NYC Part VIII - Cruise and Farewell

This is the final blog about our trip to NYC. (I bet you thought it would never come.)

All day Sunday, we wore our ID tags to identify us as part of the choir group. These are similar to the images on the posters used to advertise the concert.

When I visited Kim last week, she showed me her signed poster. All of the choir members received them as a thank you for participating.

Following the concert, we boarded busses to take us to the harbor. This time, they not only held the choir, but also the orchestra and Michael’s entourage. We heard they had chartered ten of them. We were on the fifth one to leave the city.

We arrived at the dock and then followed the crowd to the far end where the largest boat, the Hornblower Infinity, awaited us. Clearly it was our destination since it was completely lit up.

We presented our tickets and then found seats on the upper deck. Food and drink stations were available on both decks. The buffets included beef, pork, chicken, lots of different salads. Separate desert bars offered a variety of choices (always Larry’s favorite part).

During the cruise, Michael W. Smith once again thanked everyone for their part in creating this fabulous evening.

The views of the lights along the harbor at night awed us. Many of the landmarks appeared different when lit up. The yacht took us to Brooklyn and then turned around and headed back toward NYC while we dined.

As we returned to port, the boat took a detour toward the Statue of Liberty. Even though we were unable to walk on the island or climb the statue, this view of Lady Liberty brought to mind the lyrics of “There She Stands,” which we had heard earlier in the evening at the concert. I confess, I was moved to tears seeing this symbol of freedom in person.

Soon we reached the dock and disembarked. Busses awaited us and conveyed us back to our hotel, tired and euphoric after one of the most memorable days of our lives.

Early the next morning, we met Kim in the lobby. Their flight was earlier than ours, so this was our last chance to see her before we left. After we kissed her goodbye, we asked the concierge to arrange for a taxi to meet us to take us to the airport.

After breakfast, we finished packing and went to the lobby. Our taxi arrived right on time. We had a delightful ride, so different from our arrival. During the trip, we enjoyed talking to our driver, Mohammed. This young man had relocated from Miami to experience the big city. He said he enjoyed meeting people from all over the world.

Once more, we had encountered a wonderful New Yorker—the perfect ending to our NYC experience.

Our flight proved to be uneventful. We were ready to be home, but it will take some time to fully process the whole experience.