We
passed The Statue of Liberty on our approach up the Hudson River at 4.45 am.
Needless to say I was not one of the intrepid who were on deck at that hour to
see her. Nor was I one of the first to see Manhattan when we docked at Pier 90
at 6am. But when I surfaced there it was right outside our balcony. The
skyscrapers of The Big Apple.
We
knew everyone had to go face to face with USA Border Security in the Cruise
Terminal before we actually set foot on USA soil, so we were up early enough to
be available at 9.15am when it was indicated those going ashore independently
would commence interviews after all the Princess Tour Groups had set out.
Before
that it was announced that there was a back-up of passengers waiting in the
lounge, so we should leave it a bit later to go down and pick up our numbered
‘Going Ashore’ tickets. We presented ourselves at the Lounge and picked up
tickets 345 and 346. They had barely started at Number 1 yet!
We
took ourselves to The Lounge Area in the Deck 5 Atrium and had hot chocolate
sitting there while we waited. And waited. Eventually Bruce went off to check
at the gangway to see what number they were up to. We still had 100 more
numbers to go. Because I was riding the electric scooter – which is described
as a “wheelchair”- the security at the exit eventually called us up a bit
earlier than our numbered tickets.
So
we proceeded to the Cruise Centre where interviews were happening. There were
about 25 Border Security Officers interviewing passengers, and the holding area
was full of people in one of those
airport zig-zag queues inside tapes. As it’s a bit hard to drive the scooter
round and round the zig-zags an officer took us up to the front where the
queues finished and we waited there until someone called us to go to an officer
who was available at our end of the row of interview desks. That was a piece of
luck for us.
We
presented passports and the required documentation. He called me up, took my
photo –without glasses – to compare with the photo on the passport. I must say
if he thought I looked like the passport photo I’d be offended. The passport
photo looks like one of the three witches from Macbeth. Then came the finger
printing. Right hand four fingers, then thumb. Left hand four fingers and
thumb. They weren’t clear enough, so we did it all again with him leaning over
to press my fingers harder onto the glass one by one.
Then
it was Bruce’s turn. No photo and no finger printing. Why? No idea. In the
middle of the documentation being checked, a single voice from the pack of
bored passengers called out “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!” and most of the bored
pack responded with the obligatory “Oi! Oi! Oi!” The Security Officer (covered
in his medals and Id stuff) jerked his head up, half stood, and reached for his
gun. Pause. Nothing further happened in the bored pack. Was he expecting the
revolution to start on the signal?
Anyway,
he was not amused. He took his hand away from his gun, sat down, glared at
Bruce and demanded to know “What was that about?”
He
was hardly mollified by the explanation that it was a harmless cry of national
identity that began in 2000 Olympic Games.
On
our way through the cruise terminal to the street we were greeted by two far
more relaxed Security people, who told us the cool 16°C was a very welcome
relief from the 100°F they have had for a week. We turned right onto 12th
Avenue – where there was a wide ‘Cycle Path’ with both directions marked – and
set out along the waterfront for Pier 83.
Next
along from our Pier 90 we met crowds lining up to visit Pier 88 where the
Aircraft Carrier USS ‘Intrepid’ was now moored as a museum showcasing its own
past, restored aircraft, a submarine, a British Concorde Jet, and a Space
Shuttle Pavilion. No wonder there were keen crowds lined up.
Pier
83 boasted its address as West 42nd Street. A prestigious address: 12th Avenue and 42nd
Street. This was the Pier of the Circle
Line Sightseeing Cruises. We bought tickets on the 3 hour Full Island
Cruise in New York Harbour.
It was quite a big ferry. Several hundred
passengers crowded both decks. Lots of young people in groups from some
Universities having a good day out on
their ‘New York Excursion’ Trips. (‘Old
Teacher’ comment.)
The
windows were large and clear, and the views good. The commentary pointed out
the significant Manhattan tall buildings as we passed: The Empire State
Building, The new National September 11 Memorial Tower at the World Trade Centre
site, Brooklyn Bridge. We came to Ellis
Island where so many Immigrants came ashore until 1954. Then the magnificent
views of the Statue of Liberty herself. It was an unreal feeling to see her out
there, up close enough to pick out the people in the queues lined up to go to
the top. Something so familiar from magazines and movies – and now just over
there across the water.
We
went under umpteen bridges – great and small – and were very carefully slow
under some of the older bridges as there wasn’t much clearance for our ferry.
We passed skyscrapers, apartment buildings everywhere and less densely
populated areas with impressive looking houses on the banks.
By
3.30pm we were back at Pier 83 where there seemed to be lots of people lined up
for the next Ferry trip. One very large ferry which advertised itself as
‘Dinner Cruises’ had tied up in front of our ferry, so we guessed the
multitudes in a long, long line were waiting to embark. Again there were lots of young people in the
queues. Well dressed young people this time. Older Uni students on a cruise and
dinner? By then the wind was whistling along the wharf and the temperature was
still very unpleasant for cocktail dresses. But they were young and excited.
From
there it did not take us long to go back along 12th Avenue up to the
Sea Princess at Pier 90.
That evening from
5.30 there was a ‘Sail-Away’ commentary on Deck and TV by Hutch – the Future
Ports Lecturer – except this time it was Hutch’s own city he was describing.
When we were out in the Atlantic Ocean and Hutch had finished, we went up to
Level 14 for some dinner. So did most of the other passengers who had all been
listening to Hutch. Up there we met the Dining Room waiters who had been re-allocated to help as the
Dining Rooms were almost empty.
There were long
queues and the quest for a table when you finally had some food was long and
frustrating.
Now and in the
lifts we heard the stories of how long people had to wait for their Security Clearance. We were lucky enough to
go off at 11.30, so we were in time for the Circle Line Cruise at 12.30. One
couple said they walked off just after 7.30am before the big rush of Princess
Tours people came. They were lucky. Others told of waiting hours till their
number came up. One very cross grouchy man in a lift said he didn’t get off
till 1 o’clock after he’d had lunch.
One thing all
agreed on was we hoped there wasn’t the same performance when we get to Los
Angeles and Hawaii later on in the trip.