Angel’s Seventh Birthday

Angel’s Seventh Birthday

At 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 22, 1975, Angel’s seventh birthday, Tyrone arrived with Monica at the Moore Street apartment to pick up both Angel and Eddy for a promised birthday outing into Manhattan and their planned boat excursion on the famous Circle Line.

Both boys had been talking about the trip all week and were already dressed and waiting excitedly when Tyrone and Monica walked through the door. Julia had insisted the boys wear their winter coats and take umbrellas because the forecast called for possible light showers and temperatures no warmer than fifty degrees.

When they left the apartment that morning, it was overcast with a slight fog, but their enthusiasm wasn’t dampened as they walked the familiar short distance to the Montrose Avenue Double L subway stop. There, they boarded a Manhattan-bound train that carried them through the tunnel under the East River and eventually to Union Square. There they transferred to an uptown N train and continued on to their final stop at Times Square–42nd Street.

Emerging from the station at 42nd Street, they crossed Seventh Avenue and began the long walk several blocks west from Times Square toward the Hudson River, where the Circle Line boats were docked at Pier 83.

As they walked, Tyrone told the boys not to pay too much attention to the various sleazy shops and occasional scary-looking people they saw on 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.

“This isn’t the best part of the city,” he told them, as he tried instead to draw their attention to some of the fabulous architectural features of the grand old theaters along the street.

“A long time ago, this was a much better area, and some really famous people performed in those old theaters,” he said.

When they arrived at Pier 83, they saw signs pointing them toward the Circle Line and the big, beautiful boats docked there.

“We’ll be on the water before you know it,” Tyrone exclaimed, without hiding his own excitement.

Monica laughed. “And today we all get to be kids, having fun on an adventure together!”

Before they entered the ticketing area, Tyrone stopped at a little souvenir stand near the pier and bought skipper caps for the boys to wear.

“You guys get to be ship captains today too,” he said as he playfully put the hats on their heads.

And the boys were elated to wear them!

A short time later, they were on the upper outside deck, seated on one of the long benches of the Circle Line boat. Then the engines somewhere below began to rumble, the boat shook, a very loud whistle sounded, and the big vessel began to move away from the pier and out into the Hudson River. Eddy clapped with excitement.

The captain’s voice sounded over a loudspeaker as he announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome aboard the Circle Line. We hope you enjoy your journey around the great Island of Manhattan with us today. It might be a bit windy and cold, and possibly a little drizzly out on the decks this morning, so please stay warm and dry. And please feel free to roam around all the public areas of the vessel, especially our heated cabins on both the lower and upper decks. The snack bar is also open for your convenience.

“Our approximate travel time today around Manhattan is about two and a half hours. Our dedicated guides, who are here with me in the wheelhouse, will be narrating the tour for you as we pass significant landmarks. Please enjoy your cruise with us today, and please always think safety first, especially when walking on wet decks, taking pictures, or leaning over the railing while taking in the sights. Bon voyage!”

As the boat began sailing south down the river, they immediately saw the enormity of the city to their left, with all of its very tall buildings. The towering skyline contrasted greatly with the crowded clusters of smaller buildings on the Jersey side of the river to their right.

As they sailed along, Tyrone told them, “Right now, New York is on what’s called the ‘port side’ of the boat, and New Jersey is on the ‘starboard side.’ The front of the boat is called the ‘bow,’ and the back is called the ‘stern.’ If you’re moving toward the bow, you’re going ‘forward,’ and if you’re moving toward the stern, you’re going ‘aft.’ And anything behind the boat is ‘astern.’”

Then he pointed toward Manhattan.

“Look over on the port side and you can see the Empire State Building right over there. Isn’t it a beautiful sight to see?”

A bit farther down the river, they passed the twin towers of the new World Trade Center close by on the port side, and Jersey City on the starboard side. Then they sailed past New York’s Battery Park and out into the wider waters of New York Harbor.

Staying outside for the view, they all shivered in the cold wind as the boat approached the Statue of Liberty. Flocks of seagulls hovered above and, as if in an orchestra, cried, “ha-ha-ha-ha . . . yeow,” seeming to follow the boat as if on cue. Tyrone, Monica, Angel and Eddy clung to the ship’s railing as the sights and sounds of the harbor passed before them and they neared the Statue.

The vessel came to a near stop close to the shore of Liberty Island, and the tour guide gave an interesting history of the Statue, Ellis Island and that part of New York Harbor.

“Many older New Yorkers, and those of us who like history, recall that the island where the Statue is located used to be called Bedloe’s Island, but about twenty years ago it was renamed Liberty Island by the federal government. Her official name is ‘Liberty Enlightening the World,’ and she was a gift of the people of France to the United States. The Statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886, and today is simply known to many as ‘Lady Liberty.’ The tablet she holds in her left hand is inscribed with the date July 4, 1776, and the broken shackles at her feet, not easy to see from where we are on the boat, symbolize freedom from oppression and recall the abolition of slavery.”

After their brief pass by the Statue and nearby Ellis Island, the boat turned and headed back toward Lower Manhattan and on to the mouth of the East River.

As the Circle Line passed near Battery Park again, entered the East River, and progressed toward the magnificent Brooklyn Bridge, the tour guide offered another interesting point of fact.

“The East River is actually not technically a river at all. Geographically, it’s a tidal strait connecting New York Harbor with Long Island Sound. Unlike a true river, it has no freshwater source flowing from somewhere inland toward the sea. Instead, the water here is moved largely by the tides, and the currents can actually flow in different directions at different times of the day. The East River separates Manhattan and the Bronx on one side from Brooklyn and Queens, which are geographically part of Long Island, on the other.”

“Interesting,” Tyrone said to Monica. “I had no idea the East River is not actually a river! You learn something new every day!”

Then they passed under the Brooklyn Bridge, and as it appeared directly above the boat, they all tilted their heads as far back as they could and marveled at the intricacy of the massive structure above them. The sounds of cars buzzing back and forth across the bridge filled the air.

“Wow,” said Monica, as they completed their journey beneath that most famous of New York landmarks.

Then they passed the old Brooklyn Navy Yard on the starboard side, and the guide delivered some interesting facts about its history as well.

Angel said to Tyrone, “We live in Brooklyn! The Brooklyn Bridge, the Brooklyn Navy Yard . . . and Brooklyn is part of Long Island too. Hooray for Brooklyn!”

“Yes, Captain,” Tyrone responded. “Hip, hip, hooray for good old Brooklyn, the best borough in the great City of New York!”

As the boat continued its journey up the East River, the guide pointed out the Manhattan Bridge, the Williamsburg Bridge, Greenpoint, a few important buildings visible on the Manhattan side, and then Queens on the starboard side and the famous United Nations Headquarters on the port side.

They passed Roosevelt Island, formerly known as “Welfare Island,” and then continued toward the massive Queensboro Bridge.

“Some people like to call this the 59th Street Bridge because of where it lands on the Manhattan side,” the guide remarked with a chuckle, “but those of us from Queens know better!”

Then the boat passed beneath the enormous steel framework of the Queensboro Bridge.

Traveling farther north, the boat entered the seemingly narrow Harlem River.

“Guess what, ladies and gentlemen,” the guide announced. “The Harlem River isn’t really a river either. Just like its sister, the East River, the Harlem is a tidal strait. It connects the East River we just left with the Hudson River, which we’ll enter about eight miles from here. And because these waters are affected by the tides, the currents here can flow in either direction.”

Then the boat passed Yankee Stadium, and shortly thereafter they came upon the grand and magnificent Roman-style arched crossing above them known as High Bridge.

As they approached, the guide said, “The bridge above us, known as High Bridge, is part of the Old Croton Aqueduct and was completed in 1848. It was built to supply Manhattan with fresh water and is actually the oldest surviving bridge in the city. There was once a pedestrian walkway across the bridge, but it was never used for vehicle traffic. Today, and for about the past four years, the bridge has been fenced off, and no one is allowed to cross it. Maybe someday they’ll open it again to the public. I guess time will tell.”

Not long after, the boat exited the Harlem River and entered the mighty Hudson River once again, this time just north of the George Washington Bridge, an incredibly high and massive suspension bridge with huge cables hanging gracefully from tall towers on each side. The bridge featured a double-decked roadway and connected Washington Heights in Manhattan with Fort Lee, New Jersey. The sight of the enormous bridge rising so high above the river’s surface was absolutely fantastic.

Angel asked Tyrone, “How did they build that bridge so high in the sky?”

“Right?” he answered. “It’s unbelievable, but what a sight to behold, no?”

Then Tyrone pointed toward the Manhattan shore.

“Angel, Eddy, look over there on the left, under the bridge. Do you see the little red lighthouse? Do you remember all the times your Drina read you that book The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge when you would visit our house? She read it to me too when I was a kid. That’s the lighthouse from the book. Isn’t that cool!”

“Really? That’s the real lighthouse and the bridge too?” Angel excitedly responded. “Wow!”

During the last twenty minutes or so down the Hudson, a gentle rain started to fall upon the boat, and they all retreated inside to the dryness and warmth of the boat’s upper cabin. Tyrone bought everyone hot chocolate from the snack bar, along with some extra-large soft pretzels for the boys to snack on, and they sat together watching as the boat passed the last of the sights along the river and then docked again where it had departed two and a half hours earlier at Pier 83.

For the boys, and for Tyrone and Monica too, the trip had been the adventure of a lifetime!

As the boat docked and they readied themselves to disembark, Tyrone put his arm around Angel and joyfully proclaimed, “Happy birthday, Angel!” And Angel smiled from ear to ear.

They traveled back to Brooklyn and exited the Montrose Avenue train station as planned at about 1:30 p.m. On the sidewalk just outside the station, Tyrone told everyone to wait for a minute because he had to make a quick phone call. He told them he wanted to let his folks know that he’d be home in a couple of hours, after he took the boys home and then took Monica home. He made the brief call in a phone booth right there at the top of the steps leading into the station. And then they were quickly on their way.

A little while later, they made their way up the stairs to the Moore Street apartment. As soon as they opened the door, a loud chorus of voices shouted, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

In the apartment waiting for them were Julia, Drina and Pop, Sylvia and her new boyfriend Charles, Mr. and Mrs. Gutiérrez, Gladys and most of her brothers and sisters, Rafy from downstairs, Gertrude from the candy store, Julia’s friend Sonia, and even Alberto, Doña María’s son, who had come from New Jersey for the surprise birthday party.

On the kitchen table there was a chocolate cake, Angel’s favorite, and upon it were seven already lit candles. Everyone immediately began singing “Happy Birthday,” and after that, “Feliz Cumpleaños.” Angel blew out the candles, and everyone clapped for joy!

Then, after a meal of hot dogs, baked beans, Drina’s special mac and cheese, potato chips, and coleslaw, and once everyone had finished their pieces of birthday cake, Angel opened a bunch of birthday gifts they had brought for him that day.

His favorite gift that afternoon was a sweatshirt given to him by Tyrone and Monica. It was a deep navy blue and had the word “Brooklyn” emblazoned across its chest. He put it on immediately and afterward hugged Tyrone tightly for a long minute.

“Thank you, Uncle Ty,” he joyfully cried. “This has been the best day ever! I love you!”

On the evening of Angel’s birthday, Julia and the kids ate leftover hot dogs and party foods for dinner.

“Happy birthday, sweetheart, mi hijo, my Angel,” she said as she kissed him goodnight. “Sleep with the angels!”

Soon thereafter, the boys were sound asleep in their bed. Amanda rested quietly in her crib.

And Julia poured herself a glass of special apple juice, reclined on the couch, and for a long time, sipping her juice little by little, contemplated life.