Sailing; Freedom Thru Simplicity: New York, New York, Part II

I hate to break the bad news to all the dreamers, but there are some parts to this vagabond lifestyle that really suck. Don’t get me wrong, we are still resolved to see this through. I mean the number of people out here doing it and loving it says there are some things that are just worth it. As I have mentioned before, Dave and Jaja Martin said that if life’s lows and highs were measured from zero to ten, then normal life could provide you with a range from 3 to 7, maybe even an 8 occasionally. But in order to get the 10’s, you need to open yourself up to the 0’s. I don’t even think we have come close to a zero yet, maybe a couple of 2’s, but I have to tell you, if Serena had said lets go home, I’d have turned this boat around so fast I’d need medical attention for the neck strain. We knew going into this that there would be times that we wished we were somewhere else, but when a little reflection reveals that there really isn’t anywhere else we’d rather be, then there is no alternative.

This stop in New York has been fabulous, and at the same time, it has sucked so bad that words cannot begin to describe it. Starting with the West 79^th St Boat Basin, my recommendation to anyone contemplating stopping here, go home and rethink it. It is cheap, $30 per night on a mooring ball, and it is convenient to downtown Manhattan, but a ferry from somewhere else might be a better idea. I swear to God, the wake from some of the passing boats has been so bad that it has threatened to rip the boat apart. We have been body slammed into every surface, everything on the boat that isn’t nailed down has ricocheted across the boat more times than I can count, and I think the bulkheads have started to loosen up, surely we have more leaks now than before. The shower is the worst one we have seen so far, dirty. There are never any paper towels in the bathroom, and the hand dryer is broken, the pump out has been broken for three months, the cloths dryer doesn’t work, and apparently there is no rush to fix it. Most of the employees would just rather you didn’t speak to them, and the overall feel of the place is just, yuk. And this is the municipal marina, it should be the flagship of Manhattan, what gives? Just do yourself a favour, go stay in Jersey, and take a wake causing water taxi over to see central park. On top of all this, Serena has been having a rough time with the motion on the boat. It never stops, and the boat moans and creaks all the time. Her back and her stomach have been letting her know that this is too much, and today it seems she got food poisoning from her chicken salad wrap, at lunch. Of course the chicken salad wrap was supposed to be a chicken fajita, we are learning that things are done differently here, just slowly. At least it has started to cool off, for the first couple of days it was muggy, hot, and wet, which just added to the misery.

All that aside though, this has been a real neat stop. We grew up in Canada watching TV shows and movies based and/or filmed in New York, but never really having a reference. Serena was amazed at the cellar service entrances to many of the shops, right in the middle of the sidewalk. Lift up the door, and put the goods from the truck to the cellar. Walking down 34^th st past the famous Macy’s department store. Today we had lunch on Madison avenue. Walking down 7^th Avenue, past all the famous shops. Riding the subway downtown. Watching people hail a cab, sounds silly, but to the uninitiated, its still neat. The huge crowds walking down the streets, musicians playing, vendors everywhere. You name it, you can find it, except for a large store, there are very few here. In fact, it kind of reminded me of the middle east, where there are literally hundreds of little specialty shops selling everything you can think of, but nothing of any size. At least here they don’t harass you too much to come into their shop. The West Marine was very disappointing, as they usually are. I still managed to spend over $200. We had lamb gyros from a street vendor, which were extremely cheap, and delicious. We ate them in a little park dedicated to Joan of Arc, shaded and quiet. We walked 8 blocks through a park to get gas for the dinghy. The gas station was indoors, you pulled your car in, and then backed out, different, and the attendants pumped your gas. They rounded it down as well, just like the old days, if it was a penny over, ah, don’t worry about it.

The grocery store was a whole new experience for us. Fairway was its name, and it was about the size of a small IGA at home, with about ten times as much stuff as the average No Frills. Holy crap was it shoved in, and piled high. The street outside was lined with fruits and vegetables, and there was more inside. There was a deli, a bakery, a cheese section with at least a thousand cheeses. A massive area for already cooked and/or prepared foods, everything you could think of, every meat, every sauce, every salad, things I have never heard of, things I couldn’t describe, it was incredible. A loose tea section, a coffee bean section, butcher and fish monger. There was enough food in this little place to feed my home town of Marmora for the next ten years, and it would fit inside our tiny Value Mart with room for a few other businesses. But, was it busy, just like rush hour down town Toronto, wall to wall carts, and shoulder to shoulder people. You had to be aggressive to get anywhere. The checkouts were a nightmare, wait your turn behind the line, and when you were called, you better move. No time for chit chat, get er’ done, and get the hell out. It is indicative of the New York life style though, rush rush, rush, plan only a day or two in advance, and keep moving so the mold won’t grow.

The jewel of this city though, has to be the parks. For all its failings, you can say one thing for certain, they really take pride in their green spaces. Everywhere we went, there was another park, or a bench in the shade, or a green lawn to lay on, or a path to follow. And; Central Park, is the crowning jewel of the city. It is massive, and gorgeous, and well kept, and must cost them millions upon millions to keep up. But oh is it worth it. I expected a park, but not one so well groomed. Everywhere we went showed pride. If a person only came to new York to see the parks, it would take forever, and they would never tire of it. I could spend months, walking and biking through here, and feel like I was cut short when it was time to leave. I know that this city is also well known for its museums as well, but when would anyone find the time to visit them when there is some much nature to soak up, is beyond me.

It is unfortunate that we didn’t have more time to check out this city. But I think it would take a lifetime to get too everything. We missed ground zero from 911, we didn’t take any ferries, or water taxis to the other areas, or islands, and we only just scratched the surface of the parks. But, we can’t stay in this spot any longer, our resolve is wearing thin, and we have a bit of a deadline, so tomorrow we move on, where yet, we’re not quite sure, that’s part of the fun.