We spent a few nice days in Atlantic City. Owen worked, as he does, and I did boaty things and did some touristy things. I took a Lyft to the Post Office, then walked around a mall area before heading to the Boardwalk. It was a weekday when I was there, and it didn’t seem too busy. I started at the Tropicana and worked my way back north. There were a few empty storefronts, but lots to see and do. I stopped at a large, clean, new-looking restroom that made me happy. Funny what makes a middle-aged woman happy, but here we are.

It looks like the Boardwalk has gone through several bursts and lulls of investment. I walked into a large mall (I had some shopping to do), which I found to be nearly empty. Just a handful of stores left in the whole shebang. It would have been nice to have a bike so I could have covered more area in my short amount of time. There was also a tram available, but I was too cheap to pony up the $10 for a day pass.

We were lucky to have a slip at the marina that was as far away from the bar as possible. We could hear the live music (Hell’s Belles, an all-female AC/DC cover band one night, a pair of adult contemporary singers [maybe?] another night), which wasn’t too loud or obnoxious. Our neighbors who were closer to the building might have thought it was too much. The marina is run by the Golden Nugget, and believe it or not, we left there with more money than when we started. I didn’t know that was a thing, but now I know. I’ll start treating slot machines like ATMs. That sounds like a foolproof plan, right?

On Saturday, we made the move to go to New York City. Our plan was to anchor behind the Statue of Liberty. Doesn’t that sound totally undoable? Can you believe they let people just anchor all willy nilly behind this major tourist attraction and symbol of freedom? It’s doable and believe it!

We left at dawn for our loong trip north. Several other Loopers were leaving Atlantic City around the same time, and we all agreed to monitor each other on Channel 69. Some boats traveled together. We kind of did our own thing, as we often do.

Our last day on the Atlantic Ocean for our Loop had two- to three-foot waves with a very long period coming from the south-southeast. That’s about as nice as it gets. And as nice as it will be for the next few days. We saw lots of dolphins for our last ocean day, and we each had a good nap. Even with the good seas, I got a little seasick, but it was nothing that Bonine couldn’t handle.

It rained for awhile on our ride, but not so hard that it was unbearable. We heard some thunder but didn’t see any lightning. Probably because it was just over us, right? No, I think it was just far away. Even through the rain, we could see Manhattan through the haze from miles away. We were almost there! If almost equals more than three hours.

Finally, we turned into New York Harbor. We were so excited when we finally saw her. There she was, in all her green glory, holding up her torch! There were also tour boats and big wakes. We had planned to take pictures with another boat, but they decided to wait until morning. We took some on our own (how could we not?! We were RIGHT THERE!), and then found our spot in the open area behind her.

I cannot believe they let just anyone drop their anchors and stop right behind her! Our view was unbeatable: Liberty State Park on one side, Manhattan on another, Brooklyn off in the distance, Ellis Island a hundred yards away, and next to us, the Statue of Liberty, Lady Liberty, La Liberté éclairant le monde!* It was a magnificent feeling to be in that spot, looking once again at our history and our present and all that is in between. We took a zillion pictures and then I went and made dinner.

It was probably not the best night to have pasta because we were rocking and rolling in this busy anchorage. There was a park patrol boat that routinely went past the anchor boats on plane, and there was an endless supply of wakes from an endless supply of tour boats. It was a bit noisy with the constant helicopters whizzing by the Statue. But I safely made our Lemon-Caper Spaghetti with Pancetta and Toasted Breadcrumbs (Please note that I only write about what we ate if it sounds fancy.).

After dinner, we went out to watch the sunset. We were looking toward the west, but Owen took a quick peek over at the Green Lady and gasped. You won’t believe what we saw. It was so vivid and so beautiful and so perfectly placed, it was as if God had planted it there just for us. We stood in absolute awe until it went away. It was, to this point, the very best highlight of our Loop. It was the coolest cherry on top of the coolest sundae made with the coolest ice cream on all the earth.

After the sun went down, the tour boats and helicopters stopped and the park patrol boater went home. We could hear people talking in the park now and then, but it was otherwise peaceful. Imagine sitting on the deck of your boat with the one you love and gazing at the City That Never Sleeps, next to the island by which some of your ancestors may have passed and been welcomed by a statue that represents freedom and not having to pay for parking, drive in traffic, lock your door, or deal with bugs. This was our night. It was a little rolly at times, but what a memorable day!

* I totally copied and pasted that from Wikipedia.