Happy Memorial Day!

Last week I went with a friend over to the American Veterans Memorial Pier, which is located in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, and situated between the Verrazano Bridge and New York Harbor, with the borough of Manhattan in the distance. I was there to observe the 25th annual "Fleet Week New York" which celebrates our nation's sea services. This year, the seven-day event coincides with the Bicentennial commemoration of the War of 1812 and will host more than 6,000 service members from the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard team in addition to coalition ships from around the world.

Unfortunately, we were late to see most of the tall ships arriving in the harbor, but we did arrive in time to see the USCGC Eagle (WIX 327) arrive through the misty waters under the Verrazano Bridge.

She began to open her sails once she approached the harbor -- a magnificent sight!

Overhead, there was a parade of light aircraft and military helicopters passing by.

One by one, ships from all around the world arrived under the bridge and into the harbor. This was the entire order for the parade of sail: Fireboat Harvey, Juan Sebastian De Elcano (Spain), KRI Dewaruci (Indonesia), La Belle Poule (France), Etoile (France), Cisne Branco (Brazil), Buque Escuela Arm Cuauhtemoc (Mexico), ARC Gloria (Columbia), BAE Guyas (Ecuador), USCGC Eagle (WIX 327), USS Roosevelt (DDG 80), USS Mitscher (DDG 57), HMCS Iroquois (Canada), USS Gonzalez (DDG 66), JS Shirane (Japan), USCGC Seneca (WMCE 906), USS San Jacinto (CG 56), FNS Pohjanmaa (Finland), USS Donald Cook (DDG 75), RFA Argus (United Kingdom), USMMA T/V Liberator, USCGC Willow (WLB 202), USS Wasp (LPD 1).

Soon, we saw the the USS Roosevelt (DDG 80)....

.... with all its sailors lining up along the front, back and sides of the ship.

It was truly an exhilarating sight to watch ship, after ship arrive and we were entertained by a few Navy Blue Angels fly overs.

It almost looked like some of the ships would have a hard time sailing under the bridge....

...but they made it!

I loved seeing this red tugboat pass by on its way

..........to escort an aircraft carrier into the harbor.

A few navy Jets roared overheard ...notice the fiery dragon decal on the tail of the plane on top!

The most thrilling sight to hear and see were the US Navy Blue Angels who passed over numerous times in perfect formation.

At one point they were close enough that I could actually see their pilots and tail numbers through my camera lens!

As the morning progressed the isle of Manhattan in the distance shimmered with a watercolor glow due to the heavy misty fog in the air.

It was really an unusual sight to see, almost mystical.

I zoomed in with my long distance lens to get this shot of the Wasp aircraft carrier pass by the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.

It was an inspirational sight to see!

On this Memorial Day, and every day,  may we remember to honor the brave men and women of the military who have sacrificed their lives to help preserve our nation's freedom!

I'm adding this post to Mosaic Monday, Our World Tuesday and Outdoor Wednesday.

 PS: Thanks to everyone for all your nice comments about my daughter's wedding in my prior post --I promise I'll show more about that happy occasion very soon!

I Saw the Space Shuttle Enterprise Fly Over NYC This Morning

There is the Enterprise Space Shuttle in all its glory! 

The Space Shuttle Enterprise flew atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft from Dulles Airport outside Washington DC this morning to New York City, flying down New York Harbor over the Verranzano Bridge, the Statue of Liberty and down the Hudson River to ultimately fly over the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum on Manhattan's West Side, where it will be put on display in June.

A friend and I went over to the Louis Valentino Jr Park and Pier in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York to see the shuttle's fly over.  The pier, named as a memorial to a NYC firefighter who died in the line of duty, offers good views of the Statue of Liberty, Governors Island, Manhattan's skyline, Staten Island, and the New York Harbor.  There we waited with many other excited people and photographers. At around 10:30 AM we saw the first glimpse of the shuttle approaching the Verranzano Bridge.

 

It was a magnificent sight to see!

I was happy I had my most powerful zoom lens with me so that I was able to get some good closeups as the shuttle flew over us and towards the Statue of Liberty.

As you can see there were many visitors at the base of the statue on Liberty Island.

 

The shuttle flew at a high angle over the Statue of Liberty, so I wasn't able to get a photo of both of them together, but I heard it was going to swing back down the Hudson River again after it flew over the Intrepid, so I hoped to get that photo later. In the meantime, I took a few extra shots which you can see in the mosaic above of the statue, the orange Staten Island Ferries, Ellis Island, a NYPD helicopter, and the Freedom Tower ( 1 World Trade Center) at Ground Zero in the distance. The tower is expected to become the highest building in New York City next week, as construction continues.  We soon saw the shuttle returning  from the east for its next fly over.

Its fighter jet escort is visible in this photo

This time it was flying at a lower altitude, so I could get it in frame with the Statue of Liberty.

 It was a very exciting and proud moment to see this wonderful tribute!

Some more closeups of the Enterprise. 

I heard on the radio that this shuttle was initially going to be named the "Constitution," but a letter campaign initiated by Star Trek fans to the White House and NASA to name the new shuttle after the scienc fiction TV show's "Starship Enterprise," influenced the then President Ford to have the name changed.  As a former "Trekie," I think it was a very inspirational name change!

The shuttle flew over the Verranzano Bridge another time....

 

....turned to the right....

 

....and flew towards Staten Island. It must have flew over parts of eastern New Jersey as we next saw it swing around ...

......and return from over the Bayonne Bridge in New Jersey

It was going to do one more fly by over the Statue of Liberty, so all the photographers on the pier were quickly setting up their cameras again.  As you can see by the heavy coats and hoods it was a cool and blustery day today in New York.

Here it is approaching from the west with its fighter jet escort in the rear.

 

One more fly over salute to Miss Liberty!

 

The 747 NASA Shuttle Aircraft and the Enterprise Shuttle then flew off into the horizon and later landed at JFK airport at 11:!8 AM.

In several weeks the Enterprise will be "demated" from the 747 and placed on a barge that will be moved by tugboat up the Hudson River, lifted by crane and placed on the flight deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. It will be placed in a temporary climate-controlled pavilion and open to the public in June. The Intrepid will eventually have a permanent exhibit facility on board to showcase Enterprise and enhance the museum's space-related exhibits and education curriculum.  It will be a wonderful exhibit to visit!

I'm so glad to have been able to witness this historic event today, and I hope you enjoyed seeing it through my photos.

I'm linking this post to the following blog events:

Syywatch Friday

Seasonal Sunday

Sunday Bridges

Scenic Sunday

Mosaic Monday

Blue Monday

Our World Tuesday

Gigino Ristorante of Wagner Park, NYC

I had such a nice time taking a Zephyr Cruise of New York Harbor last week that my husband suggested we return to Battery Park on the weekend to have lunch in a restaurant where he recently dined with a business associate.  He knew I'd enjoy the view from Gigino Ristorante of Wagner Park, located at 20 Battery Place in lower Manhattan.

The wonderful attraction of this restaurant is its location in Wagner Park, which has a beautiful view of the harbor, and the fact that it has a outdoor patio area. 

Our table was on the inner edge of the park grass, with a view of......

.....the Stature of Liberty!

It was pleasant to relax and watch the harbor traffic go by as we gazed into the distance at Lady Liberty.

I had taken many close up photos of the Statue of Liberty when I had gone on my cruise of the harbor. If you missed them you can see them on this link.  I've visited her many times over the years, but she never fails to make me be in awe whenever I see her.

We enjoyed a bottle of wine and nibbled on our crusty bread after dipping it in extra virgin olive oil and some aged balsamic vinegar....pure bliss!  A small bowl of cured olives were also provided and they were a nice salty addition.  Although we were very tempted by their descriptions, we decided to forgo appetizers and instead try a couple of luncheon specials.

My husband had rigatoni served with baccala (salt cured codfish) and broccoli sauteed in olive oil, red pepper and garlic.  My husband is a native Italian and baccala is a fish he can rarely refuse.

I had gamberi (shrimp) sauteed in a light fresh tomato sauce served accompanied by julienned zucchini and yellow squash.  Both entrees were rich, full of flavor and the perfect portions for a enjoyable lumch.

Gigino's chef, Luigi Celentano, is a native of the resort town of Positano on the Amalfi coast in Italy.  Dining al fresco, while enjoying his expertly crafted creations, made us feel as if we had taken a mini vacation to an exotic port.

Giginos Ristorante is located in the beautifully manicured Wagner Park, which is a wonderful mix of open lawns and intensively planted gardens, threaded through with paths and walkways. In my next blog post I'll show you more photos of this magnificent park and the "green gardening" method used to maintain it.

I'm linking to Michael Lee's blog Designs by Gollum for "Foodie Friday." Visit her today to see links to all the participating blog and their wonderful foodie posts!