Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Cruising

No, I haven't been trolling bars for a new man! DH and I are off on a cruise vacation this Saturday. (Of course, Hurricane Bill is blowing into the area). We are headed to New England and Canada from NYC. We planned for it in May and can't believe it's time to leave already.

It will be my first trip under the Verrazano Narrows bridge (VNB). I cross over it everyday to and from work. The views are stunning. It is the largest suspension bridge in the US and 8th in the world. On a clear day I can see Brooklyn, Queens, Manhanttan and parts of New Jersey. This is the bridge that the guys in Saturday Night Fever jumped off to give Annette heart failure. I know the movie is a very old reference but, hey...I almost 43!!! This movie was a big deal when I was 11. ( I am sure I wasn't allowed to see it in the movies. I probably saw it on my cousins cable box - the one with only one channel. My aunt and uncle were never home and we always watched the R rated movies).

This was also the bridge I crossed the morning of 9/11. I remember the trip perfectly. It was the most insanely beautiful day. The sun was shining and the sky was a stunning blue. As we crossed over the highest point, I could clearly see the city skyline. As I was thinking how much I love living in NYC, I was blissfully unaware of what was going to happen in less then 45 minutes. Thankfully, I was safely in my office many blocks north of ground zero but very very scared.

Here is a picture if the bridge looking toward the island I call home. I live on the bay along the left side of the picture (but not anywhere near the bridge):



Here it is at night:



However, as much as I love the VNB, I would never do this:



A tramp stamp...of a bridge...WTF was he thinking!!!

Anway, back to my vacation. The ship will hopefully make the following stops - Newport, RI where we will walk along the Cliff Walk, take a tour of Breakers, have lunch at the best burger place in town and spend the rest of the day checking out the city. Next, off to Boston for whale watching and more good eats, then to Bar Harbor for more whale watching, Acadia National Park and lobster rolls!!! I didn't get enough lobster while in Maine last month so I need more!!! Then off to St. John's and Halifax. DH set up some tours there too but, I have no idea what. He handles the booking of most of our vacations. One tour involves a hike through some waterside caves which gave me a reason to buy these land/water shoes:



However, everything could change based on Bills's path. That's ok, I'm up for the adventure!!!