Like a Drifter I Was Born to Walk Alone

On Labor Day afternoon I met WA and WL a few blocks from my apartment, and we took the train into the city to do a non-city thing. We got off the train on the W4 stop and walked to Chelsea Piers to check out free kayaking which we had all heard of but never experienced first-hand. A familiar cool breeze in the air was back in a friendly, and warmly welcomed way. It ushered us along as we followed signs and arrows pointing to "free kayaking," and we arrived on the pier with New Jersey straight ahead and the Freedom Tower and the rest of the downtown Manhattan to our left. We signed release forms, borrowed a padlock for a shared locker, and sadly put our iPhones away so they wouldn't get wet on our adventure. The volunteers working instructed us to remain in the bay and not to go out into the Hudson past the pier because of the current, and I nodded enthusiastically. Currents and I do not get along. We strapped on brightly colored life-jackets because my mother was very adamant that wear them, and also, it's the law, and we went down to claim our colorful kayaks.

Once we were in the water, scooting around each other attempting to avoid kayak collisions, we noticed other yachts that were anchored in the bay. They had names painted on them like, "Aquaholic" and "Rock-ness Monster," and we noticed on our little independent skimmers the word "Drifter." "I like that," I said. WL added, "We are all drifters." And we temporarily dispersed to explore our own little piece of the Hudson.

WA invented his own "Kayak Olympics" which required him to kayak in circles around the anchored yacts at record speed (his being the only record). WL did giant laps around the circumference of our mini-harbor with strong, consistent strokes. I kind of went all over the place, trying to avoid bumping into a very unsteady Indian man in a lime green kayak, and then failing and running right into him.  Once I escaped that near-death experience, I be-bopped around humming White Snake to myself thinking about how if I were a boat, I would be a kayak: clumsy, independent, nomadic.

WA, WL, and I reunited somewhere in the middle of the water again, and we giggled as waves rolled underneath us. WA asked, "Do you think pirates were really the way that we think they were? Like how they dressed and stuff?" and that all made us giggle even more. We commented on how many awesome instragram pics we could have taken if we had brought our iPhones with us and how this would be such a great date idea. We collectively sighed at our lack of both phones and boys. We scooted around for a bit longer soaking in the wind and water.

Eventually we made our way back to the dock, and we got out with wet butts, clean lungs, and very happy Labor Day hearts. What a wonderful day in the city.

City Drifting