vip in the city

Off the hook

We arrived at the Ocean Street Dock in Hyannis early this chilly morning, all set for a half day of fishing. The cruise operator warned us of rough Ernesto-churned waters ahead; the exact words were to expect a “four hour roller coaster ride.”

We boarded with some trepidation, but reconsidered after about ten minutes, rescheduling our trip for Monday morning. Let’s hope for calmer seas then.

The National Weather Service issued a small craft advisory for the day, predicting gusts up to 35 knots and seas rising six to nine feet. Yeah… good call.

To Cape Cod

Mom, Dad and I set out for Cape Cod in the early afternoon. Labor Day traffic clogged the I-95 through the southern half of Connecticut; the GPS informed us that we lost an hour and a half in traffic, but as the cars ground to a standstill around New Haven, it felt much, much longer.

J & J drove in from Boston after a full day’s work to meet us at the Cove. By the time the four of us settled in, it was well after dark. Alas, perennial favorite Seafood Sam’s closed at 9:00PM on Friday — Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in New York City anymore — as did just about every other restaurant in the area. After considering our dwindling options, we settled upon a dinner of classic American chain fare at Friendly’s, home of the Fribble and the Jim Dandy: five scoops of ice cream, strawberry, marshmallow and chocolate topping, a split fresh banana, sprinkles, walnuts and whipped topping — “divine decadence” indeed!

NYHRC Opal Anniversary Cruise

Mom and Dad’s 34th wedding anniversary! Traditionally, this would call for an “Opal” anniversary gift. Though upon review, this list compiled by librarians at the Chicago Public Library’s Information Center offers a pretty strange collection of presents: “Improved real estate” seems oddly specific for the 42nd anniversary; “Groceries,” pretty mundane for the 44th. But if you reach the milestone two years beyond that, the 46th earns an “Original poetry tribute.” By the 49th anniversary, the gifts can be “Luxuries, any kind.”

To celebrate this year, J, the Entertainer and I decided to take Mom and Dad for a lunchtime cruise aboard the New York Health & Racquet Club Yacht. After an initial morning rush, the family convened at the Skyport Marina on East 23rd with plenty of time to spare before the noon sailing aboard the newly renovated 75-foot vessel.

Once we embarked, C set us up at a table inside the air conditioned dining cabin, which became our base for the three-hour tour. (Insert Gilligan’s Island joke here.) As we hit the water, the summer sun grew strong overhead, but the East and Hudson rivers provided a refreshing breeze as we cruised at a decent clip. Lunch was a simple affair of grilled chicken wraps, quiches, fresh-cut fruit salad, bagels and lox, tortellini salad, grilled vegetables, muffins, yogurt and granola. But the views…!

The route was determined by the captain that afternoon: we sailed down the East Side, wrapping around the Southern tip of Manhattan, and several miles up the West Side to Trump Place. On the return, we took a slight detour to pay a brief visit to Lady Liberty.

Strawberry cake from our namesake Yeh’s. Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad… and many more!