick and the people that attended her were efficient and courteous.  It took 10 stitches for the doctor to close the 4 inch wound. He also thought she would be good to go for the cruise, with precautions.  We were soon on the way back to Manhattan stitched up and equipt with a prescription for pain and antibiotics, cane and hard sole walking shoe.

Back at the hotel, Neva and I went to the room while Gerri went to a nearby drug store.  Gerri brought back a hot dog and some snacks from a vendor wagon near the hotel door.

By now it was nearly 5 PM and with Neva ensconced firmly in bed to rest her foot, Gerri and I headed out to visit the One World Observatory.  Our luck with taxis held and none were available.  Something about a shift change.  We opted for a limo.  It was a Lincoln town car and much more comfortable than the taxi.

Looking east toward Pennsylvania

When we arrived at the Trade Center we again were expedited because of the type of ticket Gerri had bought.  I don't know how much more the expedited tickets cost, but they were well worth the price.  When we arrived at t102nd floor, we spoke to a couple that had been in line 3 hours to get to that point.

North looking over Manahatten

Connecticut in the distance

On the 102nd floor

The partially lighted squares are
 the foot prints of the original towers

It is hard to describe this new building and give the real feel for what is being seen.  The elevators have a video system and you can see 360 degrees, it feels like an outdoor ride.  On the observation floor we had a clear view.  One of the presentations told us that 24 million people live within in sight from the tower.  On a clear day like today four states can be seen; NewYork, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.  We stayed in the observation area and saw the most beautiful sunset we have enjoyed this trip.

We decided to take a friend's restaurant recommendation and dine at McGee's Irish Restaurant on 55th Street.  The restaurant is about 10 blocks from our hotel.  Our bad luck with taxis continued, we managed to flag down an Uber driver.  So far we have hired taxis, limos, Uber and a pedicab.  Our drivers have been from Afghanistan, Egypt, Turkey and some place in the Caribbean.












































At the restaurant, we both had the Sheppard's Pie.  Very good and we found out this is the Pub where scenes from the sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" were filmed.  Thanks Nick Lucas for the recommendation.

Sheppard's Pie at McGees

For a change we were able to flag a taxi quickly for the short trip to the Intercontinental.  We did take New York Cheese cake back for Neva.

Even though there was an accident this morning it seems our trip won't be interrupted.  Neva was instructed on her wound care and to have the ship's doctor check it in a couple of days and have the stitches out once we get back home.  We spent some time getting things ready for departure to the ship in the morning.  Neva stayed up and watched most of the Dodger's game.

Friday October 9, 2015 New York City, New York

I had set the alarm on my iPad for 7:30.  We didn't hear it.  It never occurred to me that Gerri turns off the sound.  We had planned to have breakfast before our city tour at 10 AM.  We canceled those plans.  I made coffee with the coffee maker in the room.

At a quarter till 10 we went to the lobby and met our guide for the day.  It turns out our guide, Lee, was a lifelong resident of NYC having been born in Queens and in the past has lived in both Manhattan and Brooklyn.  Our driver came at 10,  His name was Moshe and he was originally from Israel.

Lee had an amazing litany of facts about the locations we drove by and stories about what used to be in the different locations.

There was heavy traffic which Moshe navigated adroitly reacting quickly to Lee's directional instructions, which I thought sometimes came too late for the turn.

Conservation Gardens, Central Park

Fishing Lake in Central Park

 I think everyone knows how I love the desert and the mountain.  We do enjoy forests and woodlands for visits.  It is hard to describe the feelings I get when visiting New York City.  There is a vibrant quality here that I haven't experienced in other large cities.  I guess it is the mixture of cultures, the hustle and bustle and the feeling of history all rolled together.  It is hard to believe, when looking at New York today, that so much of colonial and early national history is rooted here or within 250 miles.  Our revolution ended less than 50 miles away.

Guggenheim Building

WWI Memorial

Rockefeller Center

Flatiron Building

Empire State Building

Battery Park

Freedom Tower

Moshe and Lee

Lee and Moshe dropped us at the entrance of the Empire State Building.  Our 4 hour tour had turned into 5 hours.












We had VIP Experiance tickets for the Empire State Building.  This got us out of most of the lines but we still had to go through airport like security,  The rain that was forecast hadn't come in but it was windy and cloudy when we were on the observation floor of the Empire State Building.  We did a circle around and then left.

Top of Empire State Building

We planned to take a taxi back to the hotel.  We were foiled in that, we weren't able to flag one down.  The forecast rain was coming so we accepted a pedicab ride.  With traffic and heavy rain it took 20 minutes to get to our hotel.

 We got back to the hotel during a pause in the rain.  We decided to go to Roxy's Diner, just across the street..














Neva and I had Hamburgers and Gerri had a meatloaf sandwich.  While we ate the rain and wind started in earnest.  We watched a parade of umbrellas going by, some inside out.


We got lucky and the rain slackened before we walked back to the hotel.  We were in for the night  After computer chores and reading we called it a night

Thursday October 8, 2015 New York City, New York

Hollis came to the house to pick us up at 4 A, He had already picked up Neva.  After loading our bags he delivered us to the airport in plenty of time to catch our 6:15 Flight.

This is the first day of our planned 13 trip.  Today we are flying via Delta airlines to New York City.  We will change planes in Detroit.  We checked in our bags at the curb.  There was a very short wait for the wheelchairs and then it was off to our gate.  Neva and I have requested wheelchairs for our last several trips because of the limited distances we can walk.  We were pre- cleared though security because of the wheelchairs and we get the perk of pre-boarding.  The flight to Detroit was over three hours so the airline offers menu items at a charge.  Gerri and I shared a turkey and cheese sandwich.  The time between flights in Detroit was brief and we were soon on the airplane to NYC.  This segment was only an hour and a half.  They only offered beverages and pretzels.  Of course Neva saved the day because she always carries “Baby Bell” cheese for snacks. 

We were landed at New York’s La Guardia Airport a little after 4 and met the Princess rep near the baggage claim area.  We had arraigned transportation through the cruise line from the airport to the hotel.  One look at traffic made us glad we weren’t driving.  We have driven in NYC before but that was in the 80’s and on a weekend.  On motorhome trips we have driven through on the expressways.

When we arrived at the Intercontinental Times Square we learned there was a delay on checking in because of a computer glitch .  When the wait was over we were taken to a room, but it was occupied.  Back to the lobby for a different room.  The second room was also occupied.  During this trip back to the lobby we waited there until the bellman was sure of the room.  We were finally in room 2912 by 6:30.  It is a very nice room with a view of midtown and some glimpse of  New Jersey across the Hudson River.

Hotel decor

At Etc. Etc.

As I was checking in Gerri made reservations for dinner at a restaurant a short distance down the street.  We arrived there at 8, the restaurant is named Etcetera Etcetera, a Nuevo Italian.  The food was good but we had no idea what most of the items were.  I played it safe and ordered a rib eye steak.  I don’t think it was as good as the one Keith and I had at Sicilian in Bocco in Morgan Hill, CA.

Pistachio creme brulee for dessert 

View from our room

New Jersey across the Hudson

Back at the hotel we went to bed at about 10 PM EDT, hoping to adjust quickly to the time difference.