It All Happened This Morning at the Waterfront

Joey and I were at the waterfront this morning to take our morning exercise when we witnessed the arrival of two black SUVs with tinted glass--always a sign of something big about to happen. They headed for the parking lot at the Hudson Power Boat Association, and soon after they had parked there and men in suits (without their jackets) had exited the vehicles, a state police boat arrived at the dock in front of the HPBA clubhouse. It was then that I noticed this sign near the city dock, which had never been there before.

Figuring the sign was to be the focal point of whatever was about to happen, we made our way along the fence to where the sign was. (Joey and I are law abiding, even when we don't agree with the law, and do not enter Henry Hudson Riverfront Park.) At this point, DPW superintendent Rob Perry arrived. He told Gossips that the sign had been erected earlier in the morning by Department of Transportation workers. He confirmed that Governor Andrew Cuomo was expected at 9 a.m. (It was then about 8:45.) The governor visiting Hudson for the second time in less than a week? Was he coming to tell us we'd been awarded the $10 million?

I parked the little car up on the shale bank, where Joey and I had a good view, and waited. A monster barge came by. Then the Captain JP, an excursion boat from Troy, arrived. Heading south, it lingered next to the city dock, but the Marika and the Spirit of Hudson were moored there, so it couldn't dock. After a while, it sailed a little farther down the river, turned around, and came back, again lingering at the city dock. A little later, it sailed on north, turned around, and came back again.

Nine o'clock came and went, and still no governor. Meanwhile, Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton's white SUV arrived, driven by the mayor herself, accompanied by Nick Zachos and First Ward alderman Rick Rector. Eventually, they were joined by mayor's aide, Lisa Walsh, and the four of them hung out with Perry waiting to see what would happen.

Black SUVs kept arriving, but none seemed to be carrying the governor. Shortly before 9:45, a southbound train pulled into the station. A bit later, a number of people who apparently had gotten off that train were seen walking from the station to riverfront park, where they boarded the Marika. Then two CDTA buses from Troy arrived and disgorged their passengers at the entrance to the park. Those people also headed into the park and boarded the Marika. But still there was no sign of the governor.

While people were getting on the Marika, the Captain JP sailed south again. This time when it turned around, instead of returning to the city dock, it stopped at the "stone dock."


With all its passengers aboard, the Marika left the dock heading south.

It was later seen alongside the Captain JP at the stone dock. It is assumed that the passengers on the Marika were boarding the Captain JP.

Although expected and eagerly awaited, the governor was never sighted. The schedule on his website indicates that he is in Columbia County and New York City today. Perhaps later in the day the website will report on why he was here and what he was doing.

When Joey and I left the waterfront, two DOT workers had arrived to remove the "Welcome to New York" sign.

Insider Addendum: Although Gossips and everyone else watching from afar missed seeing him, a source on the Marika attests that Governor Andrew Cuomo arrived in one of two black SUVs that drove up and parked at the HPBA after everyone else was on the boat and boarded the Marika just before it pulled away from the dock.
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