9 - Through Hell (Gate) and beyond

So, after about a month in Staten Island, we untied the lines to continue our adventures.  We got to sail under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (the same one we'd walked under a few weeks before when we first arrived).

We then sailed past lady liberty and Ellis Island and found a great anchorage right behind the statue to have lunch and wait for the tide to change before taking on the East River and an area called Hell Gate!

After about 3 hours, the tide started to switch and we pulled up anchor .  The mouth to the East River (which separates Manhattan and Brooklyn) was very busy with barges and ferries and was a little hairy at first.  Once we'd gone under the Brooklyn Bridge (again, the one we got to ride bikes over a few weeks ago), the traffic had mostly died and was down to just us and a couple of barges.

 

It was really fun to also go under the cable car tram that runs over to Roosevelt Island that we'd taken just  a few days before with our Cocoa Beach peeps

 

 

Next came Hell Gate.  This is an area where the Harlem River (runs from the Hudson to the East River), the East River and the Long Island Sound all converge.  With the various tidal swings and currents, this area has seen it's share of boat wrecks.  Our illustrious captain timed the passage such that we arrived at the Gate just at slack current (the current can rip through there at up to 5 knots so we really needed it to be slack or at least slowly flowing in the direction we were going).  Well, after all of the build up, we cruised through with absolutely no issues and found ourselves at the southwestern most point of  Long Island Sound just in time for happy hour, sunset and a full moon rising!

The next morning we pulled up anchor and sailed to Port Jefferson, NY.  An adorable town southeast  of Southport, CT (our next planned stop).  We got a complimentary town dock mooring ball for 2 nights and really enjoyed walking the town as well as the surrounding beach areas.  The beaches (they face the Long Island Sound not the Atlantic Ocean) are covered in wonderfully smooth and colorful rocks.  We were able to find a brewery in town (and even managed sneak in around the yoga class they were having out front - not that we wouldn't or at least shouldn't have joined in but we weren't dressed properly).  Next, we found a great seafood restaurant where we got a really good lobster roll and a fish and chips.  We were happy cruisers!

 

The next morning, we untied from our mooring ball and had a great sail (at least the first couple of hours) over to Southport, CT to the Pequot Yacht Club where we met with our friends Doug and Sandy Bissett again (word of warning - if you're nice to cruisers the first time, they just keep coming back and this time even brought dirty laundry)!!

 

 

As we type this, we are sitting on their fabulous deck overlooking the Long Island Sound house-sitting while Sandy is off to work and Doug is out running errands.  Not a bad gig!!!  We plan to stay here are least one more night before heading further up the Long Island Sound.  We have way more stops on our list than we have time for so we'll see how far we can get before we have to turn around and head back south.  Until next post!

8 - Livin’ La Viva Local!!!!

Well, it’s absolutely true!  Time does indeed fly when you’re having fun!  Our NYC month is over and we’re heading out tomorrow morning to transit the East River and an area called Hell Gate on our way north into Long Island Sound.  We’ll let you know more about that next post but we're really hoping it doesn’t live up to its name!

Anyway, the past 2 weeks flew by.  Gary had to (yes, literally) fly to Kansas to meet a client so MaryAnn decided to fly to Louisville to have her family entertain her while he was gone!  

As soon as we got back, we were invited to our first New York roof top dinner party! The food, view and company were all amazing and we got about 20 recommendations for restaurants and areas to visit (apparently, we’ll have to come back)! 

The next night we found a Shakespeare in the Park production of Romeo and Juliette so we had to go see that.  Very well done and the setting overlooking the Hudson River was gorgeous. 

That afternoon, we'd found a wallet on the street as we were biking to the train.  We left a note on the car near where the wallet lay and found a phone number using the address from the wallet.  It belonged to a young man who was so happy to hear we'd found it.  We arranged to meet when we took the train back that night and when he met us at the train station, he brought a bouquet of flowers.    They were so pretty we just had to take a picture.  What a thoughtful gesture!

Next, our fabulous friends Janice, Rick, Michelle and Larry from Cocoa Beach came up to play with us and we managed to pack in as much fun as is humanly possible.  The weekend started with an offer to stay in the house of Andy, Courtney, Isla and Harper Bissett (Andy is the son of our friends Doug and Sandy) while they were away for a family wedding. 

 

Harper (the adorable black lab) was planning to go to doggie daycare but we convinced his parents to let us watch him.  Can’t get more local than living in totally fabulous huge condo (in a converted 1900 book binding building) in an adorable happening area and having your own dog to walk!  We loved every minute of it!!!

 We rendezvoused with our CB peeps and we were off!  We met up with Michelle’s cousin Nicole and her husband Koran who live in New Jersey and they spent the next several hours acting as our tour guides and showing us where to get 2 for 1 martinis at happy hour (and really great truffle fries to go with it). 

 

 We then took the cable car over to Roosevelt Island.  This little known mode of transport over the East River to the tiny island was really fun and accessible with our Metro Cards (the cards we used for the Subway, etc.).  Totally worth the trip!   

 

After dinner in Koreatown, they took us to a great rooftop bar with amazing views of the city and the Empire State Building!

 The next day after more sightseeing, we took the Staten Island Ferry (they’d never been) and this time we actually went to see the 911 memorial on Staten Island referred to as ‘The Postcards”.  It was very nice to see and touching tribute. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We came back and then headed to Chinatown and Little Italy (yes, we had to eat in both)!  After walking around there, we headed back to our NYC home so that we could host our own rooftop party (it rained so the party was mostly contained to the inside but no less fun).  It was so great to be able to invite people back to “our place”!

Our last day as locals, we took Harper to the dog park (we actually did this at least twice every day because he was adamant that it's what all New Yorkers do) and then off to Lowe’s to get a tool we needed.  Again, just another Sunday morning in NYC!!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We met up with the gang and walked the Chelsea Market and Pier, Greenwich Village and back to Times Square area in our quest for the perfect pizza.  Found a great one in an old converted cathedral.  Great pizza in a great setting,  Lastly, Koran took us to a quaint little bourbon bar so we could get a nightcap before we had to check out (yes, they came home and wanted their house and dog back!!!!) and head back to Staten Island leaving the gang to find a cigar bar and their own way back to their hotel.

 

What an amazing time and we cannot thank Andy and Courtney enough for the house, Janice, Rick, Michelle and Larry for coming up and Nicole and Koran for showing us around everywhere!  We honestly, have the absolute best taste in friends! 

Well….. until next post!

7 - The Big Apple!!!!

We arrived in NYC (harbor at least) and started looking for a marina for a month (thought that would give us time to really explore).  Ouch!!!!  First marina that we found that could take us quoted a rate of $9000!!!!!  That is not a typo!!  He then called back and said that the monthly discounted rate is only $6000!!!!   We politely declined and managed to get a slip at Mansion Marina in Staten Island for the month for $1500 (still about double what we would have paid in central FL but a bargain for the area).  We've now been here about 2 weeks are are having a blast.

The marina is about a mile from the Staten Island Rail (train that traverses the middle of the island and takes us directly to the St. George Station for the Staten Island Ferry) or just a block and a half away from the express bus stop that goes straight into Manhattan.   Makes it pretty convenient (as long as you have a MetroCard). 

On our first day, we walked to the train, took the ferry to Manhattan and then walked around the financial district and Chinatown.  Found a great spot for lunch in Chinatown and ordered by pointing at the pictures.  It was something noodlish and some great dumplings followed by a coconut cream filled pastry thingy. Yummy! Chinatown is so authentic that MaryAnn was surprised they took our dollars (I know it's funny but it really felt as if we were in another country - Yes, Pedro laughed).  We then walked through little Italy (need to go back for food) and found our way back to the WTC memorial.  If you've not seen this yet, you need to.  It's really very well done and very moving.

On our second day here, we walked to the train and took it to the Staten Island boardwalk (no offense to Staten Island but you're not missing anything if you've never been there).  We followed the boardwalk to the end and then walked the beach.  The only really cool thing about the beach was the sea glass everywhere. If you need any for a craft project, this is the place to go.  We did see deer on the beach so I guess two cool things.  We followed the beach until it ended and then found a path that took us under the  Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (that was pretty cool to see from that angle)

 and then found an old fort (forgot that name of it but it's no longer open to the public so we didn't get to go inside). 

The next day, MaryAnn decided that we needed bikes so we found 2 used ones. The trains, ferries and subways all allow the bikes (as long as you don't bring them at rush hour), so it makes it a great way to get around.



 We took the bikes to Manhattan and then across the Brooklyn Bridge (really cool).








  Because the temperature was close to 100 that day, Pedro decided to ride a couple more miles through Brooklyn to find a local brewery.  Another day, we took the bikes over to Manhattan and took the fabulous bike path (that crosses most of the island) to and completely around Central Park. We found a great Indian restaurant for dinner and then road through Times Square.  We told a neighbor from our marina what we'd done and he commented that he's lived in Staten Island his entire life (70+ years) and had never done any of that.

  

For July 4th, we knew we had to go Manhattan for the incredible fireworks show that was being publicized.  The park that touted the best visibility (at least from the ground level) was so packed (3 hours before the show started) that we walked until we found a great spot near the UN building and had a very decent view (there was a tree blocking some of it but we missed the majority of the crowd so a worthy trade off).  By the time we got through the crowds and took a subway, ferry, train and bike home, it took us about 3 hours!!  Still worth it!

Our friends Doug and Sandy Bissett from Cocoa are originally from Fairfield, CT and still live there part of the year.  They allowed us to invite ourselves up for an amazing weekend!!!!  We decided to take the express bus into Manhattan (we'd previously always taken either the train or a bus and the ferry).  While it's hard to get excited about a bus ride, this was fun because we got to go over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and the express bus gets to fly by most of the traffic so we got there in less than an hour.  From the bus stop, we took the subway to Brooklyn to find a dim sum restaurant we'd read about.  Totally worth the trip!!!  While we have very little idea what we ate, we loved most of the dishes.
 

Next, we decided to find the best chocolate cake in NYC to take to our weekend hosts and reviews pointed us to the Lady Bird Bakery for the Brooklyn Blackout Cake.  Well that took 3 subway transfers and a short walk but we found it.  With our cake in hand (well a large box and a sturdy bag), we headed towards Grand Central Station for a train to CT (that took 3 more subway transfers but we made it).  If you've never been, you really should at least walk into the station.  They have the signs of the zodiac on the ceiling and it's lit up to appear to be stars (couldn't get any good pictures, you'll have to go see it).  Really pretty!  Anyway, an easy 1 hour train ride and we were in CT.  WOW!!!!  The town is adorable, their house is amazing (literally views of water from every single room in the house)

and we met some of the nicest people.  We got to lunch at the yacht club, browse great farmer's markets and attended a fabulous garden party.

 Doug even took us back to the train (part of the way at least) by boat.  Neither of us had ever been to CT but it's undoubtedly one of the prettiest places we've ever been!!! 

So, just to help everyone keep count on the number of buses, subways and train transfers required to get to lunch, pick up a cake and get to CT.  From Staten Island we took the X8 bus (at 9:30 am) to downtown Manhattan and transferred to the W subway to Brooklyn for lunch.  After lunch, we took the N subway up to transfer to an R subway and then to a F subway for the cake, which was still in Brooklyn.  Now with cake in hand, we jumped on a G subway, transferred over to an L subway and then to a 6 in Manhattan to Grand Central Station (also to help you out, numbered subways general run north and south while lettered subways general run east and west).  Once at GCS we took the North Metro Rail (at 3:02 pm) out to CT and then a car ride to our friends house.  In order to get back to Staten Island we had to take two boat rides in CT (one on Doug's and one on the club's launch), car ride to the train station, then the North Metro Rail back to GCS and then walked down to Union Square (for farmers market and lunch) then to an  X1 bus stop that took us pretty much right back to the marina on Staten Island.  So, that was 8 transfers to get to CT plus a train ride and a car ride, then two boat rides, one car ride, one train ride, walk and one bus ride to get back to SI.  No need for a car in the City, the buses, trains, ferries and subways make it easy, fast (maybe not) and fun.

Until next post!