New York City

(Written April 8th)
Arrived NYC, Saturday, April 2, 8:00am
Departed NYC, Sunday, April 3, 6:00pm

The Big Apple welcomed the Marina with big opened arms. Though it was chilly, the clear blue skies were eye candy to us cruisers, as our prior day at sea was pretty overcast.

I was on a mission to get the remaining tools I needed for my students: gnocchi boards, small pizza stones, zesters, bench scrapers, rolling pins and a few other things. So I headed out to and got everything in one swipe. Dropped off all my purchases on the ship then made a bee line for Eataly!

Man-o-man, Eataly is Disneyland for food junkies!! I didn't really know what I was getting into before stepping in. It was nearly 3:00pm, and I still hadn't eaten a thing, so I was starving! I thought I was going to a place where you order a sandwich at the counter, grab a seat at a communal table, and scarf down a simple Italian sandwich of prosciutto and arugula. Umm...that would be a 'NO!'

When entering the double doors, you do see a deli counter, with about 50 people in line. There's also a barista, also with about 50 people in line. Gelato? Get in line. Pasta? Get in line. Pizza? Get in line. Meats and cheeses? Get in line! It was incredible, this place. The layout, even though very crowded on a Saturday afternoon, really works. But I has hungry and needed food fast. So I scored a seat at Manza. And oh-so-glad I did.

Mozzarela di Bufala with Prosciutto

Had a glass of Nebbiolo, the Mozzarella di Bufala, and Carne Crudo. Oh my. Perfect lunch. The staff was great and kept me company with conversation, and they were in 'awe' over my job and what I was doing. Thanks to Dan for giving me a celebratory glass of dessert wine. Yum!

As I was sitting at the bar, I felt like I was still on the rocking boat. Started getting a little 'land sick?' Manhattan just wasn't rockin' enough fo' me! (That's a joke. Don't take it personally, you New Yorkers, you.)  Experienced cruisers on board said it'd take me about three weeks to let my equilibrium level out. I wasn't nauseous, just a little dizzy when I wasn't on the ship. However, dizzy and wine don't really go that well together. But I dealt.

Carne Crudo

Made my way to Saturday mass at St. Xavier Francis Catholic Church since I knew I wouldn't be getting off the boat on Sunday. By the time I got back to the boat, I was completely exhausted and couldn't walk another step. So I wasn't able to see Alex or Gracie, and I was pretty bummed about that. But I really needed to get some sleep, as I had to be up at 6am to prepare for the filming of a tv series and for the 600+ travel agents scheduled to tour the culinary center the next day.

Chefs Maria Loi and Kathryn Kelly

Sunday went well with the tv series. Maria Loi, a chef from Greece, has a cooking series, so they filmed three segments on the ship. Chef Stephen and I organized and prepped all the food for them. Just a few things, not a big deal.

By Sunday afternoon, I was getting pretty sad about leaving the States and making final calls to my family. My Verizon phone was scheduled to shut down the next day. Verizon said my phone would work on the ship for $3/min. Um. No thanks.

Leaving NY harbor with our pilot

We pulled out of port on time Sunday, and back out the harbor we went. It was a beautiful, beautiful evening. I sat on my balcony and took it all in. Took a deep breath and turned off my phone.

Had a great leisurely dinner at Terrace (the casual restaurant on ship) that night. And laughed my butt off with Chefs Kathryn, Franck, Eric and Oliver. Man, those guys, even though I can only understand every third word they speak, CRACK ME UP!! It was just the therapy I needed for the night. It told me that everything's gonna be okay. My only regret is that I didn't get a photo of us at the table that night. Shucks.

We were then on our way to Hamilton, Bermuda.