NYC: The Bucket List
Doing it all... Part Two
We had been anchored behind the Statue of Liberty in New York City’s harbor for two nights. In case you missed it, I wrote about that in Part One:
New York City! The morning!
It was blowing harder than it had in a while, and Bill said it was time to get Avemar into a more protected area. Nearby, there was a little cove on the other side of Ellis Island. We decided to move on the spot.
As soon as we pulled up the anchor-BOOM!-the storm hit.
Wind roared and rain poured sideways while we sailed through the busy harbor. You can imagine the crazy that came with that. Surprisingly, it was FUN!
I was on the helm because Bill had to rearrange some things for the new anchorage. It was a WILD ride. But we did finally get the hook down, and continued our day.
That was a work day for me, and I had a Zoom meeting. I usually work at our dining room table, but the storm still had the cove rocking and rolling, and I could anchor myself better inside the boat for a call at the nav desk. I was Zooming along with a few students sitting with the navigation instruments behind me.
Suddenly, I feel Bill staring at me while I was on the call. I glanced up and was trying to give me a signal of some sort. I was not getting it, so I asked the students to give me a minute. I muted and asked Bill what was going on.
He said, “We are dragging. A lot!”
There was another boat too close to us for comfort, and the sea wall too close from the other side.
I hopped back on my Zoom call and wrapped things up quickly. Then Bill and I jumped into action for the second time that day. We moved Avemar again, and when the anchor finally set.
We heaved a sigh of relief. That was an exhausting day.
Then next morning dawned calm, clear and bright. When we woke up, we got right to the trip.
We took the iconic ride again to the ferry. And this time, I was snapping pictures to preserve the moment.
Today: I was a tourist.
Coffee and breakfast would have to wait until we were in NYC.
The dinghy ride was wet, but I didn’t care. I got a little nervous because the ferries were so close that people were shouting greetings to us AND I COULD HEAR THEM.
We motored to the dinghy dock, locked up, and then hopped ON a ferry bound for New York City.
It was a quick ride across the Hudson River. We stepped off the ferry, and I was captivated by a strange, floating garden. After walking around it, I finally discovered its name: The Irish Hunger Memorial.
I read every word of this memorial, and it took a while. I felt unusually connected to this spot, so we walked all the way through it. One of the highlights of The Irish Hunger Memorial is a piece of a home from Dublin, Ireland. I highly recommend finding your way to this gorgeous spot in New York City, especially if your lineage is Irish.
My hunger pangs convinced me it was time to move on.
The walk along the Hudson River through The Battery Park Esplanade and Rockefeller Park was a dream. I started smiling from the moment we saw people playing ping pong in the park.
Our next encounter was with a children’s music class. I haven’t mentioned this, but I taught Kindermusik for a decade, and those years were definitely a highlight. The children were dancing with their families, while the teacher’s played guitars and led them in song. Heartwarming memories flooded my mind. I smiled and hummed with them as we walked along.
We popped out of that beauty into the crazy NYC morning traffic. What a contrast. But seeing the sights the traffic made the noise worthwhile.
Sullivan Street Bakery provided our breakfast.
I had always dreamed of eating breakfast at a NYC bakery. So we had done our research and chose the best of the best according to the web reviews.
NYC is a nerve-wracking city. We had to dodge cars and bicycles as we went through the cross-walks, and the cars constantly honk. Obnoxious.
The Pain au Chocolat and Cafe au Lait were worth taking my life into my own hands as I crossed the NYC bike lane: worse than car traffic for sure. Crispy and sweet pastry alongside strong, creamy coffee. I also tried some breakfast mini sandwiches that were way outside of my wheelhouse, and they were tasty too. But I chocolate and coffee is the combination that makes my heart the happiest.
Next it was off to the Subway again. I still didn’t love the Subway, but I did see it differently after breakfast and coffee. It is not only quick transportation, but also artistic expression from the mosaics on the walls to the tiles on the floor.
The Museum of Modern Art was our next destination. So I was ready for it.
Did you know that those mosaics in the subway stay beautiful because there are artists who maintain them? So interesting.
We arrived at the MOMA after a short walk through the city. It was a dream come true.
I am a lover of visual art. I cannot create it for the life of me, but I love to bathe in it. In every city I visit, I want to go to a garden and art museum or gallery.
St. Augustine, Florida has a gallery FULL of Dr. Seuss original drawings and other Seussian works. It is among my favorites.
Walking into the MOMA was surreal. I never thought it would happen for me.
Bill is a listener. That’s how this happened. He heard me say it several times, noted it, and figured it out. He is the kindest man I know.
We started where everyone starts Starry Night by Van Gogh.
Bill held our spot in line to see it, and I walked around loving many works of art I have never seen and artists I had never heard of. I share my love of art with my girls, and I found a cat for my cat lover.
When it was my turn to get up close to Starry Night, I was surprised to see how textured the sky was. Van Gogh’s mind is astounding to me. I would never have textured the sky. It’s flat to me. But the work was breathtaking, albeit small.
I would have stayed there studying it for much longer, but the line behind me was deep and wide.
We continued to our next destination the Picasso Collection. I was shocked by the humor I found in Picasso’s work. It was mind bending, and I mentally formed many stories as I viewed the pieces. You could see his thoughts progressing in the various stages of some of his pieces. I would love to chat with Picasso.
So many questions.
I would describe Monet’s Water Lillies as astonishingly large. It took up an entire room. Nature is what brings me the most peace, so I had this work on the cover of several journals, so in my mind’s eye it was the same size as Starry Night, which was on another journal cover.
We ended with several amazing pieces of art that I struggle to describe, combining film, sculpture and sound. But the piece that impacted me most was Mike Kelley’s Deodorized Central Mass with Satellites.
I have likely collected as many stuffed animals throughout my three children’s childhoods as Kelley had on display here. But to see them sculpted into these orbs created a fountain of joy in my heart. Each animal I saw that we had or had something similar too brought me back to those days when my kids were small and still held my hand.
Precious moments.
After viewing the exhibits, we hopped over to the MOMA store where I could have purchased one of every item. It was just thrill after thrill. I settled on some books and stickers.
Bill had told me about the cool Apple Store in NYC for a while, so we decided that would be our next stop, and it was conveniently located next to another bucket list item: Central Park.
I was getting tired and hungry, luckily we ran right into the Hot Dog vendor.
Walking through Central Park is just as romantic as they portray in the movies. There are beautiful gardens, huge trees that shade you, and small bodies of water everywhere. If you are a people watcher, then this is the place for you.
Bill and I talked and walked for hours through the park.
Finally, the day was waning, and I was hungry again. So we hit the last place on my list: The Sugar Factory. It sounds like a candy store, but it’s a restaurant with fancy, sweet drinks and American Classics, like the delicious onion rings we ate. Bill played along and got the last item checked off my NYC bucket list.
On our walk back to the ferry, we stopped for a pizza to bring home for dinner.
Waiting for the ferry was a much needed rest after a long day of running around NYC. The ferry ride was beautiful again, and we had a smooth dinghy ride back to Avemar, who stayed safe and sound while we were gone.
We ate our pizza and crashed early. I love NYC, and can’t wait to go back with my girls next year before Christmas! The crowds were a challenge for me, but the longer I am away the more I want to go back.
