Circling Manhattan

The Real Thing

Monday began our Circle Tour experience.  Hmmm!  We took an uptown tour with a guide we could barely understand.   Despite this we were taken good care of, issued with capes in case of precipitation and thoroughly entertained.  The tour wasn’t too bad either…   Then it was time to hit the waves again.  Down in Hell’s Kitchen, we boarded a large Circle Line ferry for a 3 hour cruise round Manhattan.  Somehow, and I’m still not sure why, we ended up at the bow (the pointy bit at the front) doing a titanic, jostling with crowds and freezing our butts off.  Afterwards, we made a B line for Finnegan’s Wake for more comfort food and warming reds.  As you do!

  

World Trade Center Re-Build

Day two of our Circle Tour began at Central Park South waiting for a downtown bus.  Although our guide was very good, we wanted to see the World Trade Center site/memorial and pay our respects to colleague and friend, Yvonne K, who was tragically killed in 9/11 (Flight 77).  We searched for a “temporary” memorial but found instead a tourist pay-for-view; very tacky indeed given the circumstances. 

OK, so who let Skippy out again?

Back on the bus, we crossed town for a whirlwind Brooklyn Tour. Departure was delayed as we became embroiled in a stop work/pay dispute.  Our guide was not happy with Management’s managing and had staged a walk-out.  We waited and waited for another bus to arrive.  No such luck.  Cues just got longer and became even more fidgety.  Finally, he decided we could get underway.  Being on board though resembled a trade union meeting attended by a bunch of vocal brickies labourers.  Some fellow travellers fled the bus, others sympathised and we wondered if it was all just good, blue collar theatre. Fair Dinkum!  All I could remember of Brooklyn afterwards was a sign near the zoo with a few bouncing kangaroos.    

 

The sun was setting and we made a dash for the Rockefeller Center which had been suggested by locals as worth a visit.  It was not crowded, had nice views over Central Park and nearby Empire State Building and was quite an architectural gem in its own right.  It was breathtaking.

After taking too many photos, we moved on downtown to Times Square.  We had booked ourselves in for a Broadway treat, The Lion King.  That too was spectacular.

The Cap’n and crew wandered homeward, stopping at JG Melon on 3^rd for a bite to eat.  On the wall was a photo of Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep - sitting at our table, sorting out their divorce!  JG Melon’s had been used for filming some scenes from Kramer Vs Kramer (1979). 

Ahhh, fame is never really far from you in New York!