We still seem to be functioning on LA time . Tested the calf out with a short run in central park and it was still twinging but I seem to run OK
just don’t like going down stairs. After breakfast we headed out towards pier 83 ,from where the circle line cruises leave . So it was number 6 train from 77 to grand central then number 7 train to times followed by walking through the Port Authority Bus Terminal to 9th Ave then a walk down 42nd to the pier. We presented our New York passes and obtained 2 tickets for the round Manhattan cruise leaving at 12.30 . The Intrepid museum was right next door and was on our list of entry obtained with the pass. There was a huge line for the museum and with the passes we bypassed this straight down the express aisle to gain entry -take note Simon Harris. The aircraft carrier Intrepid , which served in World War 2 and right up through the Vietnam was rescued by a benefactor when it was going to the scrap heap and brought and converted into a museum . As soon as you enter you at the level of the Hangar Deck where all the aircraft are stored on a working carrier. This has been converted into an entry hall with information booth and all sorts of other educational stations. There a couple of aircraft within the area also – including the Skyhawk which was one of the first jet fighters and had the advantage that it didn’t have have its wings folded for storage like its heavier and wider prop driven predecessors. Up on the flight deck there is a display of aircraft both US and other nations .These include the British harrier jump jet , with it’s vertical take off capabilities most noted form the Falklands war.There was the F4 – the main fighter for the US in the Vietnam war and its Soviet(built in Poland) adversaries Mig 17 and the later Mig 21. There was an F14 Tomcat -of Topgun fame – sporting the Phoenix air to air missile – the first with its own built in radar . We went through the bridge area ,though the queue through there was rather slow. The Concord is displayed alongside and is dwarfed by the stern of the Intrepid . We were unable to get to the Space Shuttle or the submarine as we had to get back for our cruise.
The cruise goes right around the island of Manhattan and takes close to 3 hours. The tour guide was an ex-marine – now sporting shoulder length hair- who was present at the bombing of the marine barracks in Beirut in 1983 which killed more than 200 US serviceman- and did a great job of informing us of some of the geography and history . The cruise starts southward along the Hudson river where it is all relatively wide , then after going past the southern tip of Manhattan ,Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty heads north under the Brooklyn Bridge. Further north it takes the fork up the narrower Harlem river to pass between the north of Manhattan and the Bronx. You go under a couple of low bridges then finally through a swing-aside railway bridge back into the Hudson. The north part of Manhattan Island and the mainland on the other side have been preserved as national parks , so ther is a great contract with some original wilderness alongside all the skyscrapers .
After the cruise we walked up to Hell’s Kitchen which is on 9th ave north of 42nd. The whole area is line with restaurants of various cuisines on both sides . we decided on a Japanese place for a late lunch .
After lunch we took the subway down to the World Trade centre to view the 9/11 memorial. One of the real shocks is the number of rescue personnel killed in the aftermath. After taking the subway back to the apartment we went round the corner to the Metropolitan Museum of Art = well of course we have to get our money’s worth out of the New York Pass . There were a lot of works here dating back to the 13th century . It include quite a few Rembrandt’s . There was also a collection of musical instruments from ancient to present day including a large display of guitars.