When I was a kid, a Circle Line cruise around Manhattan always seemed to be on the agenda for a school trip. A fast search on the internet showed me that the Circle Line still exists and still takes cruises in and around the NYC environs. It’s a fun and even demure way to spend an afternoon in the City. And yes, you can take note of the capitalization of the C. It’s a habit even sixty years in New England has not scrubbed away. It’s typical for New Yorkers to elevate their home to the most rarified heights. We’re a bunch of egoists.
You’re from Where?
There is an issue, however. Last time I visited, I grabbed a cab to get into town from the airport. The cabby asked me where I was from, and I said, “From here, New York.” He laughed and said, “No way, you don’t sound like a New Yorker!”
I was so angry that I probably turned a shade of fuchsia. Upset? Angry? You bet! Although I consider myself a New Englander, there remains this deep-down acknowledgement that I am from New York City. Or as the old saying goes – “You can take the boy out of New York, but you can’t take the New York out of the boy!”
I almost had to get another cab as the discussion waxed on. Finally, I won on technical points when I told him where in Washington Heights I had lived, and which schools I had attended. Before he let me off, we had bonded because of a mutual hate of the high school we had attended – good old George Washington High School- G Dubs.
Fly me to the Moon?
But to get to the prompt. Go to the moon? Why would I do that? I’ve already been to the top of the Empire State Building. I’ve groveled around in the dives of Greenwich Village in the old days. And been a habitue of SoHo before it became a playground for wealthy and dumb elites. Go to the moon and visit what clubs/ Socialize with whom? And see craters, when I could take the cruise and see that magnificent skyline?
Besides, go to the moon and suck in recycled air? Do that when I could stand in Midtown at rush hour, and breathe in the fumes of a New York City traffic jam?
No, I think it’ll be the Circle Line cruise. It’s also cheaper.
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Me either, Lou! Born in the City and Bronx bred, I love what you wrote today.
Thank You! After moving from Washington Heights, we moved up to Broadway opposite Van Cortlandt Park. Not quite Riverdale.
Most welcome, Lou. Having lived in The Bronx for many years, I know the areas well. We’re in lower Westchester County now, not far at all from The Bronx.
I know that territory … a bit. After I left home, my parents moved in that direction too. My father, ever the man of the City, had to put up with a lot of ribbing from me about how they first moved to Yonkers and then White Plains.
Well, they kept moving up! Both Yonkers and WP are huge cities; we’re in a small village about 20 minutes east of Yonkers and south of WP.
I love it. I’ve been in your hometown twice. I actually drove from JFK to Chinatown to meet up with my Chinese brother then out of the city (with aforementioned Chinese brother) to Delaware to celebrate my then MIL’s 80th birthday. My brother took us on a little tour of the city — oops — City and somewhere in there we took a photo at the World Trade Center.
The first visit was on the train from Wilmington to Grand Central Station. My glasses had been lost to Poseidon at Rehobeth (sp) Beach so everything I saw in NYC was blurred and darkened through my brother-in-law’s almost OK sunglasses. Couldn’t wait to get out of there… I was thinking as I read this that I’ve been happy in some of the world’s major cities and did OK (Shanghai, Milan, etc.) but I NYC was the most alient.
If things don’t go well, it can be a hard sell for travelers. And Downtown is full of bunkos and can artists too. On a trip down for a martial arts tournament, I had to extract my sensei from the grips of a con artist who had sucked him in. It’s a tough city. Like any other big city, like the ones you’ve mentioned.
FYI, libations to Neptunas Rex sometimes help get back what’s been lost to Davy Jones.
Oh a guy tried to steal our bags at Grand Central Station. I figure Neptune Rex was mad at me for staring the Amish swimming and he hit me from behind and knocked off my glasses. It was unfair. I had no idea at the time that there might have been a family connection between those guys swimming in hats and me.
Interesting, the Amish are mostly “Flatlanders” to us nautical types.
Well, they were out there in the waves having a lovely time.
The NYC skyline is a spectacular site. The cruise is a good value
Correct, Alice1
Moved my daughter up to a fourth-floor teeny apartment many years ago In NYC after driving our little U-Haul from Wisconsin. Talk about a country mouse/city mouse experience.
That’s certainly a big adjustment. Having lived in a town in coastal Maine of 490 people, I came to appreciate the experience in reverse. Those are tough adjustments in either direction.
It’s amazing how such a simple prompt can bring back such a wide variety of reason experiences. Thank you for sharing yours. What a fun experience to be ” on top of the world” so close to your own backyard.