It's been fifty-nine years since I've been to New York or seen the harbor. On July 4th, 1955, my mother, father, brother and I sailed in on a ship from Stephenville, Newfoundland where we'd been at Harmon Air Force Base for the past two years. I was impressed with the site of the Statue of Liberty, but somehow I missed seeing Ellis Island (or have forgotten). The facility clo
sed in November of 1954. As we sailed past these landmarks I remarked to my husband I wished we'd planned to stay in the area for a few days so we could tour Lady Liberty and Ellis Island. We both love history and both landmarks have impacted our history in such a major way.
sed in November of 1954. As we sailed past these landmarks I remarked to my husband I wished we'd planned to stay in the area for a few days so we could tour Lady Liberty and Ellis Island. We both love history and both landmarks have impacted our history in such a major way.
In 1955, our car was damaged aboard the ship, and being a holiday weekend, we had to spend several days in New York getting it repaired. We stayed at the Henry Hudson Hotel. Our room was on the 19th floor--way too high up for this ten-year-old girl. The hotel wasn't airconditioned and there were no screens on the windows. A half piece of glass did tilt up and out from the base, but it didn't reassure me. I'd been going through a sleep-walking phase and was terrified I'd walk in my sleep and jump out the window. My fretting upset my mother and interrupted her sleep.
The Henry Hudson Hotel is still there, a very fashionable one now. The picture to the left is from an old postcard http://www.lileks.com/NYC/postcards/Hotels/hudson.html
My memories of New York, other than my fear of sleep-walking, are of visiting the Empire State Building and eating at an automat--something I
'd never seen or heard of.
'd never seen or heard of.Here is our first view of Carnival Triumph as we pulled up to the dock for boarding and a picture of the Intrepid taken from the Denali Deck where we had lunch.
We were so tired our first day, we were in bed and asleep by 10:00 PM. Saturday was spend at sea where I played the slots, visited the shops, and we sat on our balcony and read. We loved the motion of the boat. As a matter-of-fact, I miss it here on land.
As after every trip, now there is laundry to do, and chores to catch up on, not to mention all the emails to answer. Our little dog Molly was so thrilled to see us she ran around in circles. She stayed with our son. He said she was depressed and moped around the entire time.
I hope you enjoyed this post. Tomorrow I'll post pictures of St. John.
Thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment. Happy Reading and Writing!
Linda
Oh I'm so jealous. This brought back memories of my week in New York. I got to go as a sponsor for my son's band trip. Too fun.
ReplyDeleteI lived in New York and across the river in NJ. I even worked there one summer. My husband was born and bred in the Bronx, so I learned all about the city before we were married. I also loved the automat and the coffee. Oh, and the bakeries. It is a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there - again. (grinning)
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the trip.
Allison
Sign me up for jealous too. I will have to live vicariously through your blog!
ReplyDeleteOh how fun, Ciara. Wish I'd had time to see some things there, especially the hotel where I'd stayed as a child. Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteHi Allison,
ReplyDeleteI've often thought it's too busy a place for me to live, but would enjoy some of the things it has to offer.
Well, I am so glad you had such a wonderful time in an area from your childhood. Sometimes the differences can be disappointing. Of course back then you viewed with a ten year-old vision. Funny, I always thought you were a couple of years younger when your family returned to the States.
ReplyDeleteCannot wait to see more photos.
Mary,
ReplyDeleteDon't be jealous. I bet you do lots of things I'd love to do. It's amazing the things out there to do across this nation. Never enough time!
Linda, I am so envious! Someday I want to take this cruise, so please share all the info you can. I have never been to NY, so when we do go that far, I plan to spend some time there before the cruise.
ReplyDeleteSandra Kay,
ReplyDeleteYou're wise to stay over longer. I so wish we had. I'll be posting more pictures tonight. Hope you enjoy.
Linda,
ReplyDeleteYou caused me major nastalgia. New York is my favorite city, and I have been there many times, but not for a long while now.
And, I love cruises. I would love to live on a ship. It used to be my dream. Smile.
Thanks for the memories! Now, who said that? lol
Funny about living on a ship. My college choir instructor retired and became a 'dance partner' for single women on cruises. Actually works for the cruise line. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteI too want to take a cruise northward. After this summer, I definitely want to go somewhere cool during this season next year.
Anna,
ReplyDeleteIt was really nice. I wish cruise ships spent more time in ports so you could see more.
There are a lot of jobs like that on some cruise ships. But they work hard and long hours. Well, the food staff and housekeeping do. The Internet Cafe guy seemed to have it pretty good. He was only open several hours a day.