by Jim Bellomo | Jun 16, 2024 | Uncategorized
When we first found out we were embarking from Greenwich, I thought it was kind of cool—almost right in the heart of London. When we arrived in our Welcome Pickups car, our driver got there the fastest way he knew, but sadly, that was by driving through the worst parts of Greenwich. Neighborhoods that were crumbling, covered with graffiti and about every other shop looked vacant.
But once we arrived at the hotel, the rest of the village was spread out in front of us. Behind the hotel were the parts we had driven through; in front of the hotel was the section most visitors would tour, and they kept that in very nice condition. I don’t think I have mentioned what hotel we stayed in pre-cruise. We had chosen the DoubleTree by Hilton at London Greenwich. Why this hotel? Decent-looking rooms, decent reviews and about half the price of a downtown London hotel. Plus, I prefer being near the port so we can get there on the embarkation day without too much trouble. The hotel turned out to be very nice and a good value. We got our rooms with breakfast, which was a buffet and very good. The shower in our room left much to be desired. It was much too short for the rain shower head above, and the hand-held shower head hit me directly in the face and could not be moved to another position. Poor marks for that, but otherwise, it is very nice, and I would recommend it. I did mention not renting the room to tall people (because my brother had no problem in his room, and he is six inches taller than me), and they got back to me and said that was a great idea. Kudo for the response as well.
Back to our Viking Day in Greenwich. We were up early because our excursion needed to meet in the Star Theater at 8:00 am. And we weren’t even on the earliest excursion. We had chosen to do the included Viking excursion, just because it was included. For those of you who have not cruised with Viking, they include a shore excursion in every port. On our Med cruise in 2022, we weren’t impressed with any of the included tours we took. They are almost always one of two types—either a walking tour of a place close to the ship or tender port or a “panoramic” tour of the countryside. When you read a Viking description that says “panoramic,” you should immediately know that much of our tour will be by bus…or, in Viking speak, a “luxury motor coach.”
The wonderful Cosette…or if you didn’t like the tour, Sue.
Our Greenwich tour was a walking tour. Kathleen was still worn out and suffering from our Ted Lasso tour, so she decided to stay on the ship. Steve, Jamie & I went along. My plan was to take off on my own if the guide was anything like the ones we had had in the Med—talked so much it was like they were paid by the word. As our Med cruise went on, I started doing that. I would walk with the group until I was bored and then walk off on my own to take photos. I had usually researched the port enough to know what I wanted to see. This one was different. Our tour guide’s name was Cosette (like in Les Mis), and she was excellent. Just the right amount of comments, just the right amount of humor and moved at the right speed. When it was over, I told her I thought it was the best “included” Viking excursion I had ever been on. She walked us all over two miles worth of Greenwich, and we learned a lot. And I got lots of photos. She was also very good about telling us where you could go after the tour (due to time limitations, these were places she couldn’t take us), and that really helped me pick out places I wanted to shoot. So, I did the entire tour and then walked back to see the places she couldn’t take us and got the other shots I wanted.
Speaking of shooting, here are my morning tour photos. I hope you like them. Don’t forget: If you click the first shot, you can scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping. And please…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
The tour begins
My Cutty Sark Shot
My artsy Cutty Shark version
Trafalgar’s Pub
Our guide told us, it was pretty famous.
Hundreds of hanging flower baskets on the side.
The 02. Built by Tony Blair and sat unused for years. Now holds concerts.
You know me and street photos.
And river photos. Loved the color.
Cosette called this the gondola to nowhere.
Looking back at Venus with our tender in front of it.
The gate at the Palace of Greenwich.
Inside the gates.
Very strange. A compass on a stationary building???
Looking up at the Greenwich Observatory
It’s a long way away.
Huge green common areas lead up to the Observatory
Where lots of things happen.
In front of the Maritime Museum.
An old pub in downtown Greenwich.
I took these for Kathleen to see…
…but I really love the way they turned out.
They just had them there for kids to ride.
More street photos. I wish you could hear the college orchestra playing.
Loved the columns..
And dad playing with his two daughters.
The walkway to the Observatory. Steep as Adair.
Billed as London’s best view.
You can see so much from here.
Including this gentleman who I thought looked very British.
The ball drops everyday at 1:00 to set the time for the world.
Venus in the foreground from the Observatory viewpoint.
The London Eye in the distance.
St. Paul’s Cathedral in the distance.
I wish that ball would go up and drop.
The Queen’s house in the foreground.
The Tulip stairs in the Queen’s house.
Looking up one way…
And another.
The city through the two sides of Greenwich Palace.
And in front of the Maritime Museum, what else? A ship in a bottle.
If you are a Monty Python fan…
…you will know what this is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vuW6tQ0218
There was a place I could stand where I felt like the bus was going to hit me.
And the Cutty Sark figurehead. She is a witch and tried to grab her victims by the hair..
Darn! I almost forgot. While I was at the Observatory, I took a screenshot of my phone’s compass. Check this out. I am at exactly 0 longitude, facing due north.
Then it was back on the ship, and Steve and Jamie met friends from Norwich for lunch at the local brewery. Kathleen and I grabbed lunch and I spent the afternoon writing the post you got yesterday and processing photos.
We had dinner in the World Cafe. They were doing a “English Dinner” featuring many dishes we had eaten at the Wensleydale Heifer and enjoyed at Paul and Gail’s. There was roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, trifle, treacle and lots more. It was good but nowhere near as good as the Howard’s B&B or the Heifer.
After dinner, it was time to sail out. The ship was scheduled to sail down the Thames to the sea starting at 7:45. While we were eating dinner, the Captain and three pilots sat down at the table next to us. We knew it was time to go when they stood up from dinner.
Leaving Greenwich differs from any sail away we have done in 35+ cruises. Usually, the seamen will slip the ropes and pull them in, and off you go. In Greenwich, because there is no pier and the ship is anchored in the middle of the river, it is moored to five huge buoys that are anchored to the river bottom. To bring in the ropes and untie the ship, a crew has to get onto each mooring buoy and untie the ropes. That became a long and entertaining process for those of us taking photos. I have a few shots to show you what I am talking about.
To untie the ship from the docking buoys…
…they have to take the boat out and get on the buoys.
Sometimes the little boat can’t handle it.
So they send the bigger boat.
And they get the job done.
Standing on Venus, I was amazed at all the women around me…
…were astounded that a woman can do this kind of work. These people don’t get it.
After they finally got the lines off the ship, we were underway, and the sail out was very different. We were led out by both a pilot boat and a big tug. The best part of the sail out was getting to photograph the entire trip on the Thames. We went through the Thames Barrier (used to control the tides), passed another cruise ship , and went past the 02 tent and lots of parts of eastern London. I will let my pics give you the rest of the story on the sail out. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
The Greenwich Observatory in a golden light.
One of the Uber Boats and the tunnel beneath the river entrance.
The Greenwich Palace. Often used in films and television.
Like last night when they were filming.
Trafalgar’s Pub from the water.
The worthless gondolas
02
02 in Pano
The Thames Barrier
Stops floods…or so they say.
Incoming cruise ship.
Windstar’s Star Legend crossing the Barrier just before us.
And now we pass through…
…going the other way.
It’s an amazing piece of engineering.
London City Airport. London is served by six major airports.
Our tow boat buddy moved behind us once we were through the barrier.
I am a huge fan of beautiful skies
With great light.
I got a bunch last night.
Goodnight Thames.
That concluded last night. By the time we were down the river, it was close to 10:00 p.m., and that was way past my bedtime. So it was off to bed. I needed to rest up to do everything I wanted to do today on the first sea day we had ever expierienced on a Viking ship.
The Thames is liquid history. —John Burns
by Jim Bellomo | Dec 19, 2023 | Photography
This is the first post of this trip that I am writing from our own living room. We flew back yesterday on another nightmare of a day of flying (a birthday I won’t soon forget). It is 2:43 am, and of course, I am still on Budapest time, where it is almost noon. But I shouldn’t complain because jet lag is always easier to handle at home. I will get into our flight day as soon as I am more coherent, but I will say that it was another bad one and that we will never fly through or to Charles DeGaulle Airport in Paris again. If we have to go to Paris (we are not planning on it), we will fly to Amsterdam and take the train.
In the meantime, I will give you the photos of Budapest at night that I promised would knock your socks off. After spending three and a half days there I can say with total certainty—this is the most photogenic city I have ever had the pleasure of visiting—and it’s at night when it really shines. On the first night, we were in port. I was going to go out after dinner and take pictures, but with the sun setting so early and it getting really dark by 5:00 pm, I went out before dinner. It was truly a photo walk I will remember. You are going to see 25 photos in the gallery below. I took 346 on that early (very cold?) evening walk. Well, enough narrative; here are the photos. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
Just opposite where Gulveig (our ship), was docked was the Four Seasons, where Steve and Jamie would stay.
Then I turned and crossed the Chain Bridge.
It was beautifully lit up…
And I could look back and shoot our ship moored just below it.
The real prime parking spot.
There will be some duplication here because…
…the light kept changing.
And as I walked further out on the bridge I could start to see the Parliament Building.
And an excursion boat went underneath as I looked out.
The Parliament Building just keeps on catching my eye.
But incredible views are everywhere…
Off the bridge and headed back up the Danube/
I keep seeing more and more of the Parliament.
And the river walk had some nice shadows.
But oh, that amazing building.
It’s like the Opera House in Sydney….
if you see it, it just screams, “TAKE MY PICTURE!”
But so does the bridge.
And the castle.
And the lions at the end of the bridge.
And the castle again.
And the traffic on the river front.
We would see a lot of this view…
…because when we moved from our ship to the hotel, we were looking right at it.
And the bridge again as I turned to go back to the ship for dinner.
There is nothing like walking that riverbank at night. Every single place you look, you see something you HAVE TO TAKE A PICTURE OF! What an amazing place to be a photographer. I sometimes wonder if the people who live in Budapest end up getting jaded by these views. I am sure they do, but I hope they don’t. I hope I wouldn’t.
Editor’s Note: My plan is to do two more posts about Budapest (we were there for three days), one about our flight day and then do a summary of the cruise, what we loved and what we didn’t like so much. And I have been getting some questions. So I will try and answer those with the follow-up. I really want all this wound up before Christmas, but that will depend on three things: a cut/crack I have developed on my ring finger that makes it really hurt to type (you never realize how much you use any individual finger while typing until you hurt one). How much time do I sleep versus writing as I finish up with jet lag? And how much time it takes to get ready for Christmas?
Photogenic is a stupid, nonsensical word, but it is also a great mystery. —Blaise Cendrars
by Jim Bellomo | Oct 12, 2023 | Photography
Pre-dawn photos
Our second day in New York City started early for me (Like, when is that a surprise?) with a two-hour photo walk. But that walk got interrupted before it even began…twice. First, as I was leaving the ship, I looked at my phone (that I use to track my travels, navigate by GPS, call Kathleen if I need to, etc.) and found that it had not charged overnight even though it had been plugged in. Damn! So I walked back upstairs and plugged in. I knew I could get it up to around 40% in under 30 minutes, and that would be enough. Half an hour later, I was on my way.
This time, I got off the ship and through security before I thought, “You should check your camera batteries as well.” (I always have two on me. One in the camera and one in a pouch on my camera strap.) The one in the camera was at about 25%, but the one on my strap was…dead. So, back through security, back on the ship, up 4 floors to grab my third battery, which thankfully was fully charged. Finally, I was on my way. Whew! That was frustrating.
My original intention had been to re-walk the High Line, but since I had done that the day before and also five years ago, I decided to go out and shoot some light—Times Square. On the way, I thought how ridiculous it is that I would NEVER walk in the dark for that distance in Seattle. I would never have felt safe. But here I was in the Big Apple, and I felt totally secure. Working people were everywhere, a friendly cop on most corners and strangely enough, walking three miles around Manhattan, I did not see a single person high on fentanyl, asking for money or doing anything but getting on with their day. What a difference a few years makes. Seattle wishes it was as safe as NYC.
At any rate, I had a fun walk around the Times Square/Broadway area and these are the photos I brought back (and of course they have captions). Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
I wasn’t going to include this shot of the aircraft carrier Intrepid (it sits right next where we were moored) but Kathleen liked it.
Trying some more artsy stuff as I crossed the Westside Highway.
And playing with shooting in the dark.
Love the way this building has kind of lit up set of stairs.
Reaching Times Square.
Love this ad campaign.
And this old building lit up by all the neon signs across the street.
One of the reasons you feel safe there at 5:00 am is that it is lit up like noon.
We are Good Morning America watchers at home so I had to go by their studio.
Robin was doing a segment.
Looking straight up Times Square to the split of 7th and Broadway. NYC has made about four blocks or so pedestrian-only.
Just one wall, on one side of Times Square.
More lights
And more lights.
See the little dot on the building…the ball drops at midnight on December 31 there.
A live on-the-street newscast going on.
On my way back to the ship, I was stopped at a light and saw this proud Mom taking photos of her daughter.
I shot these surreptitiously but I love how they came out. She was so cute.
Midday trek
Back to the ship, and after a quick breakfast, and five of us were off in an Uber to explore NYC. Jocelyn was still getting over her cold, and Kathleen felt like it was coming on, so they elected to stay on board. We were first headed to Zabars on the Upper West Side. If you have never heard of Zabars, just imagine the most well-stocked grocery store you have ever been to, where you can get ANYTHING, and it is all crammed into two 7-11s…with an entire kitchen shop on top of it. That’s Zabars. Here are three quick shots to show you what I mean.
The front door.
And this is just the cheese section…
…except it isn’t all of the cheese section. This is looking the other way.
All the sections of the store were as well-stocked, with as many choices as the cheese section. Add an upstairs cooking supply store, and for people like me who love to cook, it was magic. We stuck around there, but I knew I wasn’t going to buy anything because I didn’t want to have to lug it around the rest of the day. I am ashamed to say that every product I saw in the kitchen supply shot that I really wanted, I took a photo of with my phone and will be ordering those from Amazon when we get back home. I love to support small businesses but Zabars looked like they will survive (they have for a very long time).
I got done looking long before the rest of the gang, so I went outside to find a mailbox to drop some postcards I had written. Yes, I still write postcards. And then I planted myself in front of the store and did some street photography until everyone else had made their purchases. Here’s a quick gallery of photos from that session of waiting about 15 minutes. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
Women talking
Cell phone looking
This man sat down at the other end of a table I was leaning on.
He was an interesting subject. I shot all these, without him knowing it) while my camera was laying on the table.
Off to work.
Colorful scarf
Loved the look on his face.
I forgot to mention that this midday foray into Manhattan had totally broken one of my absolute travel laws—never go anywhere unplanned. For me, the worst thing to be when traveling is just wandering around and going, “What do you want to do now?” Just typing those words bothers me. I know. I should just be spontaneous. But more arguments and ruined vacation days have come from those seven words than I want to remember. But there we were outside of Zabars, asking ourselves where we wanted to go. So we checked the map and found out we were just north of the entrance to Central Park, and since no one in our group except me had ever walked through the park, we decided to head that way.
Once we were in the park, the next question was where to go. I had never been to the Belvedere Castle, so we headed off to find that. Hopefully, it would make a good photo-op. It did. After exploring the castle and the views from the castle, we spoke with a park guide who suggested a great walk down the rest of the park to Columbus Circle. I was all up for this, but that’s because I am the walker in the group. The rest of the group decided that what they wanted most in NYC was a pastrami sandwich at a deli. So they headed off to find one on Lexington Avenue, and I headed south into the park on the route the guide had suggested to shoot more photos. Here’s what I got in the park. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping.
My first shot in the park was from Belvedere Castle.
With the direction of the sun, this was the only shot I could get of the castle from anywhere close to the castle.
But I could see The Dakota from there.
So I gave up and walked quite a ways to be able to look back and get this shot.
And this one with the Dakota in the background.
Then it was off to the Bethesda Fountain.
And the courtyard in front of it.
And the fountain again.
And for some reason I always seem to run into a wedding on every trip.
Looking back at the fountain. And this John Wick fanboy will tell you a lot of scenes were filmed here for the four movies.
Ran into a bubble maker.
An incredibly pastoral scene.
Two young lovers on a bridge.
A statue outside the southwest corner of the park
The whole thing.
And finally, Columbus Circle.
After I took the second Belvedere Castle shot, the battery in my camera died, and I had to switch to my partially charged backup. Talk about worried. I knew I had a long way to go to get back to a charger. So I walked through the rest of the park, making sure my camera was only turned on to take a composed shot that I liked. For me, this was sheer torture. I like taking pics of everything (that’s why my batteries keep running out) and then sorting them out later. I probably discard 80% of the photos I take. But on this walk, I only took the ones I absolutely HAD TO HAVE. And this situation put me on another search. I was in Manhattan. There must be a camera store nearby where I could buy a new Nikon battery. Hopefully, they will have one fully charged and ready to go. So I popped out Google Maps on my phone and Googled nearby Nikon stores. I about fell on my face when I saw I was only 1.9 miles from the midtown home of B&H Photo.
For those of you who are not nutso, serious photographers like me, B&H is our Mecca. They are the ultimate camera store. They are only in NYC, but half the serious photographers in the USA buy from them. I had considered going there earlier, but I would have been the only one interested, and it would have been way too tempting for me. They literally have everything! Of course, as it turns out, they don’t have everything. They don’t sell fully charged Nikon batteries. Damn! (But that was OK. I got to spend about an hour browsing B&H and didn’t spend a cent.) Did I mention that B&H was at 34th and 9th? Because now I was way past Pier 88—so off I went to get back to the ship and to rest my feet. My total miles walked on this day in the Square, The Park and B&H was 14.2. To say my feet and legs were mad at me is a huge understatement.
The walk back was uneventful. I didn’t have any more photo opportunities because, by now, my camera battery was totally dead.
Sailing away from Manhattan
My plan (since I had shot our sail-in to NYC) was just to take a few photos as the ship was sailing back down the Hudson to the sea. But when I went up on deck and found that there was almost perfect light focused on the city, I had to stay and take more than a few photos. It was a good thing I had completely charged one of my camera batteries as soon as I had gotten back to the ship. Because, in that 45-minute trip from Pier 88 to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, I shot almost 300 photos. Everywhere I looked, there was perfect light on something else. I hope you agree. And don’t worry. I culled them down to a few of the best. And these you really shouldn’t look at on a tiny phone screen. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping.
This panoramic shot of the NYC skyline is one of my best panos.
And the light was just golden.
We went by the Little Island again…
…so I had to take a few more photos of it.
And this boathouse that caught my eye because there were people running back and forth in front of it.
This combo sculpture and running track is called The Vessel.
The Empire State Building peeking out between two much more modern skyscrapers.
Looking down the Hudson.
Just amazing light.
And the skies kept changing. Like the clouds behind the Jenga Building.
The building with the spire is the courthouse where they film all those Law and Order step scenes.
A few more views of the World Trade Center.
With the incredible light.
I think the boat really makes this shot.
And I had to add one of the Oculus that sits at the bottom of the WTC.
And the light did not cooperate in the other direction making Ellis Island (where my grandfather came to from Italy) totally backlit.
As well as a backlit Lady Liberty.
And of course I wasn’t the only one taking pics but most of these folks were just on cell phones.
Other than an evening meal at Ember (another of Vista’s specialty restaurants–That I will review soon along with the other three and all the food), that was about it for this day. It’s a good thing because my feet could not take standing anymore. I was thrilled that yesterday was a sea day, and I didn’t have any place to go except an onboard culinary class—more about that tomorrow. Today, we are in Charleston, South Carolina, and I look forward to a short walk to pick up a rental car, a covered surrey ride around downtown, some of the world’s best Carolina BBQ at Rodney Scott’s and a tour of the Magnolia Plantation. With a 90% chance of rain…this should be fun.
“I get out of the taxi, and it’s probably the only city which in reality looks better than on the postcards, New York.” — Milos Forman
by Jim Bellomo | Oct 11, 2023 | Photography
So much to tell you. I hope I get this done before I have to go upstairs to do laundry (If I’m not the first person there on a sea day, I will never get it done.)
So, to go back what is now three days, there will be no report on Martha’s Vineyard. After a fairly bumpy ride on Saturday night, the Captain made the decision that the seas were too rough and the swells too high to use the tenders safely, so we skipped the Vineyard and floated around out at sea for most of a day. But that worked out as early Monday morning, we sailed under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge into New York Harbor. We got incredibly lucky with the weather for both of our days in NYC. From the sail-in until the sail-away, we had either sunny or partly cloudy skies. Temps in the 50s and 60s, so I was loving it.
Day 1—we sail in
My day started at 4:45 a.m. when I headed up to the Horizons lounge at the front of the ship to watch the city get closer. Then, around 5:45, we sailed under the aforementioned VN Bridge, past Lady Liberty and all the way up the Hudson to Pier 88. We arrived at around 8:00 a.m., and the captain made what I thought was a miracle turn into our berth… I came back in from shooting photos to warm up. Even though the temps weren’t that bad, the wind on the deck made it feel a whole lot colder. But I got some great pics, and here they are. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
Incredible sunrise to start the day.
I am not going to caption all of these but…
…I had to include them because I can’t decide which ones I like the best.
The Narrows Bridge…
From both sides
Coming into the city…
…with the World Trade Center in view.
The Staten Island Ferry from New Jersey to the Island.
No words here.
Or here.
I really appreciate the color of the ferry.
Can you tell?
Lady Liberty at her finest.
With the ferry in the foreground.
And closer. The lady was on our left as we sailed up the Hudson.
This was on our right.
I believe this is the original Customs House.
56 Leonard Street. Known as the Jenna Building.
It seemed like there were so many more buildings than when we were there five years ago.
The sunrise was spectacular.
This is Little Island.
A man-made, Gaudiesque island on the Hudson.
Largest pilot boat I have ever seen.
The leaning condo of NYC.
The Empire State Building almost disappears amidst the new construction.
Not sure I could live in this one. Not sure how the elevators work???
Looking up 48th Avenue from our berth for two days.
Day 1–The Whitney and a High Line walk back
After a quick breakfast, the entire group (minus one who was still not fully recovered) set out to the Whitney Museum of American Art. We had pre-purchased tickets to see their collection. We had planned this because we were on the East Side of Manhattan, and the gigantic Columbus Day parade was on the West Side. We would head that way tomorrow. The main reason I wanted to go to The Whitney was that they have the largest collection of paintings by my favorite American artist, Edward Hopper. Sadly, not a lot of them are displayed (BOOH!). But we still enjoyed our two-hour visit. Then we walked across the street to see The Little Island up close and personal.
The Little Island. Taken from the outdoor viewing area of The Whitney Museum
The Little Island is one of the newest parts of the waterfront. It is entirely man-made and very reminiscent of the Gaudi architecture in Barcelona. The entire island sits on what looks like flowers coming out of the water, but once on the island, you would never know it. We walked all over the island. There’s an amphitheater, food stands and some incredible views up and down the Hudson. You will see them in a few minutes when I get to the midday slide show.
After our visit to the Little Island, we grabbed a quick bite of pizza in front of the Whitney, and Kathleen, Mike and Cathy took an Uber back to the ship while Steve and Jamie did a little shopping, and I set off to walk back to the ship via the High Line. If you are not familiar with the High Line, it is an elevated platform that runs from just outside the doors of the Whitney up Manhattan’s west side to just about where Vista was berthed. It used to be an old elevated railway but is now a beautiful pedestrian walkway.
I had previously walked the High Line on our last trip to NYC in 2018, but that was before sunrise when it was empty. This time was midday, and it was jam-packed with people out for a holiday (Columbus Day—which is still celebrated in NYC) stroll. As I walked north towards the ship, I shot a bunch of pics…and here they are. You know the drill. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
My three favorite exhibits at The Whitney
Can you imagine showing up in these shoes and seeing this?
An awesome display of clothing worn by Black activists in the 1960s. Can you tell what the gloves are about?
Took some shots from the outdoor gallery on the Whitney’s six floor. First, imagine King Kong here.
The start of the High Line I would walk back to the ship on later.
This new building which is obviously owned by Tony Stark. You can see Loki up there.
Nothing like NYC architecture. It’s like they all compete to out crazy each other.
The view from the highest point on the Little Island.
Me being artsy.
Looking down from the High Line.
I shot this same photo from this exact spot 5 years ago.
Some great fish sculptures on the High Line.
And a super mural.
Lots of art everywhere. Can you see the mermaid here?
Loved the reflections. The skies were perfect.
Different parts of the track are still in place…
…from the original elevated railway.
I love that they have kept them in.
Did a little street photography.
Loved the way she is looking at him. Like he is telling her his dreams for their future.
Maybe the world’s largest sculpture.
The reflections make the building almost transparent.
Just liked this guy.
Looking up 34th to the Empire State Bldg.
The High Line ends with a huge yard full of old rail cards.
Me being artsy again.
Our evening—sorry, no pics
After I got back and gave my legs a rest, we all met up at 4:15 to go to dinner at Kellari Taverna. Kathleen and I had eaten there on our honeymoon in 1999. We loved it then, but not so much now. Their menu had gone from traditional Greek to pretty much seafood, and we had all come with dreams of a great Greek feast. The only truly Greek dish on their menu was mousaka, but it was a vegan dish (are you kidding me???). They did have a tasty octopus that I liked and a nice Greek salad. At least their baklava was excellent.
Almost forgot to explain why we were going to dinner so early—we had tickets to a Broadway show! Come on, you can’t come to NYC without seeing a Broadway show. When we booked the cruise, one of the highlights was this overnight stay in New York. But one big problem—most Broadway shows are dark on Monday nights, and we were there…on Monday night. But thankfully, a few still run, and we were lucky enough to snag tickets to Six. If you have not heard of Six, it is the story of the six wives of Henry the Eighth. I know, sounds boring, right? But what a high-powered, amazing musical that turned out to be all about feminine empowerment. Each of the wives sang in the style of two of our current pop stars—for instance, Catherine of Aragon sang in the style of Beyonce and Shakira. And she and the rest of the Six could sing. Grab the cast album from your favorite streaming site and have a listen—an uplifting and energizing show. It is on a national tour currently, so if you get a chance, go see it. You won’t be sorry—we weren’t. By the time we were done with Six, we were exhausted, and it was back to the ship and bed. I needed to be up for Day 2’s predawn photo walk. More about that in my next post.
“I would give the greatest sunset in the world for one sight of New York’s skyline.” —Ayn Rand
by Jim Bellomo | Oct 9, 2023 | Photography
Taken very early today as we sailed by.
Good morning, all! Just a quick note: your favorite travel blogger will return in a few days. I usually write in the mornings before dawn, but today, I took this photo (and a lot of others) as we sailed into NYC. We will be here until late tomorrow night, so I will be using tomorrow morning for a long walk on the Highline before the sun comes up. Thankfully, we have a sea day after we leave here so that I can catch up. Until then…stand by.
