Hello New York!

Thursday morning I awoke at 4:15am to board a 7am flight to JFK airport. Everything went smoothly. My hotel room is nice, with the bonus of being able to open a window. After I settled in, I scurried to pier 83 to take a nighttime boat ride up and down the west, tip, and east sides of Manhattan and then out to circle the Statue of Liberty.  Seeing the statue is like seeing so many other pieces of art. You can't really understand its greatness until you see it in the flesh. The statue is so beautiful and stands for such a noble idea. I hope we never forget how emigrants make our county strong and wonderful. On the boat I must have heard six or seven different languages being used by my fellow passengers. A real Tower of Babel. It was a nice introduction to the city.

Although a little chilly, the air was clear and the skyline beautiful. I sat on the upper deck outside the whole time.

When I got back to the hotel, I sat for about an hour in the bar. I sipped martinis, people-watched, and tried to get sleepy. I think I got a good night sleep in spite of the four-hour time difference.