I-HEART-NY

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We had an early morning arrival scheduled. I’d heard that we were to pass the Statue of Liberty around 7 in the morning and pass under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge about an hour before that. I decided to rise early and see our sea entry into New York harbor. I was showered, changed into my disembarking clothes and up in the Crow’s Nest by 5 AM. Sharon chose to sleep. I took the Laptop and decided to get as caught up on the blog as I could. I had my choice of seating in the darkened lounge, maybe one other person was already there. I chose a forward-looking chair with a small table for the laptop. I had the notes from yesterday’s trivia with me, and I updated some of the highlights. I’d forgotten to mention that one team managed to record the lowest score Michael could remember on one of his Team Trivia Challenges, a Whopping one-half point. On the first day of the cruise, Michael had said after the scores were in for that first challenge, that he always awards a free cruise to any group that manages a perfect zero. He decided this team deserved a consolation prize, and so gave them the opportunity to each take home a pin (along with those pesky teachers). He’d managed to shame them into giving their pins to another team a day or so before that. On past cruises, the cruise directors would allow anyone who wanted pins to take one on that final day… but not today. So, Sharon and I are going home with just our pins from our one meager win. At least we found out from Michael, that those school teachers hadn’t missed the Team Trivia when we had our one victory, they were just so ashamed of being beaten that they kept a very low profile… and apparently vowed not to miss another question (and I don’t think they did). I’m just happy I’m not continuing across the Atlantic with them on board or it might have been a very long and painful trip for us.

Already, as I began to type in the blog, the Verrazano Bridge was beginning to loom above us. I took a few pictures from inside the Crow’s Nest, but there was not much to see but the lights on the bridge. Once the morning light began to show the features of the shore, a truly impressive skyline, I decided to pack up the PC and to venture outside to take some arrival pictures. We must have been early, because I never spotted the Statue of Liberty, and about the time I had anticipated its appearance, we were already approaching our pier.

Our “Pink-2” open departure allowed us to disembark anytime during a three-hour period, another one of those 4-Star/5-Star/Neptune Suite perks that we finally get to use because we do not have a time specific connection that usually drives one’s departure time. We made the mistake of leaving near the middle of our slotted window, which happened to coincide with everyone else’s departure time who have their own post-cruise non-airport travel itinerary. We ate in the Lido for breakfast one final time, and I enjoyed two of those pecan rolls that are so often hard to find. Again, we met Erin and Dennis in the Atrium. Today people were disembarking from the Lower Promenade, so we didn’t even need to use the elevators. Entering the terminal, our bags were directly there in front of us since we had the Priority Disembarkation. I don’t recall that ever happening before. The sea of baggage seemed to extend all the way down this massive hall. We quickly cleared customs, having cleared passport control in Bar Harbor. And then we found ourselves outside the terminal, and directly on the frontage street that ran along the series of adjacent piers. There was another cruise ship in the adjacent pier. There was no place to catch a taxi in the terminal area, and we had to make our way across the busy multilane street. Cars were zipping by this Tuesday morning, as Manhattan was already a bustling metropolis. The taxis were stopping across the street and the line from others that had gotten off the Rotterdam before us stretched across the street. From the end of the line, it took us perhaps forty minutes to get to the corner, leaving just a dozen people ahead of us. Sometimes the cabs came three at a time, and the line seemed to move. But fifteen minutes could go by and we wouldn’t move one bit. A man started talking to me in French, and I think he was asking to cut in line! He seemed to indicate that others with him were up ahead. I later realized that they’d apparently tried to cut in the front of the line, and when that didn’t work, they left their bags there with the two women in their group, and he and his friend were to wait in line. Evidently, he didn’t feel that he needed to wait in the whole line, since his luggage was already at the front of the line. About this time another couple had just finished crossing the street and decided to stop right there on the corner. And I guess they thought they were blending in… unfortunately for them, they spoke English perfectly well and understood Erin perfectly well when she told them “The end of the line is around the corner… all of the way around the corner.” They begrudgingly moved on down the street. There were people offering to drop people off at their hotels, “in their BIG taxi”. What they had was a HOHO bus, just not “Big Bus” HOHO that Sharon had purchased tickets for. I went over and listened to what they were telling some people behind us who decided to take them up on their offer for $20 per person. Multiple people were involved in getting people interested and getting them on the bus and driving the bus… and it seemed to be the practice to get people to pay whatever they would. When they started showing the group that had been standing behind us their brochure for HOHO options for hundreds and hundreds of dollars, I walked away shaking my head at the bait-and-switch upsell plan they were being subjected. They were getting people to board that bus, and thirty minutes later that bus was still there, and they were doing their best to fill every last seat with people too tired or physically unable to wait in line for an hour or more. Lucky Erin had the scooter with her. Welcome to New York.

Erin and Dennis got in the next taxi; and, ours showed up before theirs had left. We actually got to the hotel first because their driver made the mistake of making a slick maneuver and wound up getting stuck behind a bus while our cab zipped by on the right. The hotel footprint on the street was little more than the doorway, so there wasn’t much space for dropping people off without impeding traffic on this street; and, there were two taxis at once for our joint party. We arrived long before our 3PM check-in time; but, we could leave our luggage in the coatroom. We made our way to the Big Bus ticket office, where we had to exchange our vouchers for a two-day bus pass and New York Pass which gave us admittance to a couple of attractions, and discounts at others. We decided to ride the Blue Line this first day, get something to eat for Lunch/Dinner and then head for the Broadway Show that we’d purchased tickets for months ago. The bus was quickly filled, and there were a couple of stops where people waiting to board were denied entry… It’s Boston all over again. We completed the loop, and then headed back to the hotel. We found a barbecue place that seemed to have something for everyone. There was a long flight of stairs down into the bowels of the building, where the restaurant had carved out a fairly massive seating area. I had a Cuban Sandwich with ice tea. Erin had a barbecue pulled pork sandwich. Sharon had a plain burger; but, anyone who knows Sharon could see that one coming. Dennis had a tri-tip sandwich and a beer. Everyone seemed to enjoy their food; but, hey… it’s been nearly seven hours since we’d eaten. Cruising tends to make you get accustomed to continuous grazing. Who can blame us for being hungry?

We returned to the hotel to check in; but, found that their computer was down and at first didn’t know us from Adam. Sharon produced a confirmation and they seemed to acknowledge our reservation; although, they had to physically go up and check if they had a room ready for us. Sharon thought she’d printed out both our reservation and Erin and Dennis’ the day before; but, it was nowhere to be found. Sharon whipped out the laptop and was able to bring up their reservation. After much consternation, Sharon was able to forward her email to them, and we did finally get checked-in (in time to get changed for the play).

We walked the few blocks to the theatre; with, Erin using her crutches. It was about one-half mile. We were seeing “The Book of Mormon”. Don’t mistake this for an overly religious performance. It begins by poking some good-hearted fun at Mormons in general, and Mormon missionaries in particular; but, early in the first act this clearly secular musical has crossed the line of political correctness that would normally offend the liberal elite; except, of course it masquerades as chastising the fastest growing Christian based religion. Make no mistake it is an attack on all faith based religions. And as far as the liberal elite go, that’s perfectly okay. Sure, there are things in The Book of Mormon that are problematic in a PC world, and this musical took this forum as an opportunity to point out every one of them, from interpreting “the mark of Caine” as the color of one’s skin; and, thus grounds to deny certain religious opportunities to a whole race. In 1978 the twelfth prophet of the Latter Day Saints (prophet Kimball), after speaking with God, changed the church’s interpretations and practices to match what was revealed to him by God and to comply with all constitutionally guaranteed rights of all Americans, and coincidently managed to keep the churches tax exempt status for such compliance. Faith also came under attack regarding the golden scrolls that supposedly only Joseph Smith, the first prophet of the Latter Day Saints ever saw; but, those who revere this religion take all of this on faith. Let those without faith, cast the first stone. It seems, this musical has many without faith. Two of the missionaries that were featured in the charming doorbell ringing campaign and musical number to introduce “The Book of Mormon” to people find themselves paired to serve their two-year mission in Uganda. There, the denizens seem resigned to bad things happening all the time. And they have a catchy tune that they sing to profess this sense of hopelessness, whatever be it that plagues them: AIDS, oppression from warlords, famine, poverty. And while it might be expressed simply as “S*** Happens”, they take it a step further and feel obliged to blame someone. The chanting of “Hasa Diga Eebowai” is a stirring dance number; until one of the missionaries asks about the translation of these words, and is told quite simple, “F*** You God”. At least there were more than a few people in the audience not clapping at the end of that number, but their silence was drowned out by the raucous applause who couldn’t get enough of Hasa Diga Eebowai. By the end of Act Two there have been many Ugandans converted to the bastardization of the Book of Mormon by Elder Arnold who changed its stories as he felt would be best received by his audience. In the end, there is a reprise, now featuring the “Book of Arnold”. The music is catchy, the dancing is well done, and scenes with the missionaries will be humorous to anyone who has ever had their doorbell wrung and greeted by “Hello, I’m Elder so-and-so…”. The cast appears to be for the most part overwhelmingly young, appropriate for those playing the missionaries; but, not so much so for those playing their parents or other adults.



Thus, officially ends the cruise; but, there will still be a day in New York and then our travel day home to bring this blog series to a conclusion.

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[D MJ Binkley]

New York
A beautiful and fantastic city