Day 1: The Beast

We started our first full day with a walk out west to the Hudson river and Pier 83 where we were close to the front in a queue for The Beast, a fast speed boat ride down to and around the Statue of Liberty. It was billed as a thrill ride but I thought this was just marketing. However it really was akin to a rollercoaster travelling at high speed and deliberately swerving and hitting waves to scare the shit out of us. We could hardly hold up our cameras and in any case were advised to stowe them away as water was likely to splash and one of the guys running it would frequently fire a powerful water gun randomly at the passengers. There were a few heart-stopping moments with a brief pause at Ellis Island for photos and then the ride back where the driver took one more hard turn that felt like it would tip the boat. It didn't and we got off with our faces burnt by the wind and sun and still beaming with rollercoaster smiles.