19th January 2014

After an excellent show the previous night, we returned to our cabin, finished packing, and placed our cases in the corridor ready for the crew to collect and store them.

We woke up, showered, and dressed at 6 a.m., arriving for breakfast in the Lido by 6:30 a.m., along with a surprising number of other passengers.

 

 

 

 

 

After enjoying our final full English breakfast on board, we returned to the cabin and watched our entry into the Hudson River from the balcony. As we approached the Bay Bridge, we headed up on deck to capture photos of it and the Statue of Liberty as we sailed past. We took plenty of shots and videos before the ship finally berthed beside the ‘USS Enterprise’, with Concorde stationed alongside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disembarkation took some time; we were scheduled to leave the ship at 10:30 a.m., but slow-moving customs and immigration meant that, for our group, this didn’t happen until after 11:30 a.m. After queuing and painstakingly passing through passport control, we found our taxi and were soon on our way to the Holiday Inn on 57th Street. Check-in at the hotel was quick, though we initially took the wrong lift to our room and had to return to the ground floor and start again. After checking the room and noticing it was snowing outside, we returned to reception to deposit our passports and valuables in a safe deposit box.

Using the SatNav on my phone, we took a short walk to the Columbus Circle end of Central Park. Ignoring the rather persistent cycle-cab touts, we set off to ‘do’ the park. We meandered along the paths with other tourists and plenty of New Yorkers, as it was a holiday weekend. There were still remnants of last week’s snow in small piles, ready to be moved by the Parks Department staff, who seemed to be everywhere.

We stumbled upon a crowd watching an ice-carving demonstration and later saw a wedding taking place outside a castle, with the bride in striking red and black, a very nice touch. A bit further on, we saw another wedding by some waterfalls, and this bride, too, was dressed in bright red. The park’s lakes were mostly frozen over, except for the largest one. At the far end of the park, in Harlem, we stopped to watch an ice hockey game played by girls who looked around nine or ten years old, they were quite skilled.

On our return journey, a concerned lady stopped us, thinking we looked lost. She didn’t quite grasp that we’d walked the entire length of the park and were heading back the same way. She kindly explained how to catch the bus and pointed out the nearest Starbucks, possibly because we looked a bit weary. I resisted the urge to mention my preference against patronising American companies that profit in the UK yet avoid taxes. She hovered for a while, so we set off in the direction she suggested. Once out of sight, though, we resumed our leisurely route.

We paused for a rest and coffee at the Boat Restaurant by one of the lakes, where we happened to meet a couple from the ‘Queen Elizabeth’ (small world!). As the light faded and the city buildings around us began to glow, we made our way back to the hotel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way back to our room, we stopped at the concierge desk to check if any shows were available that night. We were in luck and managed to get two tickets for ‘Chicago’ at the Ambassador Theatre on 49th Street. The concierge said it was a 10-minute walk, though my SatNav estimated 19 minutes. We hurried to our room to change, then headed to the hotel lounge bar for some proper American fare, burgers, chips, and salad. They were enormous! We briefly chatted with two of our dinner table partners from the ship who were also staying at our hotel before tackling as much of our meal as we could and setting off for the theatre. In the end, it took around 15 minutes to get there.

We collected our (very expensive) tickets from the box office and made our way to our seats. The Ambassador is a very old, rather compact theatre, with seats packed together almost like Ryanair, offering absolutely no legroom. We must have bagged the last two seats, as the theatre was packed to capacity. In the UK, you’d expect the audience to be about 90% middle-aged or older, with a few younger faces. Here, it was the opposite; most of our fellow spectators were teens or in their early twenties. The applause often came with enthusiastic whooping, which, in such an intimate venue, added to the atmosphere and, surprisingly, wasn’t annoying for once.

19th January 2014

After an excellent show the previous night, we returned to our cabin, finished packing, and placed our cases in the corridor ready for the crew to collect and store them.

We woke up, showered, and dressed at 6 a.m., arriving for breakfast in the Lido by 6:30 a.m., along with a surprising number of other passengers.

 

 

 

 

 

After enjoying our final full English breakfast on board, we returned to the cabin and watched our entry into the Hudson River from the balcony. As we approached the Bay Bridge, we headed up on deck to capture photos of it and the Statue of Liberty as we sailed past. We took plenty of shots and videos before the ship finally berthed beside the ‘USS Enterprise’, with Concorde stationed alongside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disembarkation took some time; we were scheduled to leave the ship at 10:30 a.m., but slow-moving customs and immigration meant that, for our group, this didn’t happen until after 11:30 a.m. After queuing and painstakingly passing through passport control, we found our taxi and were soon on our way to the Holiday Inn on 57th Street. Check-in at the hotel was quick, though we initially took the wrong lift to our room and had to return to the ground floor and start again. After checking the room and noticing it was snowing outside, we returned to reception to deposit our passports and valuables in a safe deposit box.

Using the SatNav on my phone, we took a short walk to the Columbus Circle end of Central Park. Ignoring the rather persistent cycle-cab touts, we set off to ‘do’ the park. We meandered along the paths with other tourists and plenty of New Yorkers, as it was a holiday weekend. There were still remnants of last week’s snow in small piles, ready to be moved by the Parks Department staff, who seemed to be everywhere.

We stumbled upon a crowd watching an ice-carving demonstration and later saw a wedding taking place outside a castle, with the bride in striking red and black, a very nice touch. A bit further on, we saw another wedding by some waterfalls, and this bride, too, was dressed in bright red. The park’s lakes were mostly frozen over, except for the largest one. At the far end of the park, in Harlem, we stopped to watch an ice hockey game played by girls who looked around nine or ten years old, they were quite skilled.

On our return journey, a concerned lady stopped us, thinking we looked lost. She didn’t quite grasp that we’d walked the entire length of the park and were heading back the same way. She kindly explained how to catch the bus and pointed out the nearest Starbucks, possibly because we looked a bit weary. I resisted the urge to mention my preference against patronising American companies that profit in the UK yet avoid taxes. She hovered for a while, so we set off in the direction she suggested. Once out of sight, though, we resumed our leisurely route.

We paused for a rest and coffee at the Boat Restaurant by one of the lakes, where we happened to meet a couple from the ‘Queen Elizabeth’ (small world!). As the light faded and the city buildings around us began to glow, we made our way back to the hotel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way back to our room, we stopped at the concierge desk to check if any shows were available that night. We were in luck and managed to get two tickets for ‘Chicago’ at the Ambassador Theatre on 49th Street. The concierge said it was a 10-minute walk, though my SatNav estimated 19 minutes. We hurried to our room to change, then headed to the hotel lounge bar for some proper American fare, burgers, chips, and salad. They were enormous! We briefly chatted with two of our dinner table partners from the ship who were also staying at our hotel before tackling as much of our meal as we could and setting off for the theatre. In the end, it took around 15 minutes to get there.

We collected our (very expensive) tickets from the box office and made our way to our seats. The Ambassador is a very old, rather compact theatre, with seats packed together almost like Ryanair, offering absolutely no legroom. We must have bagged the last two seats, as the theatre was packed to capacity. In the UK, you’d expect the audience to be about 90% middle-aged or older, with a few younger faces. Here, it was the opposite; most of our fellow spectators were teens or in their early twenties. The applause often came with enthusiastic whooping, which, in such an intimate venue, added to the atmosphere and, surprisingly, wasn’t annoying for once.

And the show itself? ‘Chicago’ was outstanding. The songs, the dances, the humour, the set, the energy, and the acting were all performed to perfection, as far as we could tell from our seats smack in the centre of the auditorium. We absolutely loved it. If tickets weren’t so pricey, we’d happily do it all again tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

Our walk back to the hotel was rather chilly, with the clock nearing midnight, so we were glad to finally reach the warmth of our room and head straight to bed.

And the show itself? ‘Chicago’ was outstanding. The songs, the dances, the humour, the set, the energy, and the acting were all performed to perfection, as far as we could tell from our seats smack in the centre of the auditorium. We absolutely loved it. If tickets weren’t so pricey, we’d happily do it all again tomorrow.

 

Our walk back to the hotel was rather chilly, with the clock nearing midnight, so we were glad to finally reach the warmth of our room and head straight to bed.