Manhattan in the Rain

Let’s start by saying that we were warned. As we stood in the queue on Deck 3 of Queen Mary 2 awaiting our turn to disembark in Brooklyn, both our phones and those of dozens of other other passengers issued a shrill alert. Flash flooding in NYC especially in Brooklyn. But we all hoped it wouldn’t affect our plans to get ground transportation to Manhattan or wherever we were bound. We blithely gathered our luggage and passed through US Customs and wandered outside the terminal. We gathered under a shelter with others awaiting Uber and other rides. We experienced three denied attempts for an Uber pickup before we learned that all the roads surrounding the cruise terminal were underwater. At that point we joined at least a hundred other fellow travelers and made our way to the ferry terminal just around the corner. On the fly we downloaded the NYC Ferry app and bought two fares while we waited in the rain for the next boat to arrive. We packed in like sardines but made it safely to Pier 11/Wall Street in Lower Manhattan. Along the way we learned that many of the subway lines were flooded. We used Apple Maps to plot a walking route and ultimately walked the entire 4.2 miles through the rain with our luggage to our hotel. (Another reason to pack lighter.) We decided early to call this an adventure and make the most of it. We did at one point decide to go ahead and call an Uber for the final 1.4 miles but then in indignation chose not to when we realized it would cost nearly $50. We trundled on along the sidewalks of New York and across granite cobblestone intersections. We saw delightful neighborhoods we might never have ventured into otherwise. We passed Ground Zero and the new towers. We’ve decided that next time we leave on a cruise from Brooklyn, we’ll stay in the Financial District and take the ferry over to Brooklyn. It was interesting to show up with rain running down our faces at the Hilton in Midtown, but we made it and truly appreciated the comfort of our room after the trek. This was definitely an “Oh, Shucky Darn” that became an adventure, and will be a story to be told around a campfire or during cocktail hour aboard a cruise ship! Life is an Adventure!