PJMcK
PJMcK's JournalThe 79th Street Boat Basin in NYC
For many years, there has been a marina on Manhattan’s West Side in the Hudson River. Many of the boats there were live-aboards and some of them were in pretty rough shape. Regardless, it was a colorful Bohemian life style even if things could be difficult: Cold winters where one has to transport the propane tanks off Manhattan Island to get them re-filled; grocery stores are many blocks away; no easy parking; questionable legal status, etc.
A friend of mine had a 45-foot houseboat that he and his girlfriend shared. They removed the engine to gain storage space. The growth on the bottom of his boat was so thick that he thought he was attached to the river bed! That’s not really the kind of boating I like to do but to each their own.
The City recently condemned the marina and all the boats have to be gone by tomorrow. For the next two years, the marina will be rebuilt and modernized. It’ll probably be very expensive when completed, (it had been very reasonably priced and a mooring cost about $225 per month). The adjacent neighborhood is pretty upscale and expensive, (a friend pays $1,000 per month for indoor parking!). I’m sure that factors into the decision to rebuild.
Want a real feel good mini series?
“From The Earth To The Moon” is a 13-part series about the U.S. space program from President Kennedy’s speech calling for a successful round trip to the Moon through Apollo 17, our last visit to our celestial neighbor. Tom Hanks produced it for HBO and he introduces each episode. The writing, acting, special effects and music are superior.
I’ve watched it several times and I get chills every time I see Armstrong and Aldrin flying the Eagle over the barren face of the Moon. The program illustrates the many (sometimes conflicting) issues faced by NASA, the history of the program, the astronauts and their families.
The episode about Apollo One is poignantly told with many great insights. (There’s a fascinating sub-plot involving then-Senator Walter Mondale.) The Apollo 8 story begins with an exposition about the tensions our nation faced in 1968 and ends with the famous and inspiring “Earthrise” photo; a congratulatory telegram sent to those astronauts read, “Thanks for saving 1968.”
There’s lots of drama and tons of comedy, too. The music scores are some of the best!
Each episode had different production teams but they all fit together seamlessly.
The series may be available to stream online but it’s also available on DVD.
Profile Information
Name: Paul McKibbinsGender: Male
Hometown: New York City
Home country: USA
Current location: Catskill Mountains
Member since: Mon Jun 5, 2006, 05:16 PM
Number of posts: 22,069