New York City: Boat Tour, Empire State and Chanticleer, Too

There are a variety of performers on my “gotta hear them live” bucket list. The men’s vocal ensemble, Chanticleer, is on that list. When I saw an ad on Facebook that they were giving a concert, I immediately purchased a ticket. Now, the only problem was I didn’t look to see where they were performing until after I bought the non-refundable ticket. See, the concert was set to take place in New York City. I had a choice: I could either write off the ticket, or I make my way to New York. It was actually a pretty short debate after I concluded that I could take a short Amtrak trip there and make a day of it.

As the day approached, I checked the weather forecast and saw that, while that Thursday was set to only reach the 50s, there was no rain forecast. I tried to dress in layers with a jean jacket over a long-shelved warm shirt, jean skirt and my now constant compression socks. I also packed a dress in my backpack in case I decided to change for the concert.

Knowing how challenging it is to drive around and to find parking in New York, I left the Silver Bullet at the train station’s nice, sheltered lot and took the three-hour ride to the Big Apple. Penn Station is huge and not at all accessibility friendly. Just finding a bathroom was tremendously difficult. Fortunately, I had scheduled only two activities before the concert so that I would have plenty of time to get to the different destinations. I was also fully aware that using taxicabs to travel would not be inexpensive, but at least I should not have an problems hailing a cab.

My first stop was a 90-minute boat tour predominately on the Hudson River. I was truly appreciative of the service I received from the staff, who made sure I had first choice of where I would sit while aboard the boat. My only complaints were that all of the bathroom and food service was downstairs and, thus, inaccessible to me, and the bathroom in their shopping area was poorly maintained. There’s probably not much they can do about the first, but they can do a better job of keeping the bathroom clean.

The tour included a narrative about sights along the river, including various glimpses at the Empire State Building, the Colgate Clock on the New Jersey side of the Hudson, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Three Forty Three, named after the number of firemen killed on 9/11, a boat called the “Frying Pan” converted into a cafe, and, of course, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We could also see several helicopters taking off from ports along the way (more about this later).

Below are some of the pictures I took from the boat:

My next taxi ride delivered me to the famed Empire State Building. The crowd was not heavy, as I suspected it would be on the weekends. I had decided that the cooler weather dictated going to the 86th floor observation floor rather than up to 102nd floor. I figured I could still get spectacular photos from there.

First, though, I caught an elevator to the 80th floor. As I rode, a video started from the elevator’s ceiling:

There was a museum with displays of the construction of the building, images taken of celebrities who had visited it, and videos of films and comics that used the Empire State for scenes and/or backdrops. I also captured this short video of the Empire State’s construction from 1930 to 1931:

The pictures from the day are available at: https://singin1.pics/piwigo/index.php?/category/New-York-Boat-Tour-Empire-State-Building-041025. The map should be helpful in determining where I was when each picture was taken.

The time passed quickly, and I realized that I was getting cold and that I needed to make my way to the Kaufman Music Center’s Merkin Hall for the evening’s Chanticleer concert. It was now evening rush hour, so the ride there was really slow. I was thankful that I had put the drive into the experienced hands of the cab driver rather than testing my own skills in the task.

I was surprised at how small the hall was, comparable more to what I would expect on a school campus, which I learned it was. Fortunately, the audience was dressed very casually, so I didn’t feel the need to change clothes.

Chanticleer didn’t disappoint. And the hall provided an intimacy that wouldn’t have been present in a bigger space.

The ensemble changed positions in a choreographed manner between songs that ranged from Medieval era to contemporary works. I would like to know what the method was in the decisions about where each member stood. I’m guessing that each position affected how the voices melded harmonically with one another. The second half of the program was more heavily spiced with contemporary songs, especially from the spirituals and Gospel music traditions. Overall, a wonderful program.

During the intermission, after the staff kindly assisted me to a more comfortable seat, I checked my phone and learned that there had been a horrific helicopter crash on the Hudson just minutes after the boat tour I had been on had left the area. Unfortunately, a family of five and the pilot lost their lives. My prayers are with all of those lost.

It was a fairly short taxi ride back to Penn Station. I was dropped off at the entrance for Amtrak, giving me a mercifully short walk to the waiting area. I napped and read off-and-on during the five-hour wait for the train that would carry me back to New Carrollton. The trip was uneventful, and it didn’t take long for me to reach SB in the station’s parking deck. It was around 8:45 a.m., so I got the opportunity to drive back around the beltway during late morning rush hour in my punch drunk condition. Fortunately, my driving skills were not profoundly challenged, and I got home without incident.