As we left the terminal, we got a
great view of Lower Manhattan. We also saw a cruise trip coming into port. What
we didn’t get was any commentary but I suppose we could have found an audio
guide if we tried. But our main objective was to get a selfie in front of the
statue; a hard feat to achieve without a selfie stick and when you’re in
motion. It’s another downside of taking public transportation; if we’d taken a
tourist boat there would have probably been a stop for photo opportunities. But
we did get some great shots of Ellis Island and the Manhattan skyline. Upon
arrival, we wanted to remain on the ferry for the short journey back, but the
crew were asking us to leave as they already had people queuing up to get on.
However, we got off quick enough and managed to walk around to the back of the
queue and get back on the same vessel anyway.
Sure enough, a knock was soon to
be heard at the door. It started off quite timid at first as if in consideration
for the people in the other rooms; not that they weren’t asleep anyway, then
soon became a more confident thump. Lucinda wondered if this would be a timid
fellow who had come to check out the noise or a more enforcing guard who had come
to enforce the law. Whoever it was, she had to dispose of them without disturbing
Luke. Using a plump pillow that was smaller than her left breast, she slowly
eased it under Luke’s head, then lifted it to extract herself from underneath
him. Then she lowered him gently back down to the remains of the bed, guiding
her hand across his back as she did so. The last thing that she wanted at this
point was for Luke to wake up, so she grabbed a towel robe that was hanging off
the door and wrapped it around the top of her legs.
The ferry terminal was quite
modern. There were ticket booths on the ground floor, then you travelled
upstairs to a central seating area while you waited for your gate to be called.
As our ferry was free, we didn’t need a ticket to board. There were a number of
concession stands in the walls, while the waterside gates didn’t offer much of
a view while they were closed. We only had to wait half an hour for the next
ferry, and as the time approached, a crowd begun to form in front of the
suspected gate. As the seats weren’t reserved, we joined the crowd ready to
walk on the instant that the gates opened so that we didn’t miss out. Unfortunately,
all of the seating was towards the centre of the boat, but we did manage to get
a standing spot on the starboard side of the boat by a window.
What would be the first thing to
go wrong in your new car? Obviously, this would be a flawed question as you don’t
know the people who have gone into the making of it. My old man had a brand new
beamer from new that he sent back three times because of a manufacturing fault,
and of course once you’ve registered for the car you’re stuck with it, chassis
number and all; and it’s far easier for the dealer to get it repaired than take
it back for a new one like you would with a broken kettle. But let’s say you’re
lucky enough to be given a flawless model. My first bet would be the tyres. We’ve
had a fiesta in the family from new and the first thing that went was the
tyres. I’ve had the fluid changed over the years but only because the garage
recommends you to which prevents something much more expensive going wrong in
the long term.
We set off on foot once more,
this time in the direction of the ferry. We briefly touched Wall Street but
that didn’t interest Mum so we kept going as it was a long walk. We paused only
to get a goofy picture of us posing next to a plastic model of the Statue of
Liberty outside of a bakery. We passed a man in a tour uniform who was trying
to sell us tickets to Liberty Island. The thing is that you can hitch a lift on
the ferry for free as it sails past the island, but if you want to set foot on
it then you need to take a tourist boat. As Mum was happy with just a sea view
we carried on towards the ferry. We walked through Battery Park for Mum’s first
glimpse of the statue, passing the Sea CArousel on the way, then we headed into the ferry terminal to see
about our crossing.
It seems so. It’s only an elite
few who can elect our new Prime Minister. The rest of us have had to accept it,
and the only other option was to write to persuade these privileged few to
influence their vote. And now he’s suspended all rights to discussing Brexit with
the belief that he can get it done with a deal. It’s a bold ambition, and we do
need a deal. I feel that we do need to need Europe, but we need more time to
prepare. We need to ensure that British manufacturing is capable of getting up
and running again after being dormant for so long, and that’s certainly not
going to happen overnight. What we need is more time to come up with a proper
plan, and a month’s delay certainly isn’t going to achieve it, unless there’s
something else that they’re not telling us. Perhaps they need more money to
build that secret bunker. It’s certainly a dirty way to go about it.
It’s our first full day of visiting
New York. After a hearty breakfast, we meet our guide outside our hotel who has
arranged tickets for a sightseeing bus. She hands out our passes then explains
that a bike race is taking part in the city, preventing the bus from completing
its usual circuit. Our goal for the day was to get a glimpse of the Statue of
Liberty, calling in at Ground Zero on the way. The bus gets us as far as Canal
Street, then we crossed fifteen blocks on foot to reach the World Trade Center,
passing an amazing building that looked like it had been built out of glass Jenga
blocks. We arrived in the square to see two gaping holes, of which the sound of
the city’s hustle and bustle had been drained out by the roar of water falling
into giant reflecting pools below, while the new Freedom Tower stretched up subtlety.
A few people were ascending escalators into a nearby fancy building, and we
asked a passing patrolman what was up there. His response was: ‘Why don’t you
go and see’? Not convinced by his answer, we decided to move on.
