On The Sea Again, I Just Can't Wait To Get On The Sea Again: New York, New York!

We are wrapping up 2 days in New York. It's been a good, busy 2 days. As we sailed in on Monday morning I was up just in time to see us sail under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.

We then sailed past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island before heading up the Hudson with views of New Jersey.

Our main focus for Monday was a visit to Ellis Island, the entry point into America for our grandparents and my mother and aunt. The ship was docked at Pier 88 and we walked to get the subway down to Battery Park where the boat would take us to the island.

Once on board (after a very long line and slow security screening process), the boat went first to the Statue Of Liberty.

We remained on the boat to go to Ellis Island.

Inside there are 3 different self-guided routes you can take. We opted for The Ellis Island Experience which covers the period from 1890 to 1945, the period when our ancestors came through there. The first stop is the Registry Room where immigrants were initially processed. It was a powerfully emotional experience for both of us to think about our ancestors coming through that room and for us to sit on the actual benches that they might have sat on. Quite overwhelming.

Following the route, you go into various rooms that explain the process that the immigrants went through. The most touching for me was the Board Of Special Inquiry Room and the exhibit about the intelligence test developed by Dr. Knox. Those of you who have read my historical fiction novel may recall what my maternal grandmother went through to gain entry and these areas really brought it home for me.

After the Ellis Island visit, it was time to trace another bit of family history. We made our way to Maiden Lane, passing through a Columbus Day street food market. In a city like New York, it is always fascinating to see the contrast in architecture between the old and new.

As for Maiden Lane, it was a center for jewelry beginning in the 1830's. Again those who have read my book might recall that my Zeida Izzie worked for the Omega Watch Company at 21 Maiden Lane. At this point I should note that both my grandfather and father were watchmakers and jewelers. And, sometime after WWII, my father had a watch repair at, I believe, 23 Maiden Lane. Suffice it to say that the nature of the businesses on Maiden Lane have changed. But it was still again quite emotional to stand on that street and in front of that very building.

Now for another bit of Maiden Lane history. If you have seen the musical Hamilton you may recall the song "The Room Where It Happens". It tells of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson meeting to come up with the great compromise in the formation of the Union. Well, the room where that happened was in a house that Jefferson rented in 1790 at, are ready, 57 Maiden Lane. Obviously, that house is no longer there but it was still worth a visit to the site.

After Maiden Lane, we made our way to Ground Zero, always a sobering place to visit. But it is also good to see the new World Trade Center.

We then took the subway up to Times Square and then had to make a stop at the Carvel for the first of our reminiscent foodie stops.

The evening on board provided great night time views of the skyline. Throughout our 2 days in New York, we marveled at how much that skyline has changed since we were kids!

Tuesday started off with a visit with one of our favorite (now former) Oceania crew members. Emily Valdes is a dancer who we developed a special connection with. She now lives in New Jersey and we arranged to meet up with her and her boyfriend Hector at Hudson Bagels. Linda has been craving a New York bialy and thought this would be the perfect place. However, alas, they were out of bialys when we got there!

Anyway, we were able to get some whitefish salad to schmear on onion bagels which were amazing. There are no other bagels in the world that compare to New York bagels.

More importantly, we spent almost 3 hours catching up with Emily. She is just wonderful and the time flew by.

After leaving Emily and Hector, we walked up to Central Park.

Continuing the foodie tour, we picked up some Nathan's french fries from a food cart. Back in the day, we loved Nathan's french fries, even more than their hot dogs. Our theory is that they never changed the oil which just made them taste better. So, the french fries today were good but could not live up to our memories.

We then walked into the park and sat on a bench for a while.

Walking back to the ship, we made one more foodie stop - New York pizza!

We then walked past what may have been the building that Linda's Uncle Harry lived in.

The sail away gave us more views of the incredible New York skyline . . .

. . . and took us back under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. In one way, that made me feel like I had come full circle back to 1997 when I ran the New York City Marathon. Started in Staten Island, over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and eventually turning into Central Park past Columbus Circle. I was glad to be wearing my special edition Brooks NYC shoes!