Bucket List: New York City!

It was a very special feeling when we came in sight of New York City. I have to pinch myself sometimes never imagining we would be here on our boat we brought from California. Seeing the city, Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island as we came in New York harbor was surreal. We stayed on the New Jersey side in a marina called Liberty Landing. We had a great spot overlooking Manhattan and the new World Trade Center. It also was one of the most expensive marinas we have ever stayed. You only do it once, right? The good news was that our son Michael and family were flying in to stay with us for a week. They arrived around 5:00 pm and after settling in we enjoyed the view on top of the fly bridge with some adult drinks. It was what we needed seeing family again after so long. Next day we took the ferry into the city, first stop is the 911 memorial. There are no words to describe seeing these two pools, where each tower stood, that cascade down to a bottomless pit. Beautiful yet so poignant of a reminder of what happened. The new World Trade Center is almost completed and is now the tallest building in New York City. We boarded one of those double decker buses that take you around Manhattan and stop every couple of miles. You can get off and on at any stop it makes. We got off at Rockefeller Center and walked over to Times Square. The good thing is I can say I saw it but couldn't wait to get away from thousands of people doing the same thing. We boarded the bus again to get back to where we started to have dinner and then head back to the boat. Next day we woke to rain and waited till 11:00 am before we left again to hit the city. We went to Toys R Us that has a ferris wheel inside the store. Carter was such a good boy we got him a toy for his patience of walking all day and never complaining. If you're five years old, there's not a whole lot of interest in touring NY. Next day Jan and I watched Dylan. Mike, Jess, and Carter went into the city to go to the Museum of Natural History and Central Park. I probably could go into a lot more but it would take forever and I'm sure no one wants to hear details, but if you have never been to NY City I would recommend it. I know we only saw a fraction but maybe someday we can return and see much more. Now it's time to head up the Hudson River let Mike, Jess, and the kids experience what we do as we continue our adventure.