New York City, New York.

We had an enjoyable Hudson River cruise, but we made the mistake of dealing with a street vendor instead of an official cruise stand on the edge of Manhattan Island. Be sure that when you go to the various islands, you don’t get “bamboozled.” All in all, it was a good cruise, but it was really crowded. I had trouble taking photos because of all the people on the boat.

We first went around Manhattan Island, and I was in the worst spot for camera images. Things would settle down a bit, and eventually, I would get better photos of the island.

It was my first trip to New York City, so we were awestruck by the extent of skyscrapers. We knew they were all there, but we hadn’t realized the number of tall buildings. The Hudson River Cruise “compressed” the buildings to make them even more stacked one behind another.

As we passed under the bridges in both directions, we took a peek at Brooklyn but continued moving at a decent speed. We were there on a weekend, and there were warnings that traffic would be horrendous due to a scheduled U.N. meeting on Monday. Fortunately, we would sail to Canada on Sunday on a Carnival cruise ship.

As an aviation fan, I am always in tune with unusual aircraft. I’d never seen Osprey aircraft in flight, their vertical propellers acting more like a helicopter than an airplane. Our narrator noted that dignitaries have been coming for the U.N. meeting since the middle of the week.

I tracked the unique aircraft while they came to land, and little did I know how close they would land to our boat.

I should have slowed my shutter speed to get a realistic blur in the propellers. I was too excited to think about camera settings, I guess.

The propeller wash created a fog of water spray as the big aircraft landed.

This impressive sculpture is an 80-foot-tall (24 m) portrait of a woman’s face, her eyes closed and a finger pressed to her lips. It is made of polyester resin, fiberglass, and marble dust and is painted white. The sculpture is on the New Jersey side of the river and is positioned to face the Hudson River and the New York City skyline.

Lackawanna Terminal is a historic railroad station in Hoboken, New Jersey. It was once a central transportation hub for the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad and a gateway to New York City. It was connected to a ferry terminal across the Hudson River, providing convenient transportation to and from Manhattan. The terminal has undergone extensive restoration in recent years to preserve its historic character and ensure its continued use.

Little Island is a unique, floating public park on the Hudson River in New York City. It’s a stunning addition to the city’s waterfront, offering a tranquil escape from the urban hustle and bustle. In addition to green spaces, the park has a 687-seat amphitheater that hosts a variety of performances throughout the year, including concerts, theater productions, and dance shows.

Our last sail-by was the Statue of Liberty. Since I had already posted my photo at the beginning of this post, I decided to post an altered version of the iconic gift from France by way of a conclusion. I posted all these images in 2K HD on my Flickr site here for those who like pixel-peeping.

John Steiner