Cruise: Part IX

Alas, this is the final posting about the excellent cruise. I will have to take another vacation really soon. I enjoy journaling and putting the journal together with pictures in the blog format.

Entry Date, Sunday 11/25. Day IX 9:30am

I don’t have any cell service. It’s loud and crowded and confusing. People yell and the bus station workers try to help people by placing them in lines that don’t look like they go to anything. Most of the people who are leaning on their luggage or sitting on the floor appear to be youngish. College students, probably, who went home for Thanksgiving and are now awaiting their buses back to college.

I was told to stand where I am currently standing, but what starts out as a line becomes more of a group of random people standing together near a wall. I want to get on a bus to Albany… I have a ticket for a 1:30 bus, but I was told that I can catch an earlier one by standing here. A young guy standing in front of me (assuming this is in fact a line) is concerned about getting to Plattsburgh by way of Albany. He said his ticket was for a later bus and he went to a counter and paid 35 dollars to have it switched to an earlier time. I told him that I didn't do that and he said he was going to be pissed if he finds out he spent 35 dollars that he didn't have to spend.

The night before the vacation, I could barely sleep because I was very excited. For some reason, I couldn’t sleep last night either. I’m glad I didn’t (never thought I’d say that!).

I gave up trying to sleep around three am. I picked up my book and read for a bit. Then I showered and dressed. I put on my coat and scarf and headed out to the main deck. It was closed off. I went out on it anyway. It turned out to be so incredibly windy and there was a layer of thick water that wanted to be ice. It was slippery and with the wind, very difficult to stand on. I decided to hang out in the Spinnaker Lounge and watch as we closed in on NYC through the large windows at the front of the ship. I had a great vantage point and could see the city lights quite clearly as we encroached on Manhattan.

Was trying to take a picture of the bridge as we went under it... ended up with camera and fedora.

There were very few people about the ship, but I'd occasionally see another person looking out the windows or standing with camera in hand.

Then I saw her. Lady Liberty looked like a toy version of herself. I had never been this close to the Statue of Liberty and imagined that she’d be taller…

I snapped some pictures of her through the glass, but they were blurry from the lights inside the ship and the dark outside. I wanted to get a better picture, so I went out on the main deck, braving the wicked wind and slippery deck to get nicer pictures. I almost lost my fedora twice and I got yelled at (more like, told nicely) by some crew about the danger of the wind and slippery conditions.

Then we passed the statue and I ran through the entire length of the ship to get to the Aft Deck so I could try my hand at more pictures of her greenness, but I didn’t make it in time. She moved steadily further and further away as the ship made its way through the harbor.

Though I was somewhat disappointed that the Statue of Liberty was no longer close for pictures, I was distracted from my reverie by an amazing sunrise over the city and a building that I wasn't familiar with.

As it turns out, I was snapping pictures of the building that is going up at Ground Zero of where the Twin Towers had once stood. I didn't know the construction was this far along.

Some more pics of the NYC sunrise and skyline:

Entry Date, Sunday 11/25. Day IX Afternoon.

The guy that paid to have his ticket time changed was approached by a bus station worker and was told to move to a different line to get on the next bus. Then, all at once, a bunch of lines started moving and about four buses were loaded up. I was told to move to a different line. I got talking to a dude who was also going to Albany and who was solo. Then, a worker asked for one person to fill up a bus. The dude I was talking with jumped all over that option.

I hung out in line for another five minutes before an empty bus pulled up and loaded me with about 15 other people on it. The bus was going to Montreal, but was making a stop in Albany because there, apparently, were so many people wanting to go to Albany.

I was able to sit alone. I napped for most of the trip.

At the bus station in Albany, my dad picked me up and brought me back to his place. We chatted about the trip for a bit. Then, I hit the road back to Broadalbin.

Before leaving the city, I was able to snap a quick picture of my cruise ship in port. Good-bye vacation. I'll miss you!

The End.