What is your perspective on New York City?
Have you seen it up close and personal, by walking its streets?
Gotten a good overview by driving through it?
Seen it at a distance, from across a river or from the air?
Or is your perspective of New York
based on what you've seen in the movies, or on TV?
When it comes to Manhattan,
I'm fortunate to know it intimately through a variety of vistas.......
Flying into its airports and getting a bird's eye view, .......
Viewing it from the top of the Empire State Building......
Looking out at it from my apartment or office windows.....
Admiring it from my sister's co-op in NJ across the river ......
Gazing at it through the windows of countless buses and taxis......
Driving into it over the George Washington Bridge.......
Walking endless miles on foot over years of living and working in the city.
But one of my favorite perspectives of Manhattan is a panoramic view from the water.
Its majesty can best be appreciated when witnessing
the full-length of the New York City skyline from the Hudson River.
I've done quite a few cruises around Manhattan over the years.
When friends asked a few weeks ago if we wanted to go on a dinner cruise,
there was no hesitation in our answer.
The appeal of this cruise was that it left from Westchester County, NY,
only about a 45 minute ride for us, which eliminated the hassles of driving into the city.
The yacht had a nice dining room, a lounge, and two outdoor decks.
The top deck of the stern had a dance floor, a D.J. and was pretty loud,
but it was the best place to see the sights and take photos.
Leaving from Yonkers, the yacht made its way down the Hudson.
I choked down my dinner in order to be outside on the deck
to see the first point of interest -- the George Washington Bridge.
The GWB and I have an intimate relationship,
as I always drive over it from NJ into NYC, usually at a crawl, due to heavy traffic.
In contrast, sailing under it offered quite a spectacular perspective.
And, who knew there was a little red lighthouse at the base?
It was a perfect evening to be on the water.........
clear skies and high 80's.
The sights got more interesting once we got closer to midtown Manhattan.
Downtown Manhattan offered a view of the new Freedom Tower,
which stands where the World Trade Center towers used to be.
This always puts a lump in my throat.
The highlight of any river cruise is seeing the Statue of Liberty.
Yes, the DJ played "New York, New York," when we got there.
A little hokey, but it worked.
I found myself pretty choked up upon seeing the Lady of the Harbor this time.
"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,"
she said, and I could swear I saw a little tear fall from her eye.
We made our way back up the Hudson during the "golden hour,"
the time of day which paints the skyline gold.
A backdrop of dramatic black clouds to the east
cast a glow to the Manhattan skyline like I've never seen before.
It was stunning!
The gray aircraft carrier, Intrepid, was almost camouflaged.
The Empire State Building as always, owned the midtown skyline........
and was in an ombre state of mind.
The Chrysler Building peeked out from behind a brick sea of gold.
Midtown took on a futuristic hue.
The view was so sensational, it almost didn't look real.
I promise you, though, it's not fake hues.
Via 57 West is one of the newer additions to the skyline.
How would you like the apartment at the top of that pyramid?
The buildings formerly known as Trump Place (the tenants voted to remove the name from the facades of their buildings)
face the West Side Highway.
I think we took a wrong turn and ended up in Westeros.
If you plan to take a cruise along the Hudson River,
I highly recommend you do it around sunset,
when Manhattan is looking its finest.
Heading back under the George Washington Bridge
signaled that the cruise was almost over.
Perspectives.........
How you see the world depends on where you're looking from.
Resources: (This is not a sponsored post)
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