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Hudson River Events:Towns and Villages On-Hudson

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September 23, 2011

Despite Higher Tolls @ Bridges & Tunnels Academy Bus Company Will NOT Raise Fares

http://online.wsj.com/article/AP7c8376774da8427a8ced069eb3ac7087.html

A passenger took the wheel of an Academy tour bus filled with Jacksonville students from the distressed driver, averting tragedy on the Long Island Expressway. (Credit: CBS 2)

Academy Bus to hold line on fares

Associated Press

HOBOKEN, N.J. — It won't cost Academy Bus passengers more to cross the Hudson River.

The company has decided not to raise fares in response to higher tolls on the Port Authority's bridges and tunnels.

Some bus companies are facing increases as high as 150 percent.

Academy announced on Tuesday it will not immediately raise fares. The company says it will continue to study ways to save money without disrupting service.

The company says it is exploring options for a sustainable solution, including an appeal to the Port Authority to lessen the impact.

NJ Transit also decided not to pass along the cost of the higher tolls to its bus passengers.

 

Posted at 06:37 AM in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

November 17, 2010

Stewart Airport & JetBlue Airways Add Nonstop Flights To Orlando International Airport

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2010/11/16/jetblue-adds-ny-orlando-nonstop-flight.html

JetBlue adds NY-Orlando nonstop flight

JetBlue Airways will make a seasonal increase from one to two daily nonstop flights from Newburgh/Stewart International Airport in New York’s Hudson Valley to Orlando International Airport, beginning June 16, 2011.

This second daily flight will operate during peak travel seasons throughout the year, including spring, summer and winter.

In addition to its Orlando service, JetBlue offers the only nonstop service from Newburgh to Fort Lauderdale, with connections through Florida to Caribbean destinations including San Juan, Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Cancun, Mexico and Bogota, Colombia.

Orlando, one of five focus cities in JetBlue’s network, has more than 1,000 crew members and is the location of JetBlue University, a training facility and support center. The airline continues to grow operations at Orlando International Airport and currently offers service to 23 nonstop destinations, including six international cities.

New York-based JetBlue Airways’ (Nasdaq: JBLU) service from Newburgh to Orlando will be operated on the airline’s fleet of Airbus A320 and Embraer 190 aircraft.

 

Posted at 05:32 AM in NewBurgh, Stewart International Airport & Military Base, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

October 22, 2010

Spaceport America Dedication

Virgin Galactic

SPACEPORT RUNWAY DEDICATION

 

Photo by Mark Greenberg

UPHAM, NM – The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) today dedicated the nearly two-mile long “Governor Bill RIchardson Spaceway” at Spaceport America, representing significant progress toward launching commercial customers into space from the desert of New Mexico. Governor Bill Richardson, Sir Richard Branson and approximately 30 of more than 380 Virgin Galactic future astronauts attended the event along with guests from around the world and watched a flyover and landing by Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo, in a captive carry with SpaceShipTwo.

“We are celebrating the world’s first spaceway at the world’s first purpose-built, commercial spaceport,” said Governor Richardson. “New Mexico is not only helping to launch the commercial spaceflight industry, but we are launching new jobs and opportunities for the people of southern New Mexico. Today marks a significant milestone on our historic and exciting journey.”

The nearly two-mile long runway was officially named the “Governor Bill Richardson Spaceway” at the event, and Governor Richardson joined Sir Richard in placing their handprints in clay as a permanent commemoration of the historic day.NMSA Chairman Ben Woods said the board of the NMSA had met early today to formally and unanimously approve the name of the spaceway.

Sir Richard Branson commented, “It is incredible to be here today with Governor Richardson and be part of the runway dedication at Spaceport America. To see for myself how far the construction has come from when I last visited New Mexico is truly inspiring – I for one can’t wait for the grand opening – today has brought it one step closer to reality for me. The last few weeks have been some of the most exciting in Virgin Galactic’s development. Our spaceship is flying beautifully and will soon be making powered flights, propelled by our new hybrid rocket motor, which is also making excellent progress in its own test program. The investment deal with our new partners Aabar has successfully closed, securing funding for the remainder of the development program and we are seeing unprecedented numbers of people coming forward to secure their own reservations for this incredible experience. To be here in New Mexico to witness this historic moment is the perfect end to a great month.”

Governor Richardson, Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin Galactic future astronauts and the guests were all invited to tour the terminal hangar facility, which is nearing completion. The iconic building, meeting Gold LEED standards, will serve as the operating hub for Virgin Galactic and is expected to house up to two WhiteKnightTwos and five SpaceShipTwos, in addition to all of Virgin’s astronaut preparation facilities and mission control.

Held immediately following the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS), the Spaceport America Runway Dedication marked the culmination of “Space Week” in New Mexico, and was made possible in part thanks to premier event sponsors Summit West Construction, Gerald Martin Construction Management, AECOM, Molzen-Corbin, Dekker/Perich/Sabatini, of Albuquerque, NM, and the New Mexico Tourism Department. Other speakers at the event included: Lori Garver, Deputy Administrator of NASA; George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic; Patricia Hynes, Executive Director of the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium; and Rick Homans, Executive Director of the NMSA.

Lori Garver, Deputy Administrator of NASA, said, "With the recent signing of the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 by President Obama, it is clear that our nation's future space efforts will be working even more closely than with the growing commercial space transportation industry,“ She added, ”Innovative approaches that foster this new commercial industry will bring more competition and opportunities that will lower the costs of spaceflight and payload services for America’s aerospace programs, and introduce new human space transportation systems.”

The 42-inch thick spaceway is designed to support nearly every type of aircraft in the world today. It is made up of 24 inches of prepared sub-grade, followed by four inches of asphalt, and finished with a 14-inch layer of concrete. The spaceway will accommodate returning launch vehicles, fly-back rocket boosters and other space launch and training vehicles.

Spaceport America has been providing commercial launch services since 2006. The state-of-the-art launch facility is under construction near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, and is expected to become fully operational in 2011. Officials at Spaceport America have been working closely with their anchor tenant Virgin Galactic and other leading aerospace firms such as Lockheed Martin, Moog-FTS, Armadillo Aerospace, and UP Aerospace to develop commercial spaceflight at the new facility. The economic impact of launches, tourism and new construction at Spaceport America are already delivering on its promise to the people of New Mexico.

ABOUT SPACEPORT AMERICA: www.spaceportamerica.com

Spaceport America construction progress: www.spaceportamerica.com/construction/construction-status.html

About Virgin Galactic and to view more pictures: www.virgingalactic.com

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

 


 

Posted at 09:03 PM in Astronomy, Science, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

September 20, 2010

Trans-Hudson Express Tunnel Project Estimate Of $8.7 Billion And Counting

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/20/nyregion/20tunnel.html

Hudson Tunnel Review Raises Fear for Project

 PATRICK McGEEHAN
Few elected officials have ever inherited a public works project that promised as many benefits as the proposed Hudson River commuter train tunnel is supposed to deliver to the constituents of Gov. Chris Christie

Gov. Chris Christie ordered a review of the tunnel's cost, now estimated at $8.7 billion.

Advocates for the project, which would add a second pair of tracks between New Jersey and Manhattan, say it will reduce traffic congestion and pollution, shorten commuting times, increase suburban property values and create 6,000 construction jobs. Before Mr. Christie became New Jersey’s governor in January, the state’s elected officials had already lined up $6 billion for the project from agencies outside the state.

Despite everything that the project appeared to have going for it, Mr. Christie ordered a review this month of the tunnel’s cost, a move that many supporters of the project worry could signal its undoing.

During the 30-day review, digging will continue on the New Jersey side of the river, but no new work will begin. “If I can’t pay for it, we’ll have to consider other options,” Mr. Christie said last week.

On Friday, New Jersey’s two senators, Frank R. Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, and several other Democratic officials appeared at the site where digging began last year and urged the governor to reconsider. “Don’t throw away $6 billion; don’t throw away thousands of jobs,” Mr. Lautenberg said.

If state officials conclude that the project will cost significantly more than the latest estimate, $8.7 billion, advocates fear that Mr. Christie will withdraw some or all of the state’s share of that total and redirect it to highway repairs and other transportation projects, putting the tunnel at risk of being delayed or even scrapped.

Giant public works projects are infamous for costing far more than projected — the “Big Dig” highway tunnel in Boston cost more than twice what was initially estimated — but the Hudson tunnel project, which broke ground last summer, has not run over budget. Still, even some ardent supporters expect that it will.

“It’s obvious there’s going to be a couple billion dollars’ shortfall,” said Raymond J. Lesniak, a Democrat who is chairman of the Economic Growth Committee of the New Jersey State Senate. But Mr. Lesniak said the state should find a way to come up with the additional money rather than “let that kill this project.” He said Mr. Christie’s decision to halt the project and review its cost was irresponsible because it could set back the schedule by several months.

Mr. Lesniak suggested covering the excess costs by charging $2 per ticket to commuters who use the new tunnel. But that money would not be collected for at least eight years because the project is scheduled to be completed in 2018.

On Thursday, the governor discussed the project with Ray LaHood, the federal transportation secretary. “Given that this project represents the single largest transit investment ever made by the Federal Transit Administration, the secretary and governor agreed to have staff work together to further refine the estimated cost of the entire project,” said Brian Farber, a spokesman for the transit administration.

The federal government has agreed to match the $3 billion that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey pledged to spend on the tunnel. But that carefully constructed financing plan could still unravel because the project’s planners have not yet awarded contracts to dig under the river and through the bedrock of Manhattan to create a station deep below 34th Street.

Zoe Baldwin, the New Jersey advocate for the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, described the review as “a very, very bad sign for the project.” She said she would be “shocked” if the governor’s move did not at least stretch out the timetable for completing the work.

Ms. Baldwin said the prospect of passing up the $3 billion that the federal government had offered reminded her of the New York Legislature’s rejection of a congestion pricingsystem in Manhattan. That decision cost New York State $365 million in federal funding, Ms. Baldwin said. Scrapping the Hudson tunnel would be much costlier for New Jersey and the region’s economy, she said.

“Killing this project would be an incredible loss for generations,” Ms. Baldwin said. “We can’t do a single heavy-rail expansion in New Jersey without this project.”

But some commuter-rail advocates greeted the governor’s review as an opportunity reborn. Jeff Tittel, the director of the Sierra Club in New Jersey, said state and federal officials should use the “time out” to reconsider the configuration of the project.

As proposed, the new tunnel would take trains from throughout northern New Jersey to a station more than 100 feet below street level at the foot of Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street. Those tracks would not connect to Pennsylvania Station, a block away.

Mr. Tittel is part of the vocal camp that has argued that the new tunnel should connect to Penn Station, as it was originally designed to do. The National Association of Railroad Passengers last week urged commuters to tell their elected officials that the tunnel project was vital to the region, but that it must connect to the station.

Mr. Tittel pointed out that Amtrak, which owns Penn Station, had drawn up a long-term capital plan that called for a separate new tunnel under the Hudson River, at an estimated cost of $11 billion. That plan assumed that the New Jersey Transit tunnel would be built first. But Mr. Tittel argues that there must be a way to build one set of tunnels that would meet the needs of both railroads.

“I just can’t believe that the federal government is going to pay for two separate sets of tunnels to the same area,” Mr. Tittel said. “I just don’t see that happening.”

Despite the continuing swirl of opinions about how and whether to provide commuters another way into the city, there is one point on which almost all supporters and detractors agree: Unless Mr. Christie expresses strong support for the project after the review is over, the tunnel known as the Trans-Hudson Express is not going anywhere anytime soon.


Posted at 04:38 AM in Development, Economy & Business, New-Jersey, New-York City, Real Estate, Trains, Travel, What's happening on the Hudson River__ | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

September 07, 2010

Great River Odyssey

http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/travel/Sailing_through_calm_and_storms_enjoying_nature_history_102226014.html?showFullArticle=y

Sailing through calm and storms, enjoying nature, history

Phil Hardberge

Linda and Phil Hardberger pause along the Erie Canal in Schenectady, N.Y. COURTESY EUGENE SIMOR


This summer, former Mayor Phil Hardberger and wife Linda boarded Aimless in Holland, Mich., where it had been docked since they wrapped up their cruise up the Mississippi River last year. There, they began a 2,000-mile journey that carried them along some of the country's most historic waterways to Chesapeake Bay.

CHESAPEAKE BAY, Md. — Aimless swings lazily back and forth on its anchor, justifying its name. It's hot, sweltering, a threat of summer thunderstorms in the air. Drifting slowly by is a small boat, its crew — a father and his two young sons — picking up their crab lines. Those crabs began the day well but will be on the dinner table tonight, boiled and seasoned.

A parable of life here, though a gloomy one. Best not to dwell on it, as we have as little control over our destiny as those crabs.

Forty-foot trees surround us, water and bird sounds are our evening concert. This is our entertainment. We eat dinner late aboard, clean the dishes, read a smattering and fall asleep before 10 p.m. There is distant thunderless lightning in the north, portending the possibility of a storm in the night.

You don't sleep through a thunderstorm on a boat at night. No matter how carefully you have anchored during the day, your sense of security vanishes when the first cold wind and blasts of rain descend upon you. At first you lie sleepily in your bed, in that nether land between sleep and consciousness. You try, in vain, to convince yourself there is no concern, no reason to get up, all is well. Then comes the little worry knot inside you, and you begin to imagine all that could go wrong. You get up. Getting up in the middle of the night, though, has its rewards.

There is a beauty in seeing the sky light up the seascape and hearing the cascade of a heavy rain pounding the boat and rushing to the scuppers that return the water to the bay. And then the storm is gone, moving off into the distance, the thunder fading, the lightning becoming ever dimmer. Towel yourself off, because you have always found some excuse for checking something, the anchor most likely, that has taken you out in the rain. When you are dry, the storm safely away, a satisfied sleep overtakes you. Next morning you awaken to a blue sky, and a new cycle begins.

Dutch treat

Some 2,000 miles ago, in early June, we started this voyage in Holland, Mich., just up from Chicago. Holland is an enchanting town, settled by the Dutch, in the early 1800s. It's thoroughly American today, but has kept its Dutch standards of beauty, cleanliness and orderliness. Flowers abound in summer. A late-spring tulip festival draws people from around the U.S. It is cold in winter, with ample snow and ice.

They keep their downtown vibrant, with all stores open even in the dead of winter, by heating the streets and sidewalks. Our good friends Jed and Nancy Maebius keep a second home in Holland and frequently entertain San Antonio guests. Jed was my special assistant while I was mayor, a position he has kept with Mayor Julián Castro. We departed after a good visit that is hard to duplicate at home because of time pressures.

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is still cold in early June, cold enough for one to wear a coat and a wool watchcap at sea. The lake is strikingly beautiful. Deep blue water, frequently with whitecapping waves of a white that would be the envy of a bridal dressmaker. You can see for many unpolluted miles, and there are few hazards in that deep water other than the lake itself. It can be, and frequently is, rough. It's also 300 miles long, and we had to go to its northernmost end, the Mackinac Straits, before turning northeast into Canada.

Aimless is 42 feet long, and travels only 8 or 9 mph, so all distances are long. A boat of this size may look big in a marina, or in a small lake, but on the Great Lakes or at sea, it more resembles a tiny cork of civilization in a basically hostile, indifferent environment.

We never went out in dangerous conditions, but on the Great Lakes you need to use your hands, as well as your feet, to walk the decks, even on a beautiful day. Fortunately, at the end of each day you can get off the lake into peaceful and often attractive marinas or anchorages.

The Great Lakes were gouged out by massive glaciers, but smaller glaciers dug out many smaller lakes that adjoin Lake Michigan. These lakes serve as ports of refuge at the end of long days. Frequently there are outstanding restaurants on the shores of these lakes so you usually have your choice of eating aboard or going out to eat. And, at day's end, you sleep on a flat, still bed. There is much to say for small comforts.

Canada

We did not know the protocol for entering Canada, so we were concerned about committing some serious blunder in these days of hypersecurity. We need not have worried. It turns out you go into your first Canadian town, call the Canadian immigration officials on the phone, and they give you a number which you put on the side of your boat. That's it. No one comes around. You are free to cruise Canadian waters. What a blessing to have such a friendly country on our border. We were treated with warm respect by Canadian officials and populace. They were a little confused with how to pronounce Port Aransas though, which is our boat's hailing port. The most popular mispronunciation was "Port Arkansas," which puzzled them as they knew Arkansas is a long way from the sea.

Entering Canada, we also entered Lake Huron. We traveled to the north side of Lake Huron to what is called the North Channel, which in due time becomes Georgian Bay.

We could have stayed in the middle of Lake Huron, which is wide and deep, but we chose to wind our way through the many islands that make up the north shore, a route with benefits and detriments. There is better protection from winds and waves, and most important, one of the most beautiful cruising areas in the world.

Towns are few and far between. Nature is at its most extravagant. Red granite boulders (think Enchanted Rock) tumble into the sea. Pine and maple trees in abundance come to the water's edge. The combination of the red rocks, blue seas and massive green trees all in one glance is intoxicatingly beautiful. In this preseason time of the Canadian year there were no other boats. It was ours alone — God's handiwork at every turn.

And there were the animals.

One evening we anchored in a secluded area between a granite cliff and a group of small rocks and grass that was so tucked away the water was still as a pond. As we looked toward the long rays of the setting sun, we were astonished and exhilarated to see a brown bear amble down to the water. He nosed around in the grass, took a drink, looked disinterestedly at us, grazed a bit more and, by and by, ambled into the woods.

We also saw in these northern waters otters, beavers and minks. Eagles and ospreys were fairly common. The ospreys are efficient fishermen. They circle or find a high tree and wait watchfully. Comes along an unsuspecting fish, the osprey dives down at 60 mph, grasps the fish in his talons and keeps on flying. In flight, he will turn the fish into the wind like a torpedo and return to his nest to present it to his mate or his offspring. Then back to his watch place, where he awaits further developments.

It turned out that the rocks we so admired above the water were remarkably less attractive below the water. We found this out by hitting two of them — not a joyful experience.

I also understood immediately what I had failed to grasp by reading books about the importance of water levels in the Great Lakes.

I had joked that what did I care if the depth under me in Lake Michigan was now 300 feet when it had earlier been 305 feet. "What, me worry," I merrily said. "Hey, I'm from the Gulf Coast of Texas. If we have 25 feet of water, we're happy." What I had failed to grasp was the small boat passages through the rocks had also gone down 5 feet. So if there were normally 9 feet of water under your keel, now there were 4 feet. Not good if you draw 5 feet.

For the first time in my boating career, I hit not one, but two, rocks. Both on the same day.

We anchored finally, with Linda in tears, and I would have sold the boat cheaply on the spot as long as the price included taking us off of it immediately. Now all the solitude we had so cherished seemed threatening. There was no one within 100 miles, and there was no choice but to keep going the next day. I didn't sleep well that night, and wished that I was back home in San Antonio.

Fortunately neither rock had penetrated the hull, nor had the propeller hit anything. So we were fully capable of continuing, but several layers of confidence had peeled away with the paint on the hull. Not having seen another boat for three or four days, our choices were rather limited.

We decided to take a river that flowed into the deep part of Lake Huron. However this river had never been charted. It said so on the chart in big letters. "UNCHARTED." I'd never even seen these words on a maritime chart before. So, no depths, no marks, no civilization.

I could see on the chart that in about five miles we would be in the deep waters of Lake Huron, which were charted. Reason told me that as we moved offshore, the water would get deeper, but there were several rocks and reefs clearly visible with breaking surf as we went out. We crept out, staying well away from everything we could see.

It took us an hour, but eventually we entered the great depths of Lake Huron and proceeded to an engineering marvel called the Trent-Severn Waterway.

Trent-Severn Waterway

The Trent-Severn was built by the Canadians to connect Lake Huron to Lake Ontario. It is a much shorter route than going to the end of Lake Huron, then crossing Lake Erie into Lake Ontario. The Canadians started thinking of doing this in the early 1800s. There were many lakes and rivers in between the two Great Lakes, but it was 250 miles across with substantial elevation changes, and significant amounts of rock that had to have a canal carved through it.

When the waterway was finished in 1920, there were 44 locks of many designs depending on the engineering skill and imagination of the craftsmen.

Some locks are the traditional locks, such as we now have on a small scale on the San Antonio River. Another has a marine railway that lifts boats out of the water and transports them a quarter-mile across a busy highway, boaters looking down on cars rushing along beneath them. Two others are like giant teeter-totters, where the boat goes in a giant steel bathtub on one end and counterbalances another giant bathtub with a boat in it on the other end. By hydraulic assist, it transports the craft 60 feet up or down. There's quite a view from the top, looking down on the river valley below.

For a fee, boaters can stay overnight at the waiting area for any of the locks. Some are in the middle of towns; others are far in the country where you hear all of nature's sounds.

The locks don't operate at night, so you have it to yourself after dark. If you're in a town lock, you can get off the boat and explore the town or simply talk to the townsfolk who are walking by your boat. A boat from Texas draws a lot of attention in the middle of Canada, and you make many temporary friends as you go along. It is a pleasant way to spend a week or two.

Because locks are somewhat work-intensive, we were glad to be joined, and helped on this section, by Bill Howze and his wife, Jeanette Dixon, of Houston. Both are experienced sailors who know what to do around a boat.

It rained about half the time on this section. Bill, Jeanette and Linda handled the lines to keep us in place in the locks, and I manned the boat's controls inside. Everyone but me got soaked on several occasions, but all were good sports. Evenings were always cheery occasions, and we slept securely tied alongside the locks.

At the end of the Trent-Severn, which had taken us eight days, we had a crew change, and in Kingston, Ontario, we were joined by Eugene Simor of San Antonio to help us on the next leg, the Oswego and Erie canals. Kingston was the North American naval command headquarters for Great Britain in our War of Independence. Many of the officers' homes are still in use. Walking these streets between rows of gray granite homes highlighted by bright blue, green and red shutters is to walk in the 18th century

It was our last major city in Canada, where we had been for the last month. To get to the U.S. from Kingston required crossing Lake Ontario, which runs runs north and south. The prevailing winds and waves also run north and south. Our crossing, unfortunately, was from east to west, so a beam sea was to be our lot.

This is not a good point of travel in a powerboat. They roll badly, are hard to steer, and a fair amount of water makes its way on board. It didn't look like a comfortable ride, and it wasn't.

After leaving at dawn in relatively calm conditions by midmorning, the wind was 25-30 knots. Here we were, on Canada Day (similar to our Independence Day), in the middle of Lake Ontario being given a good shaking. Linda was not smiling and was giving us both sideways glances that didn't look friendly. After a few hours of this rocking and rolling, the United States looked a long way away. Dishes clanked, things flew off tables, we had to walk in a simian crouch, gripping anything that seemed solid. It was not dangerous but not fun either.

Fortunately, there was an out, and we took it.

Duck Island

In the middle of Lake Ontario sits Duck Island. It is uninhabited, and two-thirds of the surrounding water is awash in shoals and shipwrecks. The other one-third is deep water up to shore but still partially exposed to waves, a great relief from the open waters of Lake Ontario but not a perfect anchorage, either.

As we rolled into the giant horseshoe outer harbor, we notice a tiny indent at the bottom of the U. The chart confirmed there was a small, untended dock within an inner part of the island. The entrance was narrow, just a few feet on each side of the boat. If we could get through, then what?

You could have jumped ashore as we eased through. We pulled alongside the small dock, our boat entirely filling up one side. The water inside this inner basin was as still as a swimming pool. There was no wind. Speak of a change of fortune.

The beautiful flowered meadow in front of us enticed Eugene to explore the island. He wasn't gone long before he returned with wide eyes.

"The island is covered with snakes," he said. "They are having a snake orgy just off the pier — they are all wound up together." We all went to look, and, as advertised, a snake orgy.

There were several hiking paths through fields of flowers, but there were snakes there, too. While we were contemplating the snakes, two small Canadian boats came in to dock. The sailors lived on a nearby island, and one said he'd been coming here since he was a child.

"What about the snakes?" we asked. "Just kick them aside," he answered. "They are harmless." And then he demonstrated by trying to kick one. His kids tried to catch one to give us as a souvenir. Jolly fun this snake business.

In spite of the snakes, we decided to walk to the far side of the island. Lots of snakes, but they ran from us.

We saw one snake fishing at water's edge. His catch was too big for his mouth, and it had a devil of a time swallowing it. We watched from 10 feet away, fascinated.

The snake paid us no mind, but then he had his mouth full. Perhaps he had been told not to talk with his mouth full.

That evening we joined the Canadians' celebration of their independence day as they set off fireworks, fast friends by now. Eugene drank a bunch of their beer, and we all pledged to be fast friends. When it was dark, they set off fireworks, the sparks hissing as they fell spent into the sea. We clapped and cheered.

We exchanged business cards, spoke of Canadian expansion in San Antonio, and vowed to stay in touch. We left at dawn, Duck Island and our new friends slowly disappearing behind a thousand waves. We've never talked since. But the memories are still there.

Erie Canal

By early afternoon the next day, we reached Oswego, N.Y. Even though we had only been in Canada a month and had been treated well, it was good to be home again. After one day — and nine locks — on the Oswego Canal, we entered our nation's most historic waterway, the Erie Canal.

It was first discussed under President George Washington and opened in 1825 under President John Quincy Adams. The historical significance of this engineering marvel cannot be overstated. It opened the Midwest to the Eastern Seaboard and connected New York City to the Great Lakes. It also allowed the development of New York state. Almost every major city in New York was established and grew along the Erie Canal: Albany, Schenectady, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo.

The canal is 363 miles long and initially was 40 feet wide and 4 feet deep. Dewitt Clinton, governor of New York at the time, was the driving force for building the canal. He was considered an idiot for spending so much public money on the project: "Clinton's Folly" people called it, a total waste of money. Within 15 years it made New York City the largest port in America. Today 80 percent of New York's upstate population lives on or near the canal.

There is a civic lesson in this. Sometimes it takes more than one person, or one administration, to get large things accomplished. It took several presidents and several governors to get the Erie Canal completed. Some no doubt worked harder than others, but the important thing was that the work continued from one leader to another.

It reminded me of how grateful I have been that Mayor Julián Castro and Judge Nelson Wolff have continued several projects I feel are important to San Antonio: the continued expansion of the River Walk, Haven for Hope, Hardberger Park and the Performing Arts Center. Continuity ensures success.

The Oswego Canal intersects the Erie Canal about midway along its length. Aimless turned east at that time, bound for Albany and the Hudson River. The canal has been deepened and widened several times. There are numerous locks because of the drastic elevation change. Many times you enter great rivers, such as the Mohawk, and follow it for a period of time. Likewise you cross whatever lakes were already there and could be incorporated into the canal.

It is exciting to sail through such an important part of America's history. You don't have to be a superpatriot to swell with pride at being a citizen and a part of a national community that has done such heroic things.

The canal today is well tended, with an abundance of flowers and landscaping around the blue and yellow locks. Lockmasters are friendly folk who make the passage through the locks a safe one and are more than happy to pass the time of day if traffic permits.

As in Canada, you can stay overnight at the approach to these locks in peace and security. Cruising the Erie is a comfortable and scenic experience. From time to time you can see the remnants of the old canal before it was widened or bypassed. The old canal was very narrow because horses would trod alongside the canal pulling the barges at a walking pace.

Just above Albany, the Erie Canal ends at the Hudson River. I was sorry to see the Erie end, but even greater scenery was ahead on the Hudson River, following its path to New York City and the Atlantic Ocean.

Hudson River

Eugene left us at the Hudson River and returned to San Antonio, having, as usual, been a good companion and excellent sailor. Serge and Judy Abend, old friends from Palo Alto, Calif., came aboard for a leisurely week's cruise down the Hudson to New York City.

The Hudson River and its surrounding landscape are so majestic, so overpoweringly beautiful, it inspired a whole genre of painting that produced some of our greatest artists. The Hudson River School was a group of American artists — among them Thomas Cole, Frederick Church and George Inness — who devoted themselves to the grandeur of the American landscape, particularly the Hudson River Valley. They lived along the Hudson from 1825 to 1875 in wonderful homes, painting huge landscape pictures that exceeded anything that the art world had seen. Many a European, seeing such a glorified landscape, must have wanted to pack bags immediately and come to the New World.

We dropped from our usual speed of 9 mph to a more sedate 5 mph just to soak it all in. The Hudson River Valley is also full of historical sites such as West Point, Hyde Park (President Franklin D. Roosevelt's home) and the original Culinary Institute of America, parent of our own CIA in San Antonio.

About two-thirds of the way down the Hudson River is Storm King Mountain, the largest mountain on the river. Surrounded by other mountains, this portion of the river has the feel of the fjords of Norway.

We thought it would be a great experience to anchor and spend the night right under this mountain. This turned out to be a mistake. It began well, though. It was beautiful, and an eyeful looking up at the mountain from the deck of our boat. We swam, read and had a great time in the afternoon.

The night turned foul, though, with gale-force winds racing through the mountain passes, quickly building up uncomfortable waves and bouncing the boat around. It was dark as pitch, and behind us were large rocks where spray was sending up impressive fountains. Not a good place to be, and not many alternatives.

Linda announced she could not sleep in such a situation and said she would sit up throughout the night on anchor watch. We thanked her and went to bed. At dawn she was still at her post. We got under way, and she took a much-deserved nap.

On the other side of Storm King Mountain, we visited the Storm King Art Center, a 600-acre sculpture garden where many of today's most famous artists around the world have built sculptures that are integrated into the mountain landscape. It is an outdoor museum where the dramatic landscape enhances the manmade pieces and becomes a part of the art. It was a day well spent and gave us a needed respite from boat travel.

Two days later, we arrived in New York City, parked the boat and said goodbye to our California friends. We had crossed half a continent in two months, traveling almost every day. We decided to take a week off and simply enjoy New York City, using the boat for our hotel. We did the usual tourist things, including Broadway shows, restaurants and museums. It's pretty special to have a night on the town, come home and sit on the upper deck looking at the lights of Manhattan before retiring for the night.

One day, a 142-foot yacht made its way into our marina. It was the Lady Gayle, with a hailing port of New Orleans. This could only be Tom Benson's yacht, named after his wife, Gayle. We found out he was in New York but not on the boat, so I gave the crew my card and explained I was down the way just a few boats and asked them to let Tom know. They agreed to do so. Two days later Lady Gayle sailed away without further communication.

Congested waterways

New York is still the most exciting city in the world. It's a busy place, including the waterways. There is constant traffic on the Hudson River and in New York Harbor. Ferries run every which way, like crazed water bugs. Garbage scows, working tugs pushing giant loads of building materials, 1,000-foot merchant vessels and the occasional luxury liner, looming up like a vision of the past, jockey for position in this crowded water. Just when you think there could be nothing more, a sailing school sails by with 20-foot boats weaving in and out of traffic as if they were on Canyon Lake.

Our marina, which was actually in New Jersey, had a commanding view of Manhattan across the Hudson. At sunset every night, the curtain went up on this sound and light show that is without equal in the world, although Hong Kong comes close. It was an exhilarating sight, the excitement broken only by the sadness of the black vacancy created when the Twin Towers fell. I was reminded of looking at family photos, when with an unexpected stab of pain, you realize that this loved one, smiling happily in the photo, is now gone. Only memories and loss remain. We mourn those towers and the people who were in them. We shall not forget.

Our week of rest came to an end. The two of us set off for the open Atlantic. New Jersey has no inland waterway that will accommodate a boat that draws more than 3 feet. It's a two-day run offshore, which we made uneventfully, though not particularly enjoyably. It was rough, but the Atlantic always is. This water rolls across 3,000 miles of open ocean before beating on the sides of our little craft.

We were accompanied on a part of the trip by porpoises. They were welcome companions, but neither as large nor as playful as our Port Aransas porpoises. I realized I had not seen a porpoise since leaving the Texas Gulf Coast. Suddenly, I felt homesick. It is a little embarrassing when a fish can make you homesick, but that's the truth of the matter.

Aboard Aimless

A frequent question asked by nonboating people is "What do you do all day when you are on a boat?" and "How do you stay in touch with family and friends?"

I think the underlying sentiment of these questions is "Don't you go nuts being confined on a 42-foot boat day after day." The short answer is, "No, you don't," though the longest I have ever been on a boat is 10 months during the first of my retirements. I was a bit homesick, but otherwise I was content.

Being on a boat requires doing a lot of ordinary daily things you do at home. The bed has to be made, the meals cooked, the dishes washed, the boat cleaned, etc. There must be periodic trips to the grocery store, the washateria and the hardware store, as well.

There is no alarm clock onboard Aimless, so we get up when the sun beams its way into our sleeping quarters: At this time of year this usually happens around 6:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. One of my sailor friends says my grinding the coffee each morning is the "Aimless alarm clock."

After the coffee is done, I sit outside with my cup and ease into the day listening to the birds and looking at the sky. It is a quiet and serene time of the day.

While Linda fixes breakfast, I head below to the engine room to do my daily engine checks and inspections and do whatever small tasks need to be done. Preventive maintenance is important on a boat because the last thing I want is for an engine to quit unexpectedly. Fortunately this has never happened to me, and I hope it never does, so I do my small part to put luck on my side.

We both do the breakfast dishes, and we're usually under way by 8 a.m. We will cruise for the next eight hours without stopping, having lunch sandwiches under way. By 4 p.m. or 5 p.m., we are happy to release the anchor and relax. If the weather is good, we'll go for a swim or just read for a couple of hours or have a beer. Or maybe all three.

Linda is a great cook, and by dinnertime we are starved and eat with gusto. If friends are aboard, dinner is always a happy social affair, and stories are told with much laughter. Everybody helps with the dishes, and if we are not too tired, we read before bedtime — early by city standards. Sleep comes easily and soundly.

Communications with the outside world have become increasingly easy on a boat. Cell phones, e-mail, Internet and a weekly mailing and receiving of regular mail, plus newspaper clippings sent by my secretary keep us as connected as I want to be.

Taken on the whole I don't think you can have a healthier or happier lifestyle than being on a boat. You may occasionally be alarmed or scared for brief periods, but chronic worry or anger does not exist. You become sensitive to nature: The wind, the water, the fish, the birds are now a part of your life. I don't suppose being on a boat will allow you to live forever — but if feels as if it will. And maybe that's all we can ask for.

Chesapeake Bay

In Cape May, N.J., we met the last of our guests, John and Ruth Cain of Canyon Lake. They arrived by bus from New York City. It was raining heavily, and the radio was going on about tornadoes being spotted.

By morning it was clear, and we set forth in the soft dawn light. We glided along the canal that connects the Atlantic with the Delaware River. As we came out into the Delaware, it looked as if we were still in the ocean. It was big, way beyond our ability to see across, and it was still rolling from the previous day's storm.

As the day wore on, it calmed down, and after several hours we moved into the still waters of the Chesapeake Bay. It was my birthday, I realized. And my secondary shock was that I was now 76 years old. Had I not been surrounded by good friends, in good health and in calm seas, I would have been depressed. But I was happy.

We celebrated my 76th birthday by swimming in the Sassafras River. Linda cooked an exquisite pork roast, we opened a prestige bottle of Champagne that John had brought for the occasion, and a golden moon rose and made light paths on the calm waters. Life was good.

Aimless had brought us across half a nation through rocks, storms, calm anchorages, lively evenings with close friends and incredible scenery to our destination, the Chesapeake Bay, the body of water on which we built our nation.

We had returned to our ancestral home.

As originally published, the caption for the photo accompanying this story contained an error

Posted at 04:51 AM in Boating, History, Outdoor Recreation, People, Places, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

September 06, 2010

The Cloisters Museum A Magical Getaway

http://www.thestar.com/travel/northamerica/article/856405--cloistered-away-in-new-york-city

Cloistered away in New York City

Little known branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a superb art collection and a magical getaway in Manhattan

Richard Ouzounian



The Bonnefont Cloister looks like something out of a small Mediterannean or Mexican village rather than a fixture on the Hudson River in northern Manhattan.

The Bonnefont Cloister looks like something out of a small Mediterannean or Mexican village rather than a fixture on the Hudson River in northern Manhattan. RICHARD OUZOUNIAN/TORONTO STAR

NEW YORK—Jenny Arsenault likes to imagine she’s legendary medieval maiden Lady of Shalott when she visits The Cloisters, and it’s easy to understand why.

The 21-year-old art student from Washington Heights is just a short bus ride from the splendid castle perched high on the cliffs over the Hudson River.

“When I sit here I feel like I’ve gone back over a thousand years in time,” she said.

I know just how she feels. As a Manhattan high school student, I used to walk the ramparts of this imposing structure, gazing up at its looming towers or casting my eyes downward on its forbidding, fortified gate, moodily murmurring Hamlet’s soliloquies, convinced I was in Elsinore Castle.

A New York corporate lawyer friend flees here on Sundays when the pressures of the world get too great and “imagine I’m a member of a monastic order, quietly tapping along the flagstone floors.”

It’s many people’s fantasy refuge and it’s also home to one of the finest collections of medieval art in the world, with more than 5,000 separate pieces of painting, sculpture and tapestry, mostly dating from the 9th through the 15th centuries.

Welcome to The Cloisters. It’s officially a part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and it rests at the northern tip of Manhattan Island, in a beautifully remote woodland setting known as Fort Tryon Park.

It takes its name from a series of five self-enclosed French medieval gardens that were re-assembled here from their original structures in the late 1930s, all part of a giant gift from John D. Rockefeller Jr.

Every effort was made to see that the buildings were as historically accurate as possible and although the overall castle is not based on any one structure it somehow reflects a feeling of total authenticity.

Serenity is also what you’re likely to feel, because while the architecture may be rigid, the colour scheme of the structure is mostly pale slate grey or warm sandstone — the hues of monastic reflection rather than clashing combat.

But when you step off the main passageways into one of the restored cloisters, you’re also likely to be greeted by bright green foliage, blazing autumnal branches or clustering white blossoms, depending on the season.

It’s a wonderful contrast to the austerity of the rest of the setting.

Another form of visual relief comes from what is probably the most famous works of art in The Cloisters: the series of seven tapestries called “The Hunt of the Unicorn” that date from roughly 1500 and form an amazing view of how tapestries were used as giant visual narratives in that period.

On a series of giant, beautifully hued fabric panels, we see the mythical, one-horned white beast of legend first at repose in a field of soothing blues and greens, only to be pursued and caught by a band of scarlet-coated hunters, whose silver-tipped spears still shimmer as though they were woven yesterday.

It’s hard to explain the sensation of seeing these giant works of art all placed together, but it’s like watching an exquisitely textured set of frames from a film spectacle being rolled out in slow motion. After all these years, their power is still undeniable.

There are daily tours of the facility as well as numerous special events and concerts throughout the year, all of which can be found on the website ( www.metmuseum.org/cloisters) but many people still prefer the opportunity to wander on their own, dreaming the dreams this unique place inspires.

The recommended admission charge is $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for students and includes all special exhibitions.

There is also a charming café serving a menu of light lunches and snacks open through October.

The Cloisters is open all year, six days a week (closed on Mondays), but it’s a good idea to check the website for specific times of entry on certain days.

There are two economical ways to reach The Cloisters by public transit. One involves taking the A Train to 190th Street, then reaching street level by a rickety elevator and walking about 10 minutes uphill through the park.

But if you really want to have a fascinating ride, I suggest you take the M4 bus from any stop along Madison Avenue.

For one fare it will take you directly to the front door of The Cloisters and it does so through a route that will pass the chic Upper East Side, Harlem, Columbia University, Washington Heights and numerous other neighbourhoods.

There’s one website which charts the incredibly varied route the M4 bus takes and it’s amazing reading: www.brorson.com/M4Bus.

Whether you see yourself as a knight in shining armour, a pining medieval maiden, or just someone in search of a totally unique experience, there is nothing in New York City (if not all of North America) quite like The Cloisters.

CONTACT: 99 Margaret Corbin Drive, Fort Tryon Park, New York.

212-923-3700

www.metmuseum.org/cloisters


Posted at 08:32 AM in Art, Day Tripping, Museum"s, New-York City, Places, Travel, What's happening on the Hudson River__ | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

August 30, 2010

Knigston Rondout-Rhinecliff Water Taxi Service

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/08/29/news/doc4c79d90c3a8fb814229189.txt

Kingston-Rhinecliff water taxi launches on Tuesday

The cross-river taxi service will be provided on the Lark. File photo

WILLIAM J. KEMBLE


KINGSTON — A Hudson River water taxi service  between Rondout Landing in Kingston and the hamlet of Rhinecliff is to be launched Tuesday on a part-time basis.

Town of Rhinebeck Supervisor Tom Traudt said a test run has been conducted and the service has been approved following a delay of more than a year. The docks in Rhinecliff, which is within the town of Rhinebeck, were not ready for an initially planned start in June 2009.

“We have gotten everything squared away, and it will be ready for service,” Traudt said. “It’s very exciting.”

Hudson River Cruises, which will provide the service on the 47-passenger Lark, plans a celebration at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the docks near the Hudson River Maritime Museum on East Strand in Kingston’s Rondout district.

“A flotilla will then escort the water taxi ... to a welcoming ceremony at the Rhinecliff dock,” the company said in a press release.

Company officials, who noted the Kingston dock was constructed with materials purchased by the town of Rhinebeck, said the project is a “tangible example of how communities can enjoy great benefits from municipal collaboration.”

Among the project’s supporters is James Chapman, owner of The Rhinecliff restaurant and hotel, who said the water taxi will add to the maritime character  that businesses owners are seeking to use on both sides of the river.

“There are people who just like the idea of going someplace on a ferry,” he said. “There’s a whole special atmosphere that water activity creates. It’s a whole other dimension of activity that goes on which people really enjoy and brings some liveliness to the waterfront.”

The Lark, which is 45 feet long, was named after a steamboat that made the same crossing in 1908, according to Hudson River Cruises. Ferry service between Kingston and Rhinecliff was discontinued in 1957, with the George Clinton making the last run.

“Longtime residents of Kingston and Rhinecliff remember well the ferry service ... carrying passengers, cars and commerce until construction of the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge doomed the service,” the  company said. “River-based transit then disappeared, available only to owners of private watercraft.”

According to a schedule posted on Hudson River Cruises’ website, the fee for the water taxi service is expected to $10 per crossing, with departures from the Kingston side between noon and 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.


Posted at 07:47 AM in Day Tripping, Travel, What's happening on the Hudson River__ | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

August 26, 2010

Coast To Coast Pre 1916 Vintage Motorcycle Endurance Run September 10th - 26th 2010

http://www.motorcyclecannonball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=28

 

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Gentleman, Start Your Engines!

 

Pope, Sears, Flying Merkel, Excelsior, Henderson, Indian, Triumph, and the Harley-Davidson’s Silent Grey Fellows. These are but a few of the vintage, pre-1916 motorcycles that will be thumping their way across these great United States for the Motorcycle Cannonball endurance run in September 2010. Riders will virtually dip their tread in the salty waters of the East Coast’s Atlantic Ocean as the officials wave the green flag, then come to rest some 3,320 miles later, at the shoreline of the Pacific Ocean’s West Coast.

 

Usually on display in museums, private collections, or in Harley-Davidson dealerships, packs of antique motorcycles will leave their prestigious perches and hit the road, being put to the test during this grueling coast-to-coast pursuit as their riders navigate the back roads and byways of our great nation. Some motorcycles will be built specifically for this challenge in accordance to the event’s stringent qualifying rules. Many may not complete the ride and the drama will build as the course determines how many will, indeed, finish. Following along the paths of their forefathers, each of the riders and their machines will be pushed to the very limit as the procession rolls from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to Santa Monica, California, during the two-week odyssey.

 

Cannonball’s Course Master, John Classen, has painstakingly mapped out a route for the hearty men and women motorcyclists that squarely address the particular nuances of this ride. "Our route was chosen in order to avoid having the riders enter a single interstate whenever possible. We’ll have 12 hours of daylight each day, and a goal of having every rider check in at the day’s ending point 1 hour before sunset. We don’t want anyone having to deal with the safety issues of meeting up with the local wildlife after dark, and we are expecting some break downs."

 

Classen is well aware of the ins and outs of these types of contests. With over 20 years experience directing various motor sport competitions, a long-time member of the Sports Car Club of America, and having personally competed as a navigator in the Great Race for five years, where he won the title of Champion Navigator for the race in 1984, John knows his way around a route. In March, he will personally drive the shore-to-shore course for the Motorcycle Cannonball in the first of two pre-run trips to produce precise driving instructions for entrants and to smooth out any wrinkles along the way.

 

While each competitor in this unique event is obviously enamored with his or her motorcycle and the history contained therein, few have actually ridden a course of this magnitude, let alone on a 95-plus-year-old machine. Contestants are from all walks of life and include museum owners, authors, and collectors as well as restorers, builders, mechanics, and an Iron Butt rider. Entrants come from the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and the United States. Some have already begun rigorous training in order to endure the harsh physical demands the ride will require.

 

The Motorcycle Cannonball, named after the famed Erwin “Cannonball” Baker, who set 143 driving records from 1910 through the 1930’s, dares contestants to live up to the records set by men like Baker. Setting his first record on an Indian motorcycle in 1914, Cannonball made the coast-to-coast ride in 11 days. George Wyman was first to set a trans-continental record in 1903, taking 50 days to do so, and many other historical riders followed suit.

 

For the 2010 ride, some of the same challenges face riders that concerned their brave forefathers: gas availability, machine’s performance, and physical strength. Nothing was then, nor will be now, taken for granted as the modern-day motorcyclists measure themselves against our country’s most beloved and respected motorcycling ancestors.

 

This spectacular event is an opportunity of a lifetime for its participants. Lonnie Isam, Jr., promoter and owner of Jurassic Racing in Sturgis, South Dakota, is looking forward to the ride. Having admitted that the most he’s ever logged on a pre-1916 in a day is about 50 miles, he’s aware that there’s a real challenge ahead of him and the others. “You know, this started out as just a bunch of guys wanting to go for a ride that we’d been planning out over the years, maybe 15 or 16 of us. Then everybody started hearing about it and wanted to get in on it and it just grew.” Now, facing a full field of vintage motorcycles and anxious riders preparing to hit the wide-open road, the gauntlet has been thrown. Ladies and gentlemen, buckle up your kidney belts. It’s going to be an exciting, historical, bumpy ride.

Motorcycle Cannonball Coast to Coast Antique Motorcycle Race.

 
 

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Posted at 02:23 PM in Antiques, Events, History, Icons, Motorcycle Rides, Motorcycles, Once upon a time, Outdoor Recreation, OverNight, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

July 06, 2010

Hudson River Corridor 1100 Feet MSL

http://blogs.forbes.com/wheelsup/2010/07/05/flying-the-hudson-river-corridor/

Flying the Hudson River Corridor


Lakshmi VempatiBio
Lakshmi Vempati is a Simulation Model Engineer & Project Manager at a small business company providing technical services in air traffic management. She is an instrument rated pilot working on her commercial rating. 

“Cessna 57R, 1200 feet, VZ bridge northbound,” I self announced our position.

We were officially operating in the Hudson river corridor now. Ten aircraft had departed the Washington Metro area and rendezvoused at Monmouth Executive Airport (KBLM)  in Belmar, New Jersey. After regrouping and reviewing our plan we had departed one after the other in sequence and headed direct to Apple intersection which put us right at the mouth of the Hudson River Exclusion Corridor.

Despite our best laid plans, we were all out of sequence and instead of being one of the last of the pack, here I was leading them instead. But it didn’t matter. We were in one of the greatest cities of the world flying one of the ultimate routes amidst the majestic skyscrapers on one side and the impressive Statue of Liberty on the other.

The Hudson river corridor can be flown by transient aircraft between 1000  feet to 1299 feet MSL and provides some of the most spectacular views of the New York skyline: awe-inspiring Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, Central Park and Intrepid Sea and Air Museum with the Concorde gracing the decks. The northbound route extends all the way past the Alpine tower (one of the checkpoints) and must be flown on the east shoreline of the Hudson river towards the city while the southbound route  must be flown on the west shoreline all the way back to Liberty Island. The Statue of Liberty can be circled below 1000 feet MSL. Careful attention must be paid to other transient aircraft and helicopter traffic in the vicinity.

The FAA has implemented revised flight rules for the Hudson River Corridor which became effective on Nov. 19, 2009. A special flight rules area (SFRA) has been established for the Hudson River corridor. Specific altitudes for helicopters and aircraft have been established. When operating in the Hudson River exclusion pilot’s airspeed must not exceed 140 knots, must carry New York Terminal Area Chart, turn on anti-collision and position/navigational lights and self announce position on 123.05 common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF). There are six reporting points whether northbound or southbound: Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (VZ), Statue of Liberty, Goldman Sachs, George Washington Bridge (GWB), Intrepid, and Alpine tower. The specific verbiage when crossing each of these checkpoints must include aircraft type, position (i.e. checkpoint name), direction of flight (northbound or southbound), and altitude to reduce the clutter on the communication frequency.

Flying the Hudson River Corridor at the outset might sound challenging with all the new rules and restrictions, but there are very good resources to familiarize oneself with the procedures. The FAA Safety websitecontains an excellent online course.

When flying from the south or west of the New Your Metropolitan area, KBLM is a good choice for a pit stop. But it should be noted that there is no restaurant on the field. This is not a factor if the plan is to spend the rest of the day in the Big Apple. This is easily accomplished by culminating the flight with a landing at Teterboro Airport (KTEB). A 30 minute cab or bus ride will get you into Manhattan for an afternoon or weekend of enjoyment. Teterboro airport is also the home of Aviation Hall of Fame and Air Museum.

Photographs courtesy Kinnera Mahankali

Posted at 05:17 AM in River Themed Events, Scenic Drives, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

July 02, 2010

Norwegian Epic Mega-Ship To Arrives On-Hudson After Maiden Voyage

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/cruise_liner_is_largest_ship_ever_qwzktI5nJRXNc1AXs9GcfO

Cruise liner is largest ship ever to dock in NY

 Oliver Renick




The cruise ship Norwegian Epic sails past the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.

AFP/GETTY IMAGES

The cruise ship Norwegian Epic sails past the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.

She’s one hull of a boat.

Mammoth cruise liner Norwegian Epic become the largest ship ever to dock in New York early today, clearing the Verrazano Bridge by just 24 inches and dropping anchor at Pier 88 in Manhattan.

At 153,000 tons, Norwegian Cruise Line’s $1.2 billion vessel is second in size only to Royal Carribbean International’s 225,282-ton Oasis of the Seas, but the Epic boasts the largest spa, water park and casino at sea.

Its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, however, wasn’t without technical issues.

“Mechanics and staff were constantly working and repairing the ship while it was going,” said Robert Dalcin, 25, of Dallas, one of the 2,500 passengers. “In one lady’s room, there was a leak that flooded and sparked a fire on her curling iron. Her hair caught on fire and they gave her like a $300 haircut and tons of credit money to use.”

arlier fire broke out at the ship’s building yard in France, some construction details fell behind in order for the Epic to arrive in time to host Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks.

Luckily, Dalcin and travel buddy Austin O’Reilly didn’t get the short end of the stern. “We had a blast, we hit the casinos and the nightclub was badass,” O’Reilly said.

John Cullerton and Mercedes Rushgrov, of Newcastle, England also buoyed their spirits with some of the cruise’s offerings.

“We took free dance classes on salsa, meringue, and hip-hop,”

Cullerton boasted.

Kids aboard were especially entertained by the ship’s extravagance, playing on the water park’s three slides, a near full-size basketball court and ice-skating rink, a 33-foot climbing wall and a rappelling cliff.

The ship also features a 13,000-square-foot casino, mini-circus and glamorous shopping mall -- complete with escalators -- that revolves around the world’s biggest LED chandelier and a massive high-definition TV that spans one main wall. Tucked in a corner is a St. Petersburg-esque vodka ice bar, where patrons must don fur jackets and mittens to keep warm in the 17-degree atmosphere. Around another bend is a brick-walled jazz club with live music.

Norwegian’s CEO Kevin Sheehan, a Manhattan native and ex-cab driver, said he aimed to bring the “trendy, freestyle New York feel to the ship. People in general don’t want to be told what to do, so we found the right recipe to put things in the ship in the right places -- to create your own trip.”




Posted at 05:32 AM in Travel | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

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HUDSON RIVER MILES

  • HUDSON RIVER MILES
    The Hudson is measured north from Hudson River Mile 0 at the Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan. The George Washington Bridge is at HRM 12, the Tappan Zee 28, Bear Mountain 47, Beacon-Newburgh 62, Mid-Hudson 75, Kingston-Rhinecliff 95, Rip Van Winkle 114, and the Federal Dam at Troy, the head of tidewater, at 153. Entries from points east and west in the watershed reference the corresponding river mile on the mainstem.

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  • The New Netherland Museum and the Half Moon

Boating On-Hudson

  • Cold Spring Boat Club
  • Hudson River Boat & Yacht Club
    An organization representing thirty-three boat clubs, on both sides of the Hudson. Over 8,000 members from Poughkeepsie to below Yonkers.
  • United States Coast Guard
  • Nyack Boat Club
  • Hudson Highlands Cruises
  • Yonkers Paddling and Rowing Club

Recreation

  • Floating the Apple Home Page
  • Little Stony Point

SPORTS

  • GoArmySports.com—The Official Web site of Army Athletics
  • hvrenegades.com: Home

Developments

  • Hudson River Park Trust : Pier 40

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