Venture Bound NYC One Year On The Boat Days 15-18

Friday Day 15 May 17, 2024

Off to NYC….If we can make it there……

Well, as I said in the last post I rented a car to go from Atlantic City to NYC!! I felt much better. Tammie and I had lunch while waiting for the guys to arrive at Liberty Landing Marina. It was amazing to watch Venture approach Manhattan. The marina is actually in Jersey City, NJ. but has an incredible view of Manhattan. And the night view…..just WOW! This is our tenth time at this marina and I am always amazed by this view. In the past I have been on Venture when arriving. I always feel so small in the NYC harbor. To see the city, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty from the water and from our own vessel….speechless! So, to watch Venture arrive was a treat.

Normally we fuel up and dock but today Keith picked us (I felt ready to get on the boat by then) and we took a tour, with our friends, on the East river. It felt good to share what I have learned and experienced throughout our trips to the City with them. They were thrilled. We then returned home (the marina for 4 nights), docked and had dinner at Maddy Rose. Yummy! Finished the night with a little Bailey’s on the flybridge. Successful and safe day.

Saturday Day 16

A day in New York City!!

Well, there are so many things to do in NYC. I thought we had all been there before. I thought our friends had but many many years ago. I figured they already had done the typical attractions. So, I looked for things they probably had not done. I was wrong. They had never been to NYC and had never done the Empire State Building, Time Square, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, a show on Broadway, museums, etc. I felt so bad. t I had never even double checked with them. They forgave me……..

What we did do was a wonderful and they loved it. So did we. There is a ferry you can take from the marina but they don’t run on the weekends. We had to take Ubers back and forth. They were not cheap. They were any where from $30 to $100 depend on time of day and where we were going. We had this one dropped us off in front of the Conrad hotel right next to Ground Zero. That was our first stop. We took a street tour around One World Trade Center formally known as Freedom Tower. The tour started at St Paul’s Chapel. It was a very informative tour. We booked the tour directly through the museum website and our tour guide, Ray was a riot. Definitely got a New York fix from him. When the tour was finished we went down below to the 911 Ground Zero Museum. This museum is an amazing tribute to the ones who lost their lives September 11, 2001. It’s very emotional to go through. I don’t think there is anyone in the United States who doesn’t remember where they were when our country was attacked. It’s hard to keep emotions in check when walking through and seeing all the faces and names of the people we lost. May they rest in peace.

By the way the Conrad hotel is quite beautiful. They have a roof top bar called Loopy Doopy that has a beautiful view of the Hudson River. They are known for a special drink called Poptails! A cocktail with a popsicle in it. They are good and fun to drink. We weren’t able to go because it wasn’t open when we’re there yet but check it out next time you are in the downtown area of the city.

When we came out we were a bit lost for words but we had tickets to our next stop. A stop to change the mood. We had tickets to the Broadway show MJ. Michael Jackson. It was a great thing to go to after. We barely made it on time though. Traffic was a bear like normal. It was a fun show and I was dancing in my seat quite a few times. It was a bit long, 2 1/2 hrs with a 20 mins. intermission. We came out starving since we did not have time to have lunch in between events so popped in the first place we saw. Carnegie Diner. We were hoping for a typical NY deli but this hit the spot. They had incredible sandwich, soups and salads. Followed by a long Uber ride back to the boat.

Sunday Day 17

Another day planned in the city. We started with a tour of the Grand Central Station. Our tour guide, who came to NYC to become a comedian, was wonderful. She spoke extremely fast and was funny. The station was beautiful to walk through. we learned about the Vanderbilts. and Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis’ interest in the historic preservation of the station. We saw the new area that has the longest escalator in the MTA system. The Market. And how about $4.99 for an avocado?? It was all very interesting. We had some time in between the station and our next activity so grabbed a slice of Pizza and walked the Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Checked that out quickly and walked back to explore the Summit at the Vanderbilt. Wow! What cool thing to do. The view of the city, from the 91st floor, was breathtaking. We were surrounded by mirrors and glass. which created this reflection from wall to wall and ceiling to floor. they made us put covers on our shoes not to damage the floors. The activities are on the 91st and 92nd floors and every floor had several rooms to explore new and exciting creative ideas. It was busy. The 93rd floor has a bar and outside space to relax with a cocktail.