9/15/18 Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island

9/15/18 Saturday

This morning we head off to New Jersey's Liberty State Park where we will catch the ferry to Ellis Island and then on to the Statue of Liberty.   Pretty day and most of the ride was pleasant, as we took less crazy roads than the PA and NJ turnpikes.

We find the park with no problem (thank you GPS) and pay $7 to park - we were told there is free parking but think that it was quite a hike away.  We arrive at the ferry about 10:15 and pick up our tickets at the old train station - beautiful old building! Unfortunately many of today's photos have gone missing....still haven't figured this out! A lot of the signage for the trains was still posted, though the tracks had been removed.

 We ordered ferry tickets on line but still had to show our receipt and get actual paper tickets.  The security is in a separate building and is pretty much like airport security.  The only thing we had to give up was a can of OFF from our backpack. Can that be used as a weapon??

They begin boarding about a half hour before the 11:00 departure time. We enjoy watching the traffic in NY harbor, including a large group of paddle boarders and lots of sailboats, as well as some barges and other ships.  The paddle boarders are a bit of a surprise, as this really doesn't strike me as recreational waters!

 The skyline is beautiful but my mind immediately puts the twin towers into the scene which brings an ache to my heart.

The ride to Ellis Island is only about 10-15 minutes.  Here, 12 million immigrants entered this country between 1892 and 1954.  We pick up the audio tour that is included with entrance fee and begin in the baggage area on the 1st floor, where immigrants had to leave their belongings while they went for registration, examination and other details.  The building is large and beautiful with huge halls on this floor and the next.

 I am surprised to learn that those who traveled to America first class were not required to come to Ellis Island!  Doctors and inspectors went to them and they were admitted directly into the city!

Registry Hall

The walking tour takes you through the various rooms in the order that immigrants took. A registry room, a medical exam room, inspectors, legal exam and various rooms for detaining and further examination if there were any issues.  About 2% of the immigrants were sent back to their home country - the ships that brought them were required to take them back - 2% doesn't sound like much, but adds up to 250,000 people over the years.  About 80% of the others passed through rather quickly, but the other 20% were held up, sometimes for weeks for medical testing, or waiting for money, relatives, legal hearings, etc.  Individual stories here and there make it more personal.  For example, one man tells how his family surreptitiously passed the same money from one to another as each was required to have a certain sum ($25 I think).  The rooms with canvas bunks where folks lived while awaiting their fate are sparse. But they were given blankets and food.

The museum is well done, with other displays, including Treasures from Home which displayed items actually brought to America by immigrants, including clothing, trunks, musical instruments, bibles and many other items.  There is a 30 minute film which follows a typical immigrant from eastern Europe to entering the US as part of the largest human migration in history.  There is also a research area where people can look for relatives.  We don't know about Greg's ancestors but Beth's came through Philadelphia as far as we know...

About 1:30 we get back on a ferry and head to the Statue of Liberty, another short ride.

We were unable to get tickets to go up to the crown, which is as high as you can go, even though we tried 3 months ahead of time.  No packages or backpacks are allowed, but they have a pretty efficient locker system where you can leave things.  We walked to the pedestal level - 195 steps - because the line for the single elevator was super long.

The museum in the pedestal was quite nice, tracing the design by sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi , the shipping and construction.  I didn't know that much of the funding came from fundraisers by the people of France. Other sites were considered but it is hard to imagine a place where it would have more impact than New York Harbor.  The base is an old fort and the US raised funds for the pedestal.  Gustav Eiffel designed the support system and it took 8 years to complete, with the dedication held in 1886.  The copper skin alone weighs 62,000 pounds!

Below is one of the previous torches - it has been replaced 3 times.

Both Ellis Island and the Statue were quite busy, but the crowds were manageable and there was plenty of room on the ferries. We heard an amazing number of languages this day, spoken by people of all colors in all sorts of dress.  Greg and I agreed that we could have spent more time each place, particularly Ellis Island. ( If you are set to do both locations in one day, I'd get an earlier ferry.)

We headed back to Liberty Park about 4:00, took a few more photos and then began the drive to our hotel which was in Secaucus, NJ.  The hotel person had told me it was about a 20 minute drive, but that must have been if there was absolutely no other traffic or construction.  We had plenty of both, so it took at least an hour - crazy traffic, construction and lots of abrupt (read easy-to-miss) turns.  Greg did great with my sometimes confusing directions! After locating the hotel's free parking in a garage a few blocks away, we checked in and were ready for a drink!

Had dinner and drinks at a nearby Chili's which was an easy walk. (No way we wanted to get back into a car at this point!)  The shower was great and the bed very cushy/comfy.  Internet ok too.  We got some directions from the front desk on how to get into the city tomorrow morning - a quick, convenient bus ride to Port Authority(We'll see....).   Slept well!