someone else's b-day; i get a prezzie

In honor of Scott-a-leh's upcoming Big 5-oh b-day, a handful us got together and went on a dinner cruise around Manhattan on Sunday night.

I think we all expected a bit of cheese and low-brow camp, but what we got?  Well, if you're ever looking for the perfect romantic evening, a fabulous meal and some top-notch entertainment on a winter night, this, my friends, would not be it. (cheese?  think cheeze-whiz baby)  With a buffet much like the ones you'll find at a conference in a hotel, tables close together with too-bright lighting, and entertainment that seemed to take its cue from Bill Murray's Nick-the-Lounge-Singer act on SNL ... oh no, they don't call it The Spirit of New Jersey for nothing.  (ok, ok, so i'm over-exaggerating and playing into all the worst stereotypes of my state when i say that, but allow yourself to simmer with the general concept and you'll get the picture).   

Then again, if you don't care about the food or the atmo at the table, or the distractions of (alleged) entertainment, and you just want to hang with some friends and have a laugh, this could be your thing.  And I would venture to guess that this is what motivates many to come on board.  I imagine there are plenty people like our group out there - which is probably how these guys stay in biz (i almost said "afloat" but resisted).  (then again, maybe i didn't.)

I hung with the crowd for about an hour in the dining room before the pull of the outdoors became irresistible. With the lights and the sights of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Joisey floating by, I just couldn't stay inside ... fab company or not.  Anti-social perhaps, but maybe that's the bonus of being the only single among a crowd of couples ... it was easy to slip away and not be missed.

Huddled with my back against the captain's cabin in a plastic chair I snagged, I managed to stay pretty well protected from the breezes.  But even so, I had come prepared.  I wore a dress - it was a festive occasion, after all - but I also wore boots with heavy socks, and a long boiled wool coat that used to belong to my mother - a toasty thing that I fondly refer to as "the rug."  I'd also packed a bag stuffed with sweatpants, a big wrap-around schmata, a scarf, hat and gloves; there was no way I was going to be spending an evening on a boat cruising around NY harbor and sitting inside; there would've had to be an ice storm going on to keep me off that deck.

When the boat got close to the Statue of Liberty, loads of people - families, groups of friends, couples - all came running up from the dining room to get a good look and snap some photos - many of them shrieking about the cold and wind as they did.  (short skirts, high heels and flimsy coats on the deck of a boat on the hudson river in november is going to be cold girls, i'm thinking to myself as the parade of drunken 20-somethings giggled their way to the railing, posed and ran back downstairs) I just waited them out ... stayed in my little chair, assured that I'd get the place to myself again once Ms. Liberty was further out of sight.

There's something so compelling about being alone in a space made so big by water and sky.  (perhaps it brings me back to the days of working on the cruise ships, but i loved being on the water - boats of any kind - long before that.  my time on the cruise ships may have cemented the love affair though, cause now even the scent of diesel fumes whipping up over the back of the boat smell sweet to me.) But whether I'm sitting on a beach, by a river or lake, on a boat or a ship, night or day, it calms and restores me.  I suppose I'm not unique; I know a lot of people say that about the water ... but I go all out - packing sweatpants to wear under a dress on a cold November night - so I can get my fix. 

As the days get colder and shorter and I try to combat my natural tendency to go inward and hibernate (eventually leading to the dreaded winter bum-out) (particularly now as i'm doing so damn much navel gazing anyway) perhaps a boat ride from time to time is something I should plan.  (and i don't have to go cheeze-whiz ... the staten island ferry is free ... hm.)

So, a happy 50th to Scott-a-leh ... and thanks for the party favor.

Comments

[Marilyn]

This brought back memories of ferrying home to St. Thomas from St. John after dark. It was magical to sit on the top deck and just look out and up at that big sky and all those stars.

[Gina]

Anytime you want to ride the Staten Island Ferry, feel free to pit stop in Staten Island! And yes, I'm one of those crazies that bundle up (or not so bundle cause Im usually all sweaty from running to the ferry) and sit outside even on the coldest of days. the trick is to sit on the brooklyn side so the tourists who all want to see the statue don't get in your way.