4/25/04 LiCalsi, Peter, and David watch Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2 on Hudson w/Fireworks from BPC:

Tonight was a special occasion down in my neck of the woods. The Queen Elizabeth 2, a cruise ship that has been making the trip between New York and Southampton, England for three decades is making its last departure from New York City alongside its replacement: The Queen Mary 2, now the longest cruise ship in the world, making its first passenger run to England. It will be the first time that cruise ships will be making a transatlantic journey together. And to celebrate, Cunard Line has planned a fireworks show around the Statue of Liberty as the ships depart together!

So, LiCalsi and I are lucky enough to tape a performance today that is earlier in the day than usual, so we can see the event. Here's LiCalsi on the subway bringing equipment back to my place.

Our conversation somehow turns at one point to cracking locks, and I look it up on www.howthingswork.com. LiCalsi becomes fascinated, and convinced that he can do it. He tries to crack the master lock I bought for my Circle Line locker using the method described on the website.

He's supposed to plot on a graph where he hears the gentle ticks of the gears as he turns the dial. This occupies him until it's time to go down to Battery Park City, to watch the ships sailing down the Hudson from the Esplanade.

We immediately know we're in the right place on the right day, as a solid wall of people lines the waterfront.

It's a bit early yet, as the skyline of Jersey City comes alive with light.

So we hang out. Peter and David join us.

At first, we're timid and hang back. Later on, we stake a spot for ourselves with a better view and wait for an hour to see the ships.

People were standing on anything, for a very long time, to hopefully get the first and best views.

We stood next to a lovely group of people and chatted about statistics and how one of them rode the Queen Elizabeth way back when, etc. It turns out they were on Circle Line a few days ago, but not with me.

Finally the QM2 begins to arrive. It is HUGE.

The Queen Mary 2 is surrounded by helicopters, yachts, police boats, etc.

The Queen MARY 2 parks near the statue and we wait another 45 minutes for the Queen ELIZABETH 2 to arrive. She was delayed for whatever reason, and once she arrives, she's disappointingly small. This is, of course, because we've been staring at the longest cruise ship in the world for 45 minutes with not much else to compare it to. The whole spectacle of seeing the ships would have been much more exiting in reverse order.

Dink dink. Smaller but far more elegant and graceful (and old world) in her design.

When both ships are idling by the statue, the fireworks begin, and the almost 2 hour wait becomes worth it. Cunard Line really pulled out all the stops for this fireworks show. It was the longest, prettiest, and most extravagant I've ever seen in person. Their use of shimmering gold colored blasts was spectacular, and a highlight of the overall performance.

I was impressed at how people naturally seemed to keep the esplanade clear, just in case a bike or jogger wasn't interested in the silly show.

And to top off the evening, LiCalsi counts my less-valuable-than-it-looks wad of tips, mostly in singles. We play cards before everyone disperses.