2023 Bermuda Cruise - Day 5 (Port Day)

Thursday, November 23, 2023 (Thanksgiving)

As usual for us, RQS and I didn’t start getting moving until it was lunch time. After a forgettable meal, it was off the ship and off to see Hamiltion for only $19.00. (No, we didn’t get overpriced Broadway seats at a deep discount. Instead, we went to Bermuda’s capital city on a bus from the Dockyard area. I highly recommend using the archipelago’s mass transit if possible, as it is safe, clean, and convenient.)

It is about a half hour’s bus ride from the dockyard area to Hamilton, and well worth it if one wants to see Bermudans in their native context. RQS and I felt very safe using the bus into town, and we were impressed by such a small archipelago can have such a healthy center of town. The bus terminal is centrally located, and provides for an easy transfer between bus routes. Once in Hamilton, we decided to walk around before returning to the Dockyard and our ship.

After a few minutes of walking around and taking pictures (including the above at City Hall), we found an Irish Pub at which we enjoyed a “real” lunch (as compared to what we’ve been having on the ship). Although the prices were a little pricey compared with the mainland, the service was good, the food tasty, and the place accepted US currency. (In fact, the Bermudan dollar and US dollar are equal in value and equally accepted in most establishments.) While eating, I finally had a reliable internet connection, and I sent Thanksgiving greetings to both friends and family. However, there is one thing of note: I received two messages of concern - one from Social Security asking me to call them (I’ll log on to their site (login.gov, from which I can connect with Social Security) to find out whether the message was a scam or whether it is real.), and the other from my bank, saying that they stopped payment on one of my checks. Since I likely sent out one paper check to a gas card company, I figure that I can wait until I return home to investigate this issue further. 

By the time we finished lunch, it was approaching the time we had to return to the ship. Instead of taking the bus back to the Dockyard area, we decided to take the ferry back to the ship. Luckily, we had a day pass for Bermudan mass transit, as it is accepted on the ferry, and is a quicker way of getting between Hamilton and the Dockyard area. (Note: Bermuda operates a system of ferries to get people from opposite ends of the archipelago, as they can efficiently carry more people between their terminals than their buses.)

Arriving at the ship, both of us wished we had more time in Bermuda, as there is so much more that we have yet to see. And we intend to do that in future visits.

Traveling to/from NYC

 

East Side Access / Grand Central Madison.  It's been a dream for many people for years.  However, it was not available when I needed it, nor was it in public use by year end 2022 as promised by the MTA.  If East Side Access was available when I needed it, I might have used mass transit to reach the airport instead of staying at a hotel near the airport before my flight to Hawaii.

Unlike some lucky cities, two major railroads controlled access to Manhattan island by rail: The New York Central Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad.  Although both of these railroads are long gone, the competing infrastructure they built still remains for commuter rail and for intercity rail.  This legacy has created a system where I am unable to use Amtrak for trips to/from my home station, unless I pay for an expensive trip into Pennsylvania Station, NY (NYP) or use the NYC Subway to reach Pennsylvania Station from Grand Central Terminal (GCT).  (Amtrak's fares actively discourage people from using Empire Service to reach NYC from the North, as it doesn't want to provide commuter service along this route.) Historical airport placement doesn't help either, as none of the 3 major NYC airports were designed for mass transit to deliver people people between Manhattan and the airports. As a result, I couldn't justify traveling into NYP, then using either New Jersey Transit (NJT) or Long Island Railroad (LIRR) to reach Newark (EWR) or Kennedy (JFK) airports.  Even reaching La Guardia (LGA) airport is a pain, as one can only reach LGA (via mass transit) via the NYC Subway, then connecting to a bur to the airport.  

At both JFK and EWR, special transit has been built to transport people between railroad stations and the airports.  But this can result in awkward land based trips to reach the airport.  For example, had East Side Access (ESA) been available to me, I'd still need to take Metro North (MNRR) into NYC, then transfer to a LIRR train to Jamaica, and finally a special "AirTrain" to JFK.  EWR and LGA would still be unavailable to me.

Years ago, there were buses that (for a small fee) would transport people between the NYP and GCT railroad hubs and the 3 NYC area airports.  Sadly, the last time I looked, these buses are no more.  If I want to go to an airport, I either have to find cheap parking nearby, or use an expensive cab to reach the airport. I am worse off now than I was 30 years ago!

However, this problem isn't limited to air travel.  With the exception of the Manhattan cruise terminal, cruise ships dock in either Brooklyn, NY or Bayonne, NJ.  Neither is good for many people as one can only reach these terminals from Manhattan via an expensive cab or Uber ride.  If one lives in the outer boroughs, the expense is even worse.  Only if I'm traveling from RQS's place will I consider going to Red Hook, Brooklyn to go on a cruise.  It would cost me way too much to reach Brooklyn from my home - I might as well fly somewhere where cheaper cruises are being offered.  As for Bayonne, I doubt that I will ever cruise out of that port, as I can not justify the excessive cost of leaving my car in a unattended (or under attended) parking lot.

As you can guess, New York City is not a place that makes it easy for frugal travel.  But I still find ways to do so, and will continue to write about my exploits as Marian and as Mario as they occur.