MIL X ATC HANDLING. IMPROPER POS RELIEF BRIEFING.

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I CONTACTED APCH; DECLARED MY POS; AND MY REQUEST FOR PHOTO ORBITS AROUND THE LADY AT 500 FT. I WAS AUTHORIZED TO ENTER AND GIVEN A SQUAWK AND DIRECTED TO CLB TO 3000 FT MSL. THEY VECTORED ME ON A HDG OF 070 DEGS INSTEAD. ABOUT 5 MI SW OF THE VARAZANO NARROWS BRIDGE I WAS ON MY THIRD APCH FREQ OF 128.55 AND WAS ASKED TO STATE MY INTENTIONS. I RESPONDED 'AFTER PASSAGE OF VARAZANO; DIRECT TO THE LADY; CRUISE DSCNT TO 500 FT; FOR PHOTO; AND THEN N ALONG THE RIVER TO THE NEXT BRIDGE. ATC'S RESPONSE WAS AS FOLLOWS: 'PROCEED DIRECT STATUE OF LIBERTY; DSND AT PLT'S DISCRETION; MAINTAIN VFR SEPARATION; KEEP R AND REMAIN WITHIN 1 MI OF THE STATUE DUE TO OPS AT NEWARK ARPT RWY 24. I REPLIED 'MIL X; CLRNC UNDERSTOOD; SAY AGAIN PORTION ABOUT SOMETHING RIGHT.' NY APCH: 'MIL X; MAKE TURNS SO THAT THE STATUE OF LIBERTY IS ON YOUR R SIDE.' MIL X: 'UNDERSTOOD; MAKE CLOCKWISE ORBITS.' I WAS ABEAM OF THE BRIDGE AND STARTED MY DIRECTED VFR CRUISE DSCNT TO ARRIVE AT THE LADY AT 500 FT MSL. I ARRIVED ON THE W SIDE OF THE LADY ABOUT 1/4 MI OUT AND WAS READY TO BEGIN MY FIRST ORBIT. I XMITTED 'MIL X ON STATION COMMENCING FIRST ORBIT AT 500 FT.' CTLR ASKED; 'YOU ARE WHERE AND AT WHAT ALT?' I REPEATED MY FIRST MESSAGE EXACTLY. CTLR STATED. 'YOU WERE CLRED THROUGH THE TCA AT 3000 FT AND SHOULD HAVE HELD THAT ALT UNLESS AUTH OTHERWISE.' I STATED THAT I HAD REQUESTED AND WAS ISSUED A CRUISE DSCNT TO 500 FT; BUT GIVEN THAT I WAS ON A COMMON ATC FREQ AND NOT WANTING TO PROLONG THE DEBATE I APOLOGIZED FOR MY IGNORANCE AND REQUESTED FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. I WAS TOLD TO CONTACT NEWARK TWR; WHICH I DID FOR THE BAL OF THE UNEVENTFUL TRIP. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE RPTR STATED THAT A NEW CTLR HAD COME ON THE FREQ AFTER HE HAD RECEIVED HIS CLRNC TO DSND. RPTR WAS BRIEFED ON ARTS MODE C OP.