New York, New York

We reach land, after a long nine days

The cruise finally came to an end on a cold, very wet Friday morning. We woke to a downpour and views of Manhattan. As we slept, we inched up the Hudson River and docked at Pier 88. We were about to step on to dry land for the first time in nine days. Oh, how we looked forward to that. 

Clearing customs was a lot easier, and quicker than I anticipated. Having gone through customs at US airports previously I expected long lines and questions about why we were here. Where were we staying? How many guns have you in your hand luggage? The kind of stuff you get asked at US customs. Making you sweat and feel as though you shouldn’t be there. 

A friendly welcome to New York city

Not so in New York. A cheery customs officer greeted us, slowly took our fingerprints and we were off. Free to explore New York. The only parting words were a warning about the “taxi” drivers outside. If they accost you, offer to pay half of what they quote. With that in mind we stepped out into the street, immediately approached by a guy with “Uber” written on a Word document on his phone. We had only been at sea for nine days and unless Uber had changed drastically in that time I’m sure you hail an Uber through the app. 

“Ignore them”, I told Vik. 

Crossing at the green light we joined the taxi rank queue across the road. A very lengthy queue that had taxi scammers walking up and down constantly, offering a “good price”. One woman looked tempted but when offered a “good price” of $50 for a short ride, she huffed and walked away. 

We queued for what felt like a very long time. With the queue not getting any shorter and no yellow cabs appearing. Something didn’t feel right. I suspected there was some kind of monopoly on the taxi rank, set up to line the pockets of unofficial taxi drivers. 

“Come on, let’s start walking”, I said to Vik. 

Not the dry land we had hoped for

We had looked so forward to being on dry land, and yet, twenty minutes later we were drenched to the bone. And miserable. Not the dry land we had anticipated. We still had a way to go so we opted to jump on a bus and see where it took us. The bus was warm. Dry. And we could pay with our phones. When we jumped off at Bryant Park, just around the corner from our hotel, our spirits started lifting. 

Bags left at the hotel we went off and started exploring New York city. Along with thousands of others. Christmas is the best time to visit this great city, as long as you don’t mind sharing it with half of the world. Sauntering up 5th Ave in the rain we sought refuge in Trump Towers. A hot coffee and a supersized blueberry muffin compensated somewhat for having to look at Trump’s ugly mug everywhere. 

Have you missed him yet?

The souvenir shop was wall to ceiling with Trump memorabilia. And we haven’t seen the back of him. One of the best sellers were socks advertising his plan to run for the 2024 presidency with the logo “miss me yet?“

Having dried off, warmed up, and humoured the souvenir shop owner, a very pro Trump gentlemen we continued on our way. 

There is something magical about New York at Christmas. The shop decorations at places like Saks, and Macy’s. The holiday markets across the city, and ice rinks at Bryant Park and Central Park. And of course, the Rockefeller Christmas tree. A tree every Christmas lover should see once in their lifetime. 

New York city, one very good cliche

New York has everything. A city that lives up to all the cliches. The big apple delivers an experience unlike other cities around the world. From riding the subway and exploring Time Out Market in Dumbo (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) in Brooklyn, to strolling back across Brooklyn Bridge. It was in the Time Out Market that Victoria had quite possibly the best ever fluffy pancakes. Stacked on top of each other and served with a side of melted maple syrup butter, these were to die for.

Thankfully, New York is a walking city. We explored, and greatly enjoyed the High Line. A public park built on the former freight line that runs high above the street. We ambled through Battery Park and took in views of the famous Statue of Liberty.

We solemnly paid our respects at the Ground Zero memorial, and irreverently paid homage to TV with visits to Carrie Bradshaws apartment, and the apartment building that was used for the exterior shots in the wildly popular Friends show. And I have to mention Times Square. A must visit place. It is madness. And great fun.

New York state of mind

New York is a city you can spend days and weeks in, never getting to see it all. Said to have almost 30,000 restaurants you do the math and work out how long it would be before you would have to eat at the same place twice. Either way, I know you would be guaranteed good pizza, something we indulged in. Well, it was Xmas, after all.

Our visit to New York city passed by in a blur. A very enjoyable blur. We even managed to find a laundrette and left with clean underwear. We were back on the road. To a city I have wanted to visit for a long time. We were headed to Boston.