After a such an exciting weekend we needed to slow down a bit, so today was do the domestics (yes the clothes are not self cleaning), as well as a general lay day.
So not too much action at all, just a leisurely stroll down by the Hudson where they have done a lot of work in creating and maintaining parks and open areas as well as walkways and cycleways. The are was highly industrial with over 90 piers along this length of the Hudson, which fell into dis-use with the advent of containerisation which was handled elsewhere but not on Manhattan.
Tuesday
I had had booked and planned to do a circle line tour of Manhattan (Hudson River, East River, Harlem River back to the Hudson) . These tours you book on-line and are valid for 12 months. Tuesday looked like it was going to clear up to a nice day after some early fog, so circle line tour day it is.
I decided that we would opt for the 10:30AM tour, bugger, the tour starts at 10AM I realised just before we were to head to Pier 83 near 42ndSt & 12th Ave, so Plan B, we would go to Staten Island on the free ferry, get some good shots of the Status of Liberty as it had been raining on our tour a few days ago. Then head into Pier 83 and go on the 12:30 tour.
This plan worked with varying degrees of success
The fog was very thick on our way to Staten Island, and even thicker on our way back, so my plans of getting some good shots were blown away, although I did get some nice shots of the lower Manhattan skyline above the fog.
After disembarking from the ferry back in lower Manhattan, we got on the subway and headed for 42nd St Station, then a 10 minute walk to Pier 83 which we made in plenty of time. The weather was also on the improve although there seemed to be some lingering fog down towards the south of Manhattan, but overall it had improved to be a very pleasant mainly blue sky. As the guide mentioned, the earlier tour (10AM) had been a foggy trip, so my getting the time incorrect, turned out to be a blessing.
This cruise is a three hour cruise, and the guide was very knowledgeable with a dry sense of humour. He gave us details on all buildings, areas and sites that were of interest. I now know why Wall St is called just that, I now know why the island is called Manhattan, I now know why the river that connects the Hudson and the Harlem Rivers (I originally thought that Hudson flowed into the Harlem) is called Spuyten Duyvil Creek. Plus much more equally useless information. The guide also has an encyclopaedic knowledge of all the celebs who live & had lived in which apartments all around the island, most impressive.
We headed south down the Hudson from Pier 83 towards lower Manhattan getting a history lesson of the days of yesteryear along the waterfront, and history of the buildings that we could see from the boat.
This time no fog in Upper Bay !
The vessel goes out to the statue, turns about in front and we then head up the East River, before turning into Harlem River. Upper Manhattan in very green and quite hilly (that is where Manhattan comes from, "Mana Hatta" from the local Indian tribe meaning "hilly place" or "hilly island". I have forgotten how many bridges we go under, but it must 14 or 15, especially upper Manhattan where Harlem River is much narrower.
Empire State Building from the Hudson River side, thru a rare gap in the buildings 
Taken from the Hudson side this is where the greenery gives way to more urbanisation at about the centre point of the photo Very short video of part of the cruise
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