Today we planned to do the boat tour past the Statue of Liberty so we got there early. Despite pre-booking the tickets, there was a bit of doubt as to whether we would actually get on the boat as there were hordes of tourists, but all went to plan and soon we were standing against the rails and enjoying the cool breeze and sights of the Brooklyn on the one side, and the skyscrapers of Manhattan on the other. We had the most entertaining tour guide who was very amusing and had a lovely Brooklyn accent. He kept us entertained for 2 hours as we cruised along the Hudson and East Rivers and spoke about all the sights along the river, most of them places I had heard about in movies and books....... Ellis Island where all the early immigrants were processed, Staten Island and Governor Island where the military are based today. And of course the Statue of Liberty itself which is quite massive and impressive viewed from the river. To get there you need to take a ferry - but I am glad we saw her from the river as you get a good perspective. We went as far as Brooklyn Bridge and then turned around for the journey back. We had amazing views of the skyscrapers of Manhattan. Lunch was at ’Seamores’ - for me Guacamole and Blue Corn Chips with pickled onion. The first time I was presented with this I thought the ‘blue corn chips’ were serviettes and the pickled onion a rose! Not something we see in South Africa! After this we caught an Uber to REI which is an outdoor store - a dream for a gear starved South African hiker but I restrained myself, mindful of the horrible exchange rate.
