New York

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On September 3rd, we awoke with the ship docked at Pier 88 in Downtown Manhattan, in the fabulous New York City (NYC).

Located in Hell’s Kitchen, Pier 88 has quite a little history. During WWII, the SS Normandie sank here. Also, during COVID, the USNS Comfort docked here and acted as an area hospital. 

Opening the curtains, we found ourselves looking down on a row of US flags. It made Karen cry a little. So good to be back in the good old USA. 

We were too tired to wake up when we passed Ellis Island  this morning.  A friend got a nice photo though. 

Located just less than a mile from the famed Times Square, the port was very convenient for two adventurers looking for some land-based fun. Having visited New York City on a number of occasions, our dance card was full. Having two days was a gift, and we didn’t waste time. 

The port overlooked the Intrepid Museum, and it was cool to have planes, submarines and aircraft carriers right off of our balcony. While we would have liked to visit this attraction, we had planned on being one of the first folks off of the ship, and finding a nice local deli to grab “a bagel with a smear”. But first things first.

Being a US port, we had to go through customs. And logistics being what they were, we had made arrangements for our luggage to be shipped home from here, so clearing US Customs with 7 suitcases was quite a task. 

Of course, that was nothing compared to packing. Thank goodness for Mrs. Karen. If it even slightly resembles cleaning, she’s all over it like stink on flies. (I made that saying up. So far, it has not caught on much…) Anyway, she is my hero. Love, love, love that gal!

So anyway, we managed to get done with our chores, and we’re excited to head out. We have not been to NY since COVID, and were not exactly sure what to expects. Especially given what we have read regarding immigrants being housed in the city. (It turns out, we pretty much did not see any by the way.)

Hell’s Kitchen has many nice Delis, and we have even in several. We figured we would run across them one or two of them as we made our way up towards Times Square. But as luck would have it, none of them jumped out at us, and we ended up at Carnegie Deli. 

So this iconic Jewish delicatessen was the home of the most amazing pastrami on rye known to man.  While they had lots of sizes, anything bigger than a medium was bigger than your head. While the meat to bread ratio was way out of balance, it could only be described as art on a plate. (See the photo here.)

So now it is at a new location, and has a new owner. Sadly, the pastrami sandwich was nothing special, but it was nice to have a brunch and relax back in the good old USA.

After wandering about Times Square for a bit, revising a handful of places from the past, we returned to the ship and got ready for our big night out. Destination, a Broadway show.

We had had reservations for this Broadway show way back in 2020, piggybacking off of a work trip, we planed for an extended stay in the city. But COVID changed that. Sadly, our Broadway show tickets were cancelled as well. But we always held on to hope, and as luck had it, our show, Hamilton, was still playing. Yea!

In late spring we began watching daily for the tickets to go on sale. And we were able to get tickets in early June. All of the watching and waiting paid off. Hamilton is quite a show, and it met all of our expectations.

We always especially like the NYC theaters. Unlike most other theaters elsewhere around the country, the Broadway Theaters are very small and historic. They really make you feel like you traveled back in time to the Gilded Ages. Very cozy and nostalgic. 

You know how we have all heard the term “off-Broadway”? You might be interested to learn that this does not really mean what you might think. An off-Broadway theater is a NYC theater that seat less than 500 attendees. Many of these smaller theaters are actually on Broadway. Go figure.

Another cool thing is, all of the street’s names in Manhattan are numbers. It can get a little confusing, because a place might be located “on Fifth Avenue, between 33rd and 34th Streets”. (This happens to be the location of the Empire State Building.) 

So back in the day, there were so many immigrants that spoke so many different languages, that a decision was made to name all of the streets using numbers rather than names. So there you have it!

So the reasons that I bring up all this nonsense is to point out that, unlike all of the numbered streets and avenues, which are neatly laid out (mostly) in a grid-pattern, Broadway runs diagonal across Manhattan. That always throws me off when I’m looking for places we’ve been…

So on the way to the theater, we stopped by our favorite spot, Famous Original Ray’s Pizza. Now I have to warn you, while this place is strategically located right in TimesSquare, it is just a little mom and pop pizzeria. Nothing fancy about it.  

By far, the best thing on the menu is a simple slice of cheese pizza and a cold beer. But the best part is, it is not the “Original” Ray’s Pizza, and in fact (in 2017 anyway) it was only one of nearly a-dozen-and-a-half NYC restaurant chains that had “Ray’s Pizza” in their names. It also is not even known as the best pizza in NYC, but I can say with certainty that, for Karen and I, this slice of pizza is the baseline for measuring all other pizzas. It’s simple and delicious, and we have never visited New York without getting a slice. 

Also, although we didn’t make it to the Upper West Side of Manhattan on this trip, I have to say that I haven’t been able to get Gray’s Papya hotdogs out of my head since visiting Iceland. Gray’s is, hands down, one of the best dogs on the planet. And its Uptown location is really well located if you are visiting the city and want to see The Dakota and Central Park. 

So Hamilton was outstanding. That Lin-Manuel Miranda is a genius. There were quite a few folks from the ship there. Unexpectedly, the character playing Washington changed the lyrics a bit, adding a reference to “world cruisers”, just as all the characters froze on stage and briefly looked out at the audience. Then, not missing a beat, they all flashed a quick grin in sync with one another, and picked right up mid-sentence and kept on singing like nothing happened. Very cool. 

After the show, we grabbed a busy bicycle taxi to take us back to the ship. Fun, fun, fun!

The following morning, we awoke early and headed out to find a proper deli. Although we walked up a different set of streets, we still didn’t find what we were looking for in Hell’s Kitchen, but eventually, we found just what we were looking for.  

Eating at a deli in New York probably isn’t what you are picturing. While there are plenty of traditional sit-down restaurants that are delicatessens, the most common little neighborhood deli is basically a small little 7-11 type store in the front. A dozen or so steps past the cash register, and you can wait in line at the grill. After picking up your food, after another dozen or so more steps, you’ll find yourself at 6 or 8 little tables at the back of the deli, where you can sit and eat. (Most have a few table out front too.)

So, while this does not sound like much, this is the only way to go. Eatin’ like the locals! Outstanding tradition. They always have fresh bagels, and they toast them up and spread them which flavored cream cheese. (That’s the “smear”.) 

They have lots of flavors to choose from. We usually go for an everything bagel with a cream cheese and chive smear. Nice!

This was definitely one of our most casual visits to the city. We enjoyed a few more hours wandering about the city before returning to the ship and heading out. And we really enjoyed the view cruising out of the city.

Next stop, Bermuda. More to come on that amigos, so please come back and see us again.

Thanks.
– Mike
“I don’t know about you, but the planet Saturn pops into my mind with every bite of a hamburger I take.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry