2008: The Landlubber's Tale

Tales of the Itinerant Sailor

Cruising 2008

The Landlubber's Tale

New York City

Carmen has friends and relatives in NYC and on the Jersey side of the Hudson. There is just too much to see and do in this town for the short time we had. A visit to the old Twin Towers sight did not seem like the thing to do, but they were noticeably missing from the city skyline.

The Empire State Building—still dominates the Manhattan skyline.

St Patrick’s Cathedral, New York City.

Niagara Falls (New York)

America Falls, on the American side of the Niagara Falls.

Raise your hands if you have ever visited the Niagara Falls in winter time. This comes from someone who also chose to visit New England for the first time after the colorful fall leaves had already fallen.

Niagara Falls has been on my list of places to visit since seeing pictures taken from the film Niagara (1953) starring Marilyn Monroe and Joseph Cotton. And of course the dare devils who tried to cross the Falls on a tightrope, or who went over the Falls in barrels—or who sent their cats—added to the allure. As an attraction for newly-weds, this seems to have started when Jerome Bonaparte, the brother of Napoleon, visited Niagara Falls with his new bride in the early 19^th century. The Falls are broad, not high, and much of the water is siphoned off into giant conduits leading to turbines to generate hydroelectric energy for both Canada and the US. The best view is from the Canadian side, which we were not able to access as Carmen Rosa did not have a visa to visit Canada.

One if by Land, Two if by Sea

Kansas