New York -Day 4

Friday, July 4

After the storms last night, we were keen to see today's forecast - us and every other New Yorker - as today is the start of the holiday long weekend. We put on the TV - good grief, two Today Show presenters in Stars & Stripes onesies! Thankfully, the Weather came on in the next segment so we didn't have to suffer for too long. Hurricane Arthur (now down-graded to Category One) was moving up the East coast from the Carolinas and sadly, bringing a lot of rain with it but temperatures were to remain warm. The rain & thunderstorms were forecast to hit the Jersey Shore, Long Island & Connecticut areas by mid morning and hopefully peter out by around 8.00 pm tonight - just in time for the huge Macy's 4th July Fireworks scheduled for a 9.15 pm start. We booked tickets on the Circle Line Fireworks Cruise before we left Australia so we too were hopeful the rain would stop.

Our plan for the day was to head to Central Park and mooch around that end of town - weather permitting. As we left the hotel we were encouraged by the sunshine and warmth so we stuck to our plan. It was gorgeous walking around - the temperature was lovely. It didn't take long to reach Central Park and, although there were a lot of people about, it was nowhere near as crowded as we expected. We took the path to Strawberry Fields. There were a lot of Park Attendants sweeping piles of mud from the paths - obviously as a result of the rain over the last couple of nights. We stopped and watched buskers along the way and one group of black boys were so talented and their patter was so funny, we stayed for quite a while. We also watched three guys - two playing drums and the other on bagpipes, of all things - and they sounded fabulous together. By then it had started to spit rather large spots of rain and people were resorting to umbrellas and plastic ponchos. Given the forecast, we took this as our cue to leave the park and head for drier ground but, unfortunately, not soon enough. The wind had really picked up so rain was blowing in sheets in all directions and umbrellas were blowing inside out as soon as put up. In no time we were drenched and feeling chilly so decided it was time for lunch and a chance to dry out and warm up as well as eat.

Snapshots in Central Park today

We had encountered a problem with the camera in the I-Pad whilst in Central Park and over lunch were not able to rectify it. As we still have 10 days of our trip left, we were keen to get it fixed immediately. While making our dash from Central Park, we had noticed a large Apple store (was going to say a big Apple store!) so, after lunch, we headed back to it. Those Apple Geeks are amazing and within minutes all was well with our I-Pad.

By then we were even wetter so made our way back to our hotel to dry off and get ready for the Fireworks Cruise which, at that stage, seemed highly improbable. We checked emails to see whether they had been cancelled but, instead, had received an email telling us to exchange our e-tickets for Boarding Passes at 5.30 pm down at Pier 83. The email also included a warning re many street closures nearby. By then we didn't have a lot of time so we changed into warmer gear and wet weather jackets and headed off for Pier 83. The saying is "mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun" - maybe it should be "mad Aussies hoping for fireworks go out in the thunderstorm".

As we walked, we could see the sky was beginning to clear and by the time we reached Pier 83 the sun was out - amazing - and they say Melbourne's weather changes quickly! We were greeted by Captain America and Uncle Sam who guided everyone into the correct line for their cruise. Every available vessel was being filled with people wanting to get out on the water for the best view. The fireworks location was moved to the East River & Brooklyn Bridge this year so all vessels headed there then jostled for positions for 3-4 hours! We had wonderful views of Lower Manhattan and the Freedom Tower as the sun set and the colours changed. Gradually all the lights came on and it would be difficult to find a better skyline to see lit up.

NYPD Water Police were out in force and we saw a number of boats moved on, along with a handcuffed guest removed from another boat and escorted away in a NYPD boat. When the fireworks finally got underway, we could understand why they are world-renowned and people do whatever they can to see them - they were amazing and some of the most varied colours we have ever seen. We were amazed on a number of fronts - that the weather changed so quickly allowing the display at all, at the number of people watching and the patriotic outfits on many of them, and at the fabulous colours of the fireworks. We were glad we had been able to celebrate a 4th July in America.

 

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