Tuesday morning we were up early. We made our way through the notorious Point Pleasant Canal. A narrow channel lined entirely by solid rock walls, it is known to get very rough with lots of traffic. It’s advised not to go through it on the weekends at all costs. Thankfully, this was Tuesday and going through first thing in the morning, we only saw two other boats and it wasn’t bad at all.

We made a pit stop at Captain Bill’s Landing right at the edge of the Manasquan Inlet. Here it was already quite choppy, with tour boats starting to go by churning the water up even more. We fueled up and got out of there as quickly as possible.

Going through the inlet and out into the Atlantic the water was actually very nice. It was a relief to see that the prediction was accurate. Long gentle rolling waves that you didn’t even really feel. We saw so many more dolphins along the way too, probably the last of the trip.

When we came around Sandy Hook the water got a little choppy but it calmed down again once we reached the upper Bay of the Hudson River. We had seen on Nebo that another Looper, ‘Crab Shack’ was on their way to NYC as well and coordinated with them to take pictures of each other passing the Statue of Liberty. Seeing her from the water on our boat was really awesome.

It was still fairly early as we came into the city and there was a slight haze, which at the time we chalked up to typical morning weather. It was still such a cool view from the water.

We went a little ways up river, passing Ellis Island, the Intrepid Aircraft Carrier, under the George Washington Bridge and the little red lighthouse to Dyckman Marina.

It was right along the river with no breakwall. The water was somewhat calm up here, but with barges and ferry boats going by we knew we could get some good wakes.

It was definitely not the most restful night we’ve had, there were a few decent wakes in the middle of the night. NYC is crazy expensive though and this marina was more than half the cost of the ones downtown, so that is why we were staying here. Wednesday we hopped on the subway, which was just up the street a block, and rode into the city.

Our first stop was at Zucker’s Bagel’s & Smoked Fish 🥯. We both just wanted to try just a bagel on its own, so no smoked fish, but I did get blueberry cream cheese on mine. Oh it was so good! The bagel itself was fresh and delicious, and the cream cheese had whole blueberries in it.

Then we went to the Flat Iron Building, where we had an appointment at Brilliant Earth Jewelry to look at wedding bands 😄. I hadn’t necessarily planned on getting my ring in NYC, but I have been seeing this company online since we got engaged and really liked their selection. There just isn’t a store in the Buffalo area. So I figured, when in Rome, and we were able to get in and check them out. Our consultant was actually from Cheektowaga and agreed they should open a store in Buffalo.

From there we hopped back on the subway and went down to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. It was surreal to be standing there, they really did a beautiful job with the fountain and honoring those who were lost in the tragedy.

The museum was extremely impactful as well. Walking around the remnants of the base of the tower and seeing some of the mangled steel was incredible and a lot to take in.

When we came out of the museum, the whole city was Sepia toned. The smoke from the Canadian fires was really intense.  We walked past the Ghost Busters Fire Hall, which is still an active fire hall. 

Then, ready to try some more of NYC’s finest cuisine, we went over to Little Italy and got some slices of pizza from Manero’s 🍕. It was very delicious! The forecast had said it was going to be in the mid 70’s but with the smoke cover and strong breeze, it was actually a bit chilly. So we picked out some souvenir sweat shirts and wore out tourist badges proudly.

We checked out China Town right down the street then took the subway uptown to Times Square. We walked around a bit, and then we were ready to relax. We went back to the boat to recharge for day two.

Thursday we didn’t get up quite as early. I tried to shower in the marina facilities but it only had one temperature, scalding! We hadn’t turned the water heater on the boat, and though it is also heated from the engine while we’re moving, by this point it had cooled. So I would have to wait one more day.

We took the train back downtown, and headed to another bagel place for breakfast. We ended up walking back through Times Square to get there, but coming from the other direction, this time we noticed the New Year’s Ball. It had the lights on and was cool to see.

We went to the Bagel Market, and this time got breakfast sandwiches. I got an onion bagel, with an over easy egg (they let you pick how you wanted your egg cooked), bacon and cheddar cheese. It was very good!

Nice and full, we walked over to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, which we had passed traveling up the river on the way to the marina. The Intrepid had some very cool planes on the flight deck, even some we haven’t seen before, so I was told. There was also the space shuttle Enterprise and the first Nuclear Submarine, the USS Growler.

That was particularly interesting to see. We were able to go aboard and walk through the whole submarine. It was super confined inside and incredible to think about spending months in there without coming to the surface. I definitely could not do it.

We then headed up town, walking past the Original Soup Kitchen, location of the soup Nazi from Seinfeld, and McGee’s Pub, inspiration for McLaren’s from How I Met Your Mother. We popped in to check it out and they had pictures of the cast visiting.

Central Park was just up the street so we headed there next. We walked around a bit and then took a bicycle tour around the whole park. Our guide was really good, he took us to all the major famous spots, acting as our personal photographer as well. We saw a lot of movie film locations, the Friends fountain, and John Lennon’s apartment. Yoko Ono and their son still live there.

Our guide dropped us off at Columbus Circle, where we got a classic Nathan’s hot dog. It was every bit as good as you would want it to be. After another jam packed day we were ready to head back to the boat. While waiting for our train we saw a rat run across the subway platform, thus completing our NYC experience 😆.

Friday we planned a long way to go. We got up at 5am to get a good start. The current was ripping and we had to move fast getting off the dock. Once out it was annoyingly working against us and made the ride very slow. This section of the Hudson was very pretty though. Nice hills with rocky cliffs and deeper water than we’ve seen in a while.

We passed West Point Military Academy, which originally was an old Fort and very impressive to see. We also passed Bannerman Castle, an abandoned military surplus warehouse. Though it has somewhat deteriorated, it was still pretty cool.

We stopped for fuel along the way, and all over the ramp and ground were these huge 4 sided thorn pods. They turned out to be water chestnuts. The dock master said they get everywhere when there is high water and they are constantly kneeling on them and it is a major pain.

We made it to Hyde Park Marina. A nice little spot, the dock master there told us about a shortcut to the CIA. Culinary Institute of America. Walking alongside the train tracks we took a short path through the woods that brings you to the back of the campus. It was a very expansive place, much bigger than I would have thought.

We went to the main hall where the Apple Pie Bakery and Cafe was. All the restaurants are run by the students and don’t have typical business hours.

So when we arrived they weren’t serving their full menu but still had some pre-prepared hot food and baked goods. We got baked Mac N’ Cheese, which was amazing, and some assorted pastry. All were very good!

We had planned on leaving super early again Saturday morning, but when we got up at 5am there was super heavy fog out. We decided to go back to bed and wait for it to lift a little. At 7am it had lifted enough for us to comfortably see so we set off.

It was a very scenic route, with the hills continuing, I’d even dare to say a few mountain peaks along the way too. There were several island lighthouses that were really neat, just in the middle of the river. Then we finally reached Donovan’s Shady Harbor Marina. It was packed!

This weekend was their big pig roast! 🐷 Friday through Sunday there was a whole schedule of events, we arrived just in time for the Beach Party with Deep Eddy Vodka tastings.  There was also a restaurant on site, the Boathouse Grille, that we went to for dinner with ‘Never Home’.  Their weekend special was the prime rib, but I had to go with the bacon jam cheeseburger, which was quite delicious! That evening there was a bonfire at the beach and it was a perfect opportunity to meet a bunch of new Loopers.

Sunday morning the Container Bar was hosting breakfast. Bacon and egg sandwiches with potatoes. Very yummy! 🍳🥓

We had signed up to take the courtesy car to the grocery store, and ‘Witness’ asked us to grab a few things for them since we were going. When we went to leave however, the car would not go into gear and there was a funny burning smell. So that was a no go. There was a second courtesy vehicle, a minivan, that one of the other Loopers had signed up to take. They were taking another couple too and invited us to come with them as well.

With it already pretty full just Don went and then I could attend the Ladies of the Loop Networking Mimosa’s and Danish event. Though for whatever reason where the marina was there was zero cell service. The marina had wifi that we were able to pick up but it was very minimal. So Don ended up only receiving 1/3 of the grocery list I sent. He came back with the important things though, including a dessert to share for the pig roast this evening. By mid morning Nebo showed there were 44 AGLCA boats at the marina!

The pig roast was a giant pot luck, with everyone having brought something to share, it was quite the feast! Everything was excellent, especially the pig! By the end I felt like a Turducken, but a Rachel stuffed with pork, stuffed with various potato and pasta salads, stuffed with various beans and rice. Totally worth it 😄.

That evening we all rolled ourselves back to the beach for another bonfire. One of the Loopers had Pandora playing music and went around the circle taking requests. It turned into quite the eclectic playlist but they were all good songs and it was a very nice end to a super fun day.

This morning we set off for the Erie Canal. The last stretch towards home! A little past Albany there is a free dock in Waterford, right at the second lock. We got here with a few boats already docked but still plenty of space. There was a grocery store less than a half mile away so we walked there to grab the missing stuff from the list, and when we got back the dock was completely full.

Along the sidewalk they have the length of the canal displayed in brick. Marking each town where a lock is and the height of the lock. It is a really clever design. This evening the whole group of us docked here gathered for a dock party after dinner.

Tomorrow we start our way along the Erie canal back to Buffalo!