In 2007 I and four teaching colleagues hit New York with the exuberance of children, albeit middle-aged ones! We soon settled into the dining out lifestyle and did the usual touristy things.
We took trips on sightseeing buses, the Uptown loop and the Downtown loop which gave us informed insights into that city that never sleeps. We walked the avenues and streets and marvelled at the buildings with cricks in our necks. The weather was warm in October and open-topped decks enabled us to experience the whole ambience of the city.
We then explored on foot and found the city easy to navigate. Corners were obligatorily furnished with hot dog, pretzel or oriental food stands but let’s face it, girls in New York just have to shop.
In the most efficient way, gleaned from many shopping experiences, we split up and arranged rendezvous points each day. This worked remarkably well and if there was a medal awarded for shopping prowess, we’d be well in contention. Balanced with multifarious carrier bags we trudged towards Grand Central Station for our apartment.
Evenings saw us traipsing to “Chorus Line” on Broadway and one evening after sampling a few cocktails in The Meatpacking district we found ourselves in Hogs and Heifers where a mouthy barmaid, with a backdrop wall of assorted bras previous customers had donated, hurled abuse at customers. A sharp-steppin’, toe- tappin’ worthy in Stetson and cowboy boots was strutting his stuff to country & western surround sound. The formidable barmaid then danced on top of the bar. It has to be said we were feeling little pain when we negotiated Grand Central that night.
Unknown to my friends I had arranged a special treat for them.
In April of that year my daughter had been to New York for Tartan Week. She was a firefighter and whilst there she met Joe, a firefighter who worked on a fireboat. When she knew that we were going to New York my daughter got in touch with Joe to see if he could arrange a visit to the fireboat station for us. It was arranged that I’d call Joe when in Manhattan and I managed to do this without telling my friends.
The fireboat was stationed in Staten Island and it was agreed that we’d take the Staten Island ferry one day to get a good view of the Statue of Liberty.
That day we set off to visit the shuttered site of Ground Zero first and then we hit the shops. We had lunch and made our way, via the shops, to the ferry terminal. I’d phoned Joe and he was going to meet us off the ferry. When onboard, I told my friends about my plans. Of course, we were laden with carrier bags as usual and I’m sure Joe must have wondered what on earth was arriving when he met “The Scottish Girls” with his fire truck. Boy, if they could see us back home!
Joe greeted us and put our shopping in the back of the truck before assisting us up into the cab, all six of us. He drove us to the fire station where we retrieved our bags, then he introduced us to the other members of his crew before making us tea and cookies.
Joe told us of the important role played by the fireboats on 9/11 and one in particular. The John J Harvey fireboat was the largest, fastest of its time but in 1995 New York City didn’t need old fireboats anymore and the boat was retired. Thankfully a group of friends decided to save the fireboat from the scrap heap then one September day in 2001 a call came from the fire department asking if the John J Harvey could help to battle the roaring flames of the Trade Centre. This old fireboat along with the ones in commission pumped water onto Manhattan for 80 hours when hydrants ashore were inaccessible. The John J Harvey was a real hero.
Then Joe asked if we’d like to see onboard his fireboat and we were delighted to accept his invitation.
It was dusk as we walked with Joe and the crew past the dormant dinosaur “Intrepid”, a decommissioned aircraft carrier, to the dwarfed red fireboat. The crew members were proud to show us round their craft in its immaculate state. The engine room in all its oiliness was gleaming. We were assembled on deck when Joe said they were taking the boat out into the Hudson, would we like to go? Would we!
The air had the sharpness of autumn but we were well wrapped and felt no chill as we left our berth. Lights from the nearby suspension bridge and far shore danced magically on the water. We headed towards Manhattan marvelling at the twinkling skyline accentuated by the pitch backdrop. To our surprise and amazement, we were heading towards the Statue of Liberty, very close to the illuminated figure. The fireboat engines cut and we rocked in the gentle swell beneath the lady then, without warning, Joe appeared on deck complete with bagpipes and played “Amazing Grace”. We stood enchanted. No one spoke. We each experienced this thrill in tearful silence. When Joe finished playing, we gave him a hearty round of applause and I could swear that Liberty smiled down on us!
In breathtaking darkness, the fireboat crew negotiated river traffic and returned us safely to the quayside where we disembarked. After thanking the firemen, we gathered our bags once more, loaded the truck and climbed back inside the cab to be taken to the ferry terminal. Joe waved us off and returned to duty, we sat in disbelief recalling our experience. As we passed the Statue of Liberty once more and passengers were marvelling at her, we smiled smugly in the knowledge of our intimate rendezvous with that torch bearer.
We often talk of that experience and consider ourselves extremely fortunate especially in the wake of 9/11 and its subsequent strict security.