June 7-8, 2019 – We had been planning, since before we began our Loop trip, to have Ben’s mom and dad come down to visit us along the Erie, since that would be the closest and most convenient part of the trip. Having been confronted with ‘no room at the inn’ when we got to Waterford, it was apparent that banking on another of the free municipal waterfronts as a link-up point might be an iffy proposition. Instead, we made arrangements at the Mohawk Harbor Marina, which is in the center of a new residential/entertainment/shopping district being built on the Schenectady waterfront.
On the way, we stopped at the Schenectady Yacht Club, for a pump-out. The gentleman at the dock pointed out a structure from the original Erie Canal, that was actually an aqueduct that ran over the Mohawk River, rather than being part of it as it is today.
A bit further on, we pulled in to the marina, through a tiny channel flanked by a concrete wall and a steep bank of rip-rap stones, to a very nice modern facility where our friends on ‘Here’s to Us’ were also docked, along with a couple more high-end trawler yachts.
It turned out that the Albany Symphony Orchestra was going to play a concert on Saturday night at the amphitheater right on the edge of the marina, so early the next day when the other boats cleared out, we moved our boat back closer to the stage that had been erected. We wouldn’t actually get to SEE the performers, but we would hear them just fine.
When mom and dad arrived, we got them situated on the boat where they could relax, and we took their car to the store to re-provision. By the time we got back, the tiered grass areas of the amphitheater were starting to fill up, making a nice vibe as we fixed dinner.
Sitting on the sundeck, sipping wine, eating dinner, while listening to live classical music. (We actually found a picture that shows us from the crowd perspective: https://www.instagram.com/p/Byh3K4Vgzvi/ )
We all agreed, this does not suck.
But wait, there’s more…
Since a symphony concert by itself isn’t quite enough, when the concert was over, there were fireworks over the river. Now that’s how to end a show.
