New York Day 1

New York -The City day 1

Friday 1st July 2011


We did not sleep well in our cabin aboard the Queen Mary 2 and we had set the alarm for 05.15. Nevertheless we were awake by 05.00 and we could see buildings through our cabin window. Joan got up and went out on our balcony to have a look then gave a running commentary as I lay in bed trying to get back to sleep. When I did at last get up the ship had passed under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and also passed the Statue of Liberty although Joan had already taken a photograph of the statue. The buildings which were our first sight of New York turned out to be skyscrapers of New Jersey visible from our port side cabin. When I managed to crawl on to the veranda all I could see was a customs boat escorting us up the river and a few buildings on the New Jersey coast. The sea was flat calm giving us a peaceful introduction to New York City.

Our suitcases had already gone from outside our cabin so we were left with our hand luggage and the clothes we stood up in. Breakfast was at 06.00 which we took with a leisurely pace watching another large cruise ship, the ‘Carnival Miracle’, pull in to the quayside on the opposite berth to ourselves. This was not seen as good news as the extra two or three thousand passengers would mean delay for us in unloading and customs clearance. We then went to the 'Golden Lion' pub to wait for our signal to leave. As this pub was on the starboard side we had a good view of the dockside so we could see the unloading taking place and the passengers disembarking. It was also a good opportunity to practice my dart throwing skills as there were very few other people waiting in this part of the ship.

When we looked out of the window we could see the suitcases on pallets being unloaded from the ship and one or two passengers walking over to customs. If you wanted to carry your entire luggage you could have gone off the ship early but we had decided to stick with the Bath Travel arrangements that had organised a coach to take us to our hotel together with our luggage. Other passengers who were staying on the ship for the journey up to Boston were disembarking for a day in New York and we saw our dinner table couple walking along the ramp going for a day’s shopping.
As we watched we noticed that the stevedore activity was slowing down and they were gradually moving off the quayside. Shortly afterwards an announcement came over the tannoy to say that the stevedores had walked off the job because of a dispute over extra pay for the upcoming holiday on the 4th July. Half an hour later we had the good news that some of the striking stevedores had returned to finish off the unloading but because of the large number of passengers and few stevedores we had to wait even longer to disembark.

When we at last got the call to leave the ship we joined the queue near the exit but after a half hour or so of no movement we were told to sit down again. I went off in search of a toilet and when I got back the queue had reformed and it was moving forward to the gangplank. Our first experience of land in America was in a large hanger like building packed with hundreds of passengers waiting to leave. We were directed to an area where our luggage should be and told to look for our cases. When we had found them we joined another queue in temporary barriered zigzag walkways that led to about six or so customs desks. Guards with sniffer dogs patrolled the lines and when we eventually reached a desk we had to hand over our documents and have our fingerprints and iris checked. Fortunately we got through without any problems and made our way with our luggage to find our coach. We got to the coach stop but had a further wait because the coach had a time limited stop so had to go round the block before approaching the stop again. The coach left for the hotel at 11.15 already six hours after we had got up.

Queen Mary 2 had originally been going to dock at a berth in Brooklyn but we learned during our voyage across the Atlantic that our berth had been changed to one at Manhattan on the East River. This berth turned out to be on a line with 43rd street which coincidentally was the same street as our hotel in Times Square called the ‘Marriott Marquis’. The drive to the hotel which we had hoped would be an introduction to Manhattan turned out to be a 10minute ride up 43rd Street. When we entered the hotel we were directed up the escalators to a room on the 4th floor which was a meeting room reserved for Bath Travel. Here we picked up our room key card and went to find our room 2207 on the 22nd floor. The elevators, of which there were about 20, were all grouped together in a circular structure in the centre of the building. When you found the opening into the elevator room you had to punch your floor number into a key pad which then told you which elevator letter ‘A to P’ you had to take. You then walked to the appropriate elevator and waited for it to arrive after which you entered the elevator and got out at your floor. Some of the elevators were on the outside of the circular structure in which case you could see the hotel layout through the glass walls, others on the inside were the normal elevator cubicle, but you could not select which sort to go into.

After looking round the room which was large with a giant television screen on top of a dresser and locking our valuables in the safe we decided to go out and sample New York City. We also wanted something to eat as it had been a long time since breakfast. Heading east, back to the boat I suppose which was our adopted home, we came across an eating place or restaurant on the corner of 46th Street called ‘Athenee’. We chose it because it looked ordinary, had a simple but comprehensive menu, and looked fairly busy. We were met as soon as we entered, shown to our seats near the window, and given a menu. I picked a burger so I could get in the American psyche and Joan ordered a salad presumably because she didn’t trust foreign food. When they arrived we were overwhelmed by how much was on our plates. My burger in a bun was plate sized and supplemented by fries, pickles and salad. Joan’s salad looked as if it had been made from the contents of our lawnmower bag. Joan only managed to eat half of her salad but I managed all of my burger and salad and even a few fries.

We were well pleased with our first American meal and decided to walk it off by investigating our surroundings. One of the restaurants we had booked from the boat was on 51st street so we decided to walk in that direction to see what it looked like. We went up 9th Avenue, which we were told on the boat was a good place to eat, then along 51st street, before going back along Broadway to 42nd street. We did not see the restaurant but we enjoyed finding our way around which with the avenues and streets in a grid was easy enough.

When we reached Times Square we were pleased that our navigation worked so well and as the weather was warm and sunny we decided to walk westwards along 42nd street. However when we reached Bryant Park the warm turned to hot and walking became a chore so we were glad to get into Grand Central Station with its air conditioning. Grand Central is much more than just a station with its shops and restaurants to such an extent that it is possible to forget that trains actually run from there at all. We walked in on ground level and went up the balcony overlooking the clock then we went down to the clock itself and then downstairs to the basement where all the restaurants and eateries are located. The oyster bar and restaurant were doing business but we were still full from our lunch so after a look around we decided to head back to the hotel. We called into Bryant Park for a rest and a break from the sun before returning to the hotel.

Back in our room Joan unpacked our cases while I tried to sort out why I could not use the phone. I wanted to use the phone to confirm our dinner reservations at the restaurants we had booked from the ships internet system. Eventually I found out that I had to register my credit card which I managed to do at the reception desk. Since our room was part of a block booking through Bath Travel the normal reception and key issue process had not been completed. Even so when I returned to the room and tried the phone it would still not work and I had to contact reception again to get them to unlock the phone. They could have done this when I first went down but it was just the first example of bad service from the hotel staff that did not seem to think it was their job to help the guests.

At about 6pm after showering we went down to the fourth floor to look for some food. There were several eating places in the hotel. The main restaurant was a revolving one on the top 49th floor but there was a large one serving traditional food on the fourth. In addition the pub area on the fourth floor served meals at its tables but after the big lunch we were still not able to face a large meal and opted for the Sushi restaurant next to the pub. This restaurant comprised the usual Sushi bar with a table sit down area on the other side of the work area. Even so being America the portions were quite large.

After dinner we called into the internet café and after several minutes trying to get information from the unhelpful staff we managed to log on. Unfortunately Facebook thought we were so far from home that we must be frauds so after 15minutes we gave up never to return. We then went for a walk round the block to complete our first day. Since part of the walk included Times Square, which is really buzzing at theatre time, it took us longer than we thought and we were glad to get back to our room after a long tiring day.