New York City Bus Tour After Hurricane Sandy

November 8 - 11th, 2012.  This trip was planned way before any of us had heard of Hurricane Sandy.  I had less than a week to go before I was to leave and we started hearing about Hurricane Sandy but never thought in a million years would it hit New York City in the late fall.  Hurricanes hate cold weather...don't they?  Well, normally yes but this massive storm was so big and powerful that when it came ashore and hit the cold waters it didn't slow it down much at all.  We even felt the storm here in Toronto.  We had high winds that brought down trees onto homes and cars and signs came crashing down and we had 7 straight days of rain and over 1000,000 people were without power for a few days.  But that was nothing compared to what happened in New York and New Jersey.  Those two places were hit the hardest.  Many places close to the shore were totally destroyed or suffered flooding.  I started to get calls from nervous family and friends telling me to cancel my trip.  I was determined to go regardless, since I was already packed and ready for an adventure.  The day before I was to leave I got a call saying the trip has been postponed.  I was upset but it was understandable given how bad the conditions were down there.

The night before my tour guide called to say our trip was a go.  One week later Neal drove me to the Costco plaza to catch the tour bus.  I was really nervous because I didn't know what the conditions would be or even if we would be able to see all of the things we were suppose to see.  I met some of the ladies that were on my tour as I sat in Second Cup waiting for the bus and they were nervous too.  Finally the bus pulled up and we met the tour Guide Natasha and our bus driver John.  They seemed like really kind people and I felt a sense of calmness wash over me.  I knew that we would be in good hands.  The drive to New Jersey (where our hotel was) is a long one but we had many stops along the way.  We stopped at the duty free store and then the Corning Glass Museum.  That was a really interesting place.  We watched a lady demonstrate how she made a glass turkey and another guy made a glass vase.  We didn't have nearly enough time to see everything there.  Our next stop was at the boarder.  We all made it through without a problem but Natasha got questioned as to why she is wasting our time and money taking us to a city that is closed.  New York City is not closed.  It may be bruised and battered but everyone who knows anything about the people of New York knows that they are tough people.  Nothing keeps them down long.

We arrived in Morristown, New Jersey at the Hyatt.  So far we could see no storm damage.  As you walk into the hotel you see that it's beautiful and peaceful.  We found out that the hotel was used as an evacuation shelter for people displaced by the storm.  Many of them from Hoboken, New Jersey who's homes were totally destroyed.  That is a humbling experience.  I can't imagine what it's like to have to start over again from nothing.  I went up to my room and it was beautiful and large.

The next morning we went on a city tour.  Well, our tour took us to Central Park.  This is one of the most beautiful parks I have ever seen.  We saw Strawberry Fields, which if you are a Beatles fan you will know is the name of one of their songs and there is a tribute to John Lennon there as well.  It's a round circle of tiles with the word Imagine in the middle.  Yoko Ono's apartment is just across the street from it so she can look out every day and see it.  There are other famous people who also have apartments nearby.  As we walked further along we saw a covered tunnel with the most beautiful tile work.  I mean how many parks are this beautiful?  We come out to a fountain that has cherubs around it and an angel on top.  This was used in the Dr. Who episode called Angels Take Manhattan.  Let me just say, it was kind of creepy seeing it but cool at the same time.  As we moved along we saw some massive old trees that had been torn out of the ground by Sandy.  It was kind of sad to see actually but humbling to know just how powerful Mother Nature is.  After our visit to the park they took us to Grand Central Station to see one of the most beautiful train stations I have ever seen.  The architecture and tile work was amazing as was the food court.  There was so much to choose from.  I had a corned beef sandwich from an amazing kosher deli.  All I can say was MMmmmmmm!!!  After that we saw the financial district and Trump tower.  The last stop on our city tour was to a little church just next to the site of 9/11.  This was the church that welcomed emergency personnel and rescue workers during the rescue effort.  They have a very moving tribute there that I think everyone should see.  They have a fireman's turnout coat and boots, photos and letters, patches from various emergency workers.  It was a very moving experience that might even bring one to tears.

Next we were given free time to explore on our own in New York City.  They dropped us off in front of Macy's and off we went.  I met a wonderful Australian guy named Ben who was really good at reading a map and figuring out how to get from point A to point B.  If anyone knows me, they will know that I am directionally challenged so having someone who is not is really helpful.  We ate dinner at a restaurant called Eatily.  Yes that is spelled correctly.  It's a market place where you can see your food being prepared, cooked and brought to your table.  For a foodies like me, this is really cool.  I really wanted to come around the counter and help make the pasta.  And let me just say, that food was excellent.  After we walked to Rockefeller Center and saw the people skating there.  We took an elevator up to the very top (Top Of The Rock) to see the city skyline and all of the city lights.  It was so beautiful.  Then we walked around in the area for a bit and shopped in the little tourist shops.  All too soon it was time to head back to the bus for our ride back to the hotel.

The next day we were suppose to have a tour to the Statue Of Liberty and Staten Island.  Unfortunately we had to go for plan B here because both places were damaged.  We took a Circle Line boat tour to see the Statue Of Liberty and Ellis Island and we even saw the Brooklyn Bridge in the distance.  The tour was fun but it was very cold that day.  Next since we couldn't visit China Town or Little Italy they took us to the 9/11 Memorial.  The visitor's center was also damaged so we waited in line for 2 hours outside.  We finally got to see it and it was also very moving.  It's hard to believe that two buildings once stood there.  The rebuilding is going along well.  The rebuilding pays tribute to just how tough New Yorkers are.  No terrorist attack is going to break their incredible spirit.  One thing that I noticed when I was standing on the sidewalk waiting to get on the bus is the smell.  It still smelled like smoke and burned stuff.  I don't think that smell will ever go away.  A constant reminder of what happened here.

After our tour ended for the day we once again were unleashed onto the city to tour on our own.  Ben and I walked to Times Square.  It was interesting there but extremely overwhelming with all of the flashing lights, mobs of people and noise.  It was like sensory overload.  We went to the giant M & M's store to look around and also the Hershey's Store across the street.  At last it was time to meet up with my cousin Emily.  We had a great dinner at Ruby Tuesday's.  Then she took me for a shopping experience at Macy's Department Store.  There was a sale going on there and I have never ever seen so many people buying shoes and purses at the same time.  The place was mobbed.  We took the ancient wooden escalator upstairs to have a look around.  This store is huge.  All too soon we had to be back on the bus for our ride back to the hotel.

The next morning we headed back to Toronto.  One of our stops was to the outlet mall.  It was massive and I only got to see half of it.  I need to go back to finish seeing the rest of the stores.

All in all this was a wonderful trip to New York City with Comfort Tours.  I hope next time Neal will be able to come with me on the adventure.  By the way, one of the movies we saw on the bus was called August Rush.  You should see it.  It was a great movie and it had Robin Williams in it.  You'd never know it was him.