Hi Phil.
Verrazano Narrows Bridge? With all of the 9/11 stuff still going on, I'm surprised that they don't close it!
The main reason the bridge was not closed is that it is a major thoroughfare for the New York area.
On April 22nd, I was on the Queen Mary 2's 10th Deck Observation area, as the ship entered in to New York Harbor.
When we passed the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, I could see the traffic above us, which seemed to slow to a crawl (granted it could also be part of the morning rush hour), especially one commuter bus (it's passengers must have got the best view). However, I did notice police vehicles there, as well; obviously, they were there to prevent a terrorist incident, as well as to keep an eye on anyone faking a vehicle breakdown, so as to watch the ship. We also noticed many people along the shores watching us come in.
RE: La Marguerita, I second Jason's comments; we had a wonderful dinner there, on April 14th, and I would recommend it to anyone who comes down to Southampton.
I also enjoyed taking the Hythe Ferry, in both directions; that afforded us great views of the ship (especially as I was thinking about how Jason and I were going to be getting aboard in a few hours). Then after the ship started out, I noticed the people who stood watching us at the Hythe Pier (one of the many places in the Southampton area where people gathered to watch the ship's April 16th voyage commence).