Trains Boats and New friends

Today we went on a train trip that left from Grand Central station in Manhattan, to a cute lil’ American town in New York State about 2 hours away called Cold Springs.

We rocked and rolled our way along the Hudson River out of the city past quaint little towns. As we got off the train and we are left standing at the small station it’s like you are in Bum F*&k Idaho…… Not sure where to go, we ask a local.  I just love how they talk! They extend the vowels and make talk sound like tork and New York sound Like Noo Yawk!  Anyway our new friend explains how to get to the Main Street, and off we go up and over the rail way line via the stairs and then we had a slight climb up hill to the little town.

It’s a bit like the Blue Mountains- Mount Victoria, just the one street, and cute little shops etc, and gorgeous eateries. 3 shops recommended the Hudson Hils cafe, where we all order various style of eggs some hard some scrabbled and a bowl of grits to try. It’s apparently corn maize but it tastes like gritty semolina porridge. Needless to say we all just had 1 teaspoon each. They served it with butter which we didn’t eat on the side but it really needed something more than that.

2 hours strolling up the street one way and down the other, we head back to meet the train. We stand on the side saying New York and the bloody train pulls in on the other side! Quick we are all running up steep steps and over the walk way and down the other stairs and  just made the train back into town to chill for an hour before we head out on a sunset cruise.

Diane isn’t feeling well so we leave her ‘home alone’ and head down to pier 83 on the Hudson River for our cruise, part of a package we all bought with the New York City pass. We decide to pay an extra $15 US for priority boarding seating and a hostess. Sounds easy enough but to get priority boarding we need to push past  about 300 people all lined up Higgilty piggilty that we had to basically push past ! I was doing the lead dog ~excuse me and had the girls following me. Wendy and Lindy were a bit stressed about pushing in….. but that’s what we Paid for giirrlz ???

Ahhhh a window seat on a cruise boat/ferry with 300 new friends with our waitress Alice who was such a sweet heart but couldn’t possibly do 2 things at once after 1 gin n tonic she says ‘you will have to choose another drink now because there is no more tonic’ ! I’ll take a Brooklyn beer ! she said ‘oh we don’t have any of them ‘ it was so funny and she was doing her best bless……

The cruise is a great way to see the size of Manhattan it’s also sunset so who doesn’t love that kind of light ??

There are a few happy tears from the girls seeing Lady Liberty ? She is pretty amazing and one day I will climb up to her crown but with booking 3 months in advance in ain’t happening this time and to be honest we will run out of time showing the girls the all the sights anyway.

We made a few new friends-  1 from Colorado, who we bought a glass of wine as Alice’s card machine has failed so we shouted her a glass of wine and also Jayla a lady from Mumbai (Bombay ) India who is on the cruise with her 87 year old mummy who has a electric walker. We smile the international language that we all know she reminds me of my mum as she shuffles along except this lady can’t speak English! Of course I get chatting in limited words to discover she was a sewing teacher. As we leave the boat, Jayla the daughter offers to let us join her limo ride we had all been bartering for. It’s only 7 blocks back to Time square with our new Indian friends. They take us to the 43rd floor of their 1 bedroom apartment in Time Square between 7th & 8th Avenue, where the granny continues to have a very indepth conversation with me about my dress fabric that is the same as hers ! We try her 4 types of pickles that she has made before we head home for an early night @ 11-30pm

Ah another awesome day !

Mrs Wong xoxo