September 8-15                          Jersey City, New Jersey

Hot, humid weather kept us on the boat and gave additional time to complete SGA and boat projects.  Stephanie returned on Thursday afternoon after the group from the Kimbell Art Museum had finished their tour in New York.  She had been very busy as one of the leaders of the group unexpectedly had to return to Fort Worth.

Stephanie and I went into the city on September 11.  Our route to the subway led us by the site of the tragedy fourteen years ago.  Police and people were crowding nearby as special ceremonies were scheduled during the day.  Massive construction is now underway at the location of the destroyed towers.

Departing at 77^th Street, we walked several blocks to Prada to make a requested purchase.  We agreed it was fun to spend other’s money (especially in such a beautiful store).  Lunch was at Three Guys, a local bistro with excellent casual food.  The Metropolitan Museum was our destination and we finally made it after some serious window shopping on Madison Avenue.  Rust, dark green and fringe seem to be the fashion trends for Fall.

At the Met, we saw the John Singer Sargent exhibition comprised of mostly portraits.  It was interesting to see the changes in the style of his work from the influence of Impressionism after meeting Claude Monet.  It was a delightful surprise to meet Carroll and Malinda Merlick from Fort Worth while we were in the gallery.  They had been on the Kimbell trip and were extending their visit in New York.  Afterwards we wandered through the Near East galleries which offered a wonderful display of carpets and tile work.

That evening, we enjoyed dinner on the terrace at Maritime Parc.  The night was clear and cool and the view across the Hudson was beautiful.  Suddenly, two huge columns of light shot up to the clouds.  They were reminders of the beautiful towers that once had stood there.  Surely, we were not the only ones who had tears in their eyes as they looked at that incredible sight.

Sunday is Street Fair Day in New York.  We visited the enormous gathering at Union Park with massive displays of food and flowers.  Afterwards, we walked to Eataly, Mario Batali’s Italian marketplace near Fifth and Broadway.  Lunch was snacks at the rooftop beer garden there.  A few small purchases in the market area meant we had to stand in a very long line for checkout. To placate us, servers brought treats of chocolate.  It worked!  We waited patiently to reach the cashiers.

On our return to Union Square, we stopped at a Sketchers Shoe Store.  As avowed shoeholics, Stephanie and I can always find something we like.  This time, our passion was for some great GOLD tennis shoes!  We both bought a pair!  Another pair was ordered for Kennedy to complete her green and gold ensembles for Baylor athletic events.

Whole Foods at Union Square was a unique and daunting experience.  Two floors of food were tightly packed into every possible space.  Carts from the lower floor are brought up by a special cog mover adjacent to the escalator.  It worked great and would be a welcome addition at airports to transport luggage from one level to another. We re-stocked for the remainder of our journey and managed to carry everything from the ferry to the boat without incident.

Stephanie’s time with us went by too quickly.  She is great company and we enjoy her wit and interesting conversation.  She is a positive person who offers encouragement and good advice.  She left on Sunday to return to Fort Worth and was missed immediately.