OCT 21 Portland Maine

 After leaving New York we sailed to Boston where we stopped yesterday. A line of thunderstorms came through shortly after we docked, reds and yellows on the radar. It kept raining until a couple of hours before we departed. We had planned to walk the Freedom Trail there, but never left the ship. Some people who did came back soaked. Good day to stay aboard.

Today we have moved on to Portland ME and the weather is wonderful. We are booked on an excursion to see lighthouses but it doesn't leave for a couple of hours so we walked around the city for a bit. Autumn is certainly in the air and the trees.

Customs House

On to the excursion, the first lighthouse is Bug Light. It's small, it's as cute as a bug

Portland skyline from the Bug Light.

The lighthouses are right on the approach path to Portland International

In this area around Bug Light which is now a park was the WW2 shipyard that built hundreds of Liberty Ships. These simple, 10,000 ton cargo ships were the answer to all of the ship losses early in the war to U-boats. This yard had 16 slipways and once they got going could build a ship in 10 days to two weeks on each slipway.

 

 The second stop is the Spring Point Ledge Light, slightly larger than the Bug Light. 

 

Maine's rocky coastline

Portland Head Lighthouse

On a late afternoon sail away we went past all of these lighthouses again. Here's Bug Light with the Liberty Ship monument back near the trees.

Fort Gorges in the harbor

Spring Point Ledge Light

Portland Head

 

 

 

 

 

 

OCT 18 Allura

 Today we boarded Allura, the newest ship in the Oceania family. Through no fault of our own we ended up in a cabin toward the very aft end of the ship. The veranda is larger for the rooms here at the back. There's room for a lounger. Now if the weather is warm this will be nice. But we're heading north.

View from our balcony while still in port.

Sail away at 6pm, and we're in twilight as we go down the Hudson. Empire State Building

Allura's pool

One World Trade Center

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oct 17 NYC

 Our last day in the city, and another walking tour, this time to midtown.

 We passed through the garment district with two street art exhibits.

Needle Threading a Button 

 

 The Garment Worker

Macy's main store

Empire State Building, built in just one year. It was also hit by an airplane during WW2. One of ours on a foggy day got lost and hit the upper portion of the building.

 The Flatiron Building, the original NYC skyscraper is currently undergoing renovation and is "wrapped" to contain debris.

At the Port Authority Bus Terminal we have TV's most famous bus driver, Ralph Kramden prtrayed by Jackie Gleason.

 

Halloween decorations in the city 

Five performers cover 92 different characters, many of them in cross gender roles. It's hard to imagine making WW2 a musical comedy, but here it is done well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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October 16 NYC

 Today it's to the south for the 9/11 Memorial and all the things downtown. We took a cab rather than walk the 5 miles.

The 9/11 Memorial, this is the North Tower location

The Oculus, the World Trade Center transportation hub

The interior. It looked like they were setting up some form of trade show exhibition inside.

9/11 Museum. Some of the columns from the WTC at the entrance

The slurry wall built to surround the WTC during its construction to keep the Hudson River from flooding the lower levels.

The symbolic "last column" removed the site

The Survivor Staircase provided a path for hundreds of people to flee the WTC

Foundation of the WTC south tower 

Part of the communications tower from atop the WTC on 9/11

There were several crushed pieces of rescue equipment on display

One World Trade Center is the tallest building in America

Trinity Church

Trinity Church and Wall Street, originally the northern end of the city of NY. This is where the wall stood.

New York Stock Exchange

Fearless Girl is facing the Stock Exchange

Charging Bull, symbol of Wall Street

Most of the Battery was closed due to rebuilding of the shoreline. The Statue of Liberty was visible through a couple of viewports in the construction fencing.

We lunched at Fraunces Tavern which had once served as George Washington's headquarters.

After another cab ride, this time going north back to the hotel and a restorative nap, we dined at Tony's Di Napoli restaurant. The portions were huge, served family style. The two of us couldn't eat all of a single entree. You can see some examples at the neighboring tables. Unfortunately, it was LOUD. Solid surfaces all around, lots of diners and conversations, and some people who had been over-served at a neighboring table. Still a good meal.

Since we had never seen it, we went to the Minskoff Theater to see the Lion King. Well Done.

 

 

 

October 15 NYC

We came to NYC armed with lots of walking tours so this morning we headed north towards Central Park. New for me are the very tall and very thin buildings of Billionaire's Row just south of the Park.

The Pond (no, really, the person in charge of naming was tired that day)

The thinnest building in the world, 24:1 ratio of height to width for the Steinway Tower in the middle.

Gapstow Bridge

Bethesda Fountain topped by Angel of the Waters

And apparently a popular spot for wedding photos.

Bow Bridge

Hansom cab through the park

Tribute to John Lennon at the entrance nearest the Dakota. A busker was sitting on the bench and singing McCartney-Lennon songs the entire time we were there.

The Dakota apartment building, where John and Yoko lived. John was shot to death just outside the entrance on the left.

This was a great show performed on one of the theaters of the New World Stages, capacity 400. In addition to the performances, I was impressed with the way the stunts were performed. There was a lot of behind the scenes technology making things fall on command.