10/11/03 Fun at Circle Line with Crew of the 12, Louie, Phil and Tina; Mysterio Show; Louie's Place + Heidi:

I've not been taking many photos at Circle Line of late, so today I took a batch. It was a good day to take photos. The air was crisp. The sun was shining. And the crew was punchy. Yes, punchy. You never know what you're going to get when you show up at Pier 83. Sometimes everyone's cranky, and sometimes, for no apparent reason, everyone's happy. I've not checked if it cycles in and out with our bi-weekly payday. Or perhaps its because everyone's pretty close to getting laid off for the winter and collecting unemployment. Or maybe it is simply something as innocent and union-free as the weather. It was just an absolutely gorgeous day outside, and it seemed to have everyone in good spirits.

And so, two of the crew members working my boat today climbed out to the exterior, standing on a very thin ridge that runs the length of the boat, with nothing but "the drink," as they call it, beneath them should they slip, to wash the outside of the windows. Like clockwork, every vessel is pretty carefully cleaned at the start of a new day at Circle Line, which is nice to see. Today I was assigned to boat 12. We will clean the vessel (I will eat breakfast, read the paper, and shoot the shit with the crewmembers) and then head around the southern tip of Manhattan, sans passengers, to the South Street Seaport (Pier 16) from where we will give 1-hour tours.

It's very odd to see people out the window.

It was on more than one occasion that Pete, another crewmember, and a bit of a jokester, tried to push these fellas into "the drink." I was also told, as the rookie, that I was going in eventually.

I also had a chance, during this early morning downtime, to take a closer look at the engine room. (Tour Guides are to report in 1.5 hours before the first tour departs. Crews often get there 2 hours before. Some sleep aboard the boats on occasion, and will just be there in the morning).

Most of these vessels date back, originally, to the 1930's and 1940's.

Looks like a submarine bridge, no?

Detroit Diesel.

Who uses these switches anymore?!

A sink!? I guess for the engineer and the occasional other fellow who must stay down here the whole time the boat is en route.

Pete makes a face.

Anyway, we get to Pier 16, and I start giving the 1-hour tour every hour and a half. Louie had good friends of his, Phil and Tina, in town, now MARRIED, once Louie's College Roommates, and they were all available to come take the tour. I wish it were a 2-hour or 3-hour tour, but given our schedules, this is the best we can do, and so they came.

Yay! Front row! Friends in the audience! They were great sports.

A little later and a little more relaxed, the boat begins to fill. I gave an excellent tour, playing off my excellent audience's energy, and they all enjoyed it very much. I had one more tour to give for the day, so I sent them off to enjoy more of the city while I finished my work day.

I met up with them in the West Village. They had a hankering for some cup cakes, and so we went to the famous Magnolia Bakery. The line was, of course, out the door. We then headed up to midtown for Louie's Improv Group to perform at Above Kleptomania!

On the way, at the Times Square subway station entrance on the north west corner of 42nd street and 7th Avenue, a cop, in full uniform, rides a SEGUE!!! He's going through the service entrance, of course. I can't imagine that thing would be very useful down here... especially when he has to take the elevator (if it works at all) in hot pursuit. Can this thing to stairs? It can't do turnstiles!

Amazed!

I find myself behind a video camera at the improv show. They need me to videotape it for them. The deal was that I got in for free (in lieu of the $10 entrance fee) to provide a service for Mysterio. I was tired, but I got the job done.

Heidi Handlesman was there with a ring of a frog. We used to call her Heidi the Toad. At camp. We were 11 years old at the time, remember.

We all went to Louie's apartment on the Upper West Side to hang out and catch up and have some light liquor.

Louie recently cleaned his apartment and was proud of our ability to see his floor.

Heidi takes this silly photo of me, sitting on Louie's futon, with a silly beer of some flavor in hand. It's late, I worked all day, and I'm totally zonked. But I'm happy to be here.

I return the favor soon after. Ha! Good times. I was so happy that Louie Phil and Tina could see me in action on the tour! What a day!