Category: Boats

The Piermont Pier

On By mvschulzeIn 1800's, 1940's, 1990's, Airplanes, Boating, Boats, Cars, Curiosities, Daytrip, driving, Exploring, Geology, Hiking, History, Hudson River, Lighthouses, Memorial, Nautical, New Jersey, New York City, New York State, Perspectives, Photography, Pondering, Railroad, Remembering, Telephoto, Trains, Travel, WW II8 Comments

 

           About four weeks ago, in one of our last ventures before the Corvid-19 Pandemic, we visited the little town of Piermont, New York …on the Hudson River, and explored its 182 year old rock and earthen pier, which by 1851 served as a loading and unloading track bed for Erie Railroad trains picking up steamboat passengers from Lower Manhattan, twenty-five miles to the South.  On the then longest rail line in the world, vacationers would travel 450 miles (724 km) to Dunkirk, NY and the shores of  Lake Erie.   Some hundred years later, long after the excursions were outmoded, tens of thousands of WW II troops would depart from this same mile long pier to ferries, and transfer onto troop ships in NY Harbor. Sadly, thousands would literally leave their last footsteps on U.S. soil right here. A monument nearby is solemnly named “Last Stop, USA.”

The Piermont Pier is located about two miles (3.2 km)south of the new Mario Cuomo Bridge, jutting out a little less than one mile (1.61 km) into the Hudson River.

The old steamship/ferry slip from years ago is seen above,  …to the left.

Above: Today, the pier is a commercial, residential, and hiking park.

Remnants of the steamship/ferry docks can still be seen in this 2/23/20 view looking south. New York City would be just beyond Tallman Mountain to the right.

Above: A bollard, used for securing heavy lines, is seen here near the end of the pier, looking south.

Above: The trestle part of the new bridge, carrying the New York State Thruway, is about two miles (3.2 km) to the North; and Hook Mountain, overlooking the Hudson, is seen beyond.

Above: The striking new Governor Mario Cuomo Bridge; and two miles (3.2 km) further, Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse off Tarrytown, NY seen to the left of center span.

Taken some years ago while boating on the Hudson, Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse, also know as Tarrytown Lighthouse or Kingsland Point Lighthouse, was “installed” in 1883.

Thanks for viewing. Zoom in for a closer look.

And a special note: BE WELL, …and please use best judgement practices as we “navigate” through these un-precedented difficult times.    M

I’d like to thank the Piermont Historical Society for their added information concerning this topic, and Wikipedia. I am a proud contributer/donator to both sources.

 

 

 

A Snowy Trek to see Lucy

On By mvschulzeIn 9/11, Adventure, Boats, Buildings, Daytrip, driving, Hudson River, New Jersey, New York, New York City, Photography, Skyline photos, snow, Trains, Weather, Winter11 Comments

          Lucy Kaplansky, a Greenwich Village honed musician and singer-songwriter with pitch perfect vocals and acoustic guitar mastery, has impressed us during a number of local performances over the years. This past Saturday, as snow fell on the city and suburbs, my city savvy son and I made the trek, first by car in N.W. Bergen County, NJ, to the local train station. The end of the line is Hoboken, just steps away from the ferry terminal where we waited a few minutes for the frigid ride across the Hudson River to the “Battery” terminal (WTC area.) A cold half mile walk thru accumulating snow and partly along the water front, brought us to the pleasantly impressive “City Vineyard” restaurant on Pier 26.

         Preceded by an excellent dinner, Lucy would perform flawlessly with her music and stories, right there on the Hudson River, and practically in the shadow of One World Trade Center.

This  is  how  we  got  there…

          The last image above is through the window next to our high top table while watching the show, – overlooking the summer deck and Jersey City beyond. 

   City Vineyard is marked near the upper right on the map above.

        After the show, with my son leading the way, we would take a cab uptown to Penn Station, where the trains would bring us back under the river and eventually to the car (via Secaucus Jct.) and the final slippery road home. 

Note that these are i-phone images.

Thanks for viewing and comments are always welcome. M 🙂

 

 

9 1/2 Minutes at Sea – Ambrose Channel Sunrise

On By mvschulzeIn Boating, Boats, Cruise, Nautical, Photography, Sailing3 Comments

Before the summer memories fade away, here are a few more images from our vacation to Bermuda, – approaching New York Harbor – and as seen from the Norwegian Breakaway’s upper deck, June, 2017.

                 Images taken between 5:25 and 5:39 AM, 6/10/17


As usual, comments are always welcome, click on or finger stretch any image for a close up, and thanks for sharing.   M 🙂

America’s Cup and Crowded Skies – New York

On By mvschulzeIn Boating, Boats, Daytrip, Hudson River, Nautical, New jersey, New York, New York City, Photography, Planes7 Comments

We had the pleasure to see some of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in New York Harbor last week-end. With crowds lining both sides of (and on) the Hudson, the unique and expensive racing sailboats were impressive. 

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To please spectators, some of the boats paraded under “fast  tow” on their hydrofoils, as shown here with the team USA “Oracle.”

Overcast skies dominated the first of two days, and racing was limited due to less than acceptable wind. 

DSC_0726Overhead, however, were the ever-present helicopters, offering race coverage and sightseeing perspectives for those fortunate…  or were they? 

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Although it looks worrisome from the camera’s long lens, day in and day out “Air Traffic Control” manages to do a remarkable job of keeping these helicoptors  spaced apart within controlled flight paths – a fact underscored by safety records. 

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I captured the official event photographer as he captured us, from our vantage point below the iconic Colgate Clock, in Jersey City. 

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As usual, click on the image for a closer look, and thanks for viewing. Comments are always welcome. M 🙂