It’s true that as Ayaz and I have traveled far and wide this past year we’ve been fortunate to enjoy many a sunset, from many an exotic locale: the beaches of Florianopolis, Peru’s Sacred Valley, the Rocky Mountain peaks in Montana, the New Mexican desert and the extraordinary red rocks and hoodoos of Utah.
But I swear to you, what ranked as one of the most romantic sunsets of them all was handed to me courtesy of a swanky, Parisian-style boat cruise around Manhattan and Mother Nature’s Supermoon. A heady combination, I tell you.
The surprise unfolded when Ayaz and I were given the chance to enjoy a dinner cruise around Manhattan on the swanky, Parisian-style Bateaux New York — we were giddy.
Sunset, skyline views, dinner, live music, an open bar: Come on now, what’s not to love?
After being treated to a warm welcome and chatting with our waiter, Larry, we ordered off the 3-course menu, from choices that included a crab cake appetizer, pernil (braised pork shoulder) with saffron yucca, and a sweet berry gallette dessert.
Yes, there was live entertainment, and heaping plates of food, but I chose to spend my evening elsewhere: outside on the boat’s front deck, soaking in the views, taking pictures and sipping sparkling wine.
The 3-hour cruise left Chelsea Pier and headed up the Hudson, spun around after bringing us to the USS Intrepid, headed toward Lower Manhattan where I eagerly snapped photos of sunset light shimmering off the Freedom Tower, then took us to the Brooklyn Bridge, and finally, the piece de resistance, the Statue of Liberty as night fell around us.
Sure, the entire experience on its own would have been great, but what made my night so magical? So romantic?
I tip my hat to Mother Nature and her enormous, shining Supermoon, which illuminated all things and even made the Hudson River sparkle like a fairytale waterway. As the evening wound down, and the boat pulled back toward its slip at Chelsea Pier, Ayaz and I danced under the full moon’s glow. And it was pretty much perfect.
