Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty

It was hard to get moving today…sore from all the walking…but with my Coke and Tylenol I will make it! We again got on the subway, after Schooner did her thing, which is amazing in its own right. Nobody here cares that your dog craps on the sidewalk…just pick it up! And most do!! Anyway, we made our way to Battery Park, via subway, without any glitches or waiting on transfers. Gordon is pretty good at figuring out which tram to take and where to catch it…thank God!!

Once at Battery Park, we picked up our tickets and then helped ourselves to some street vendor hotdogs and Cokes, before getting in the waiting line for the ferry to Lady Liberty! This would be our only food for the next 6 hours (before an ice cream cone on Ellis Island!) The guide books say to allow 5 hours to see both venues but you can see the exhibits and Statue in less time, it’s the “cattle” line for the ferry that takes all the time! Seeing the Statue was awe-inspiring. Though, I wish it could have been by our boat sailing around it!! On the brighter side, however,we did get some good pictures before heading back to the line for the ferry to Ellis Island.

Once we finally got to Ellis,
(2 hours later) we made our way to the information room. This is where you can look up any family members that immigrated here between the years 1892 to 1924. The years after 1924 have been lost! Gordon found his Grandfather, Arthur, but couldn’t find where his father came through. His father was only 6 when he and his mother came here, which should have been 1924, according to what Gordon has been told all these years, but No records were to be found. Anyway, we now have access to the Ellis Island records and can spend more time looking on a rainy day. The restoration done here must have been remarkable; they have made it feel like you are have gone back in time and are waiting to come in as an immigrant. If only the walls could talk! G and I did get his family coat of arms and my “Brewster” coat of arms, suitable for future framing. (Something for you kids to fight over!!) Again we had to get in the “longest” waiting line to return to the City.

We spent some time looking around Battery Park, which is home to the Korean War Memorial, Fort Clinton (NO, NOT BILL lol), World Trade Center Sphere, and the WWII Memorial. Dad would have been proud to see the memorial he gave so much support to, it is quite a tribute. Oh, I forgot to mention the bums and pigeons make Battery Park their home, too!

As we made our way back to the motel, we stopped at a Mexican restaurant for dinner. Yes, I said Mexican!!! They had the best guacamole and homemade chips I have ever tasted, but the ceviche wasn’t so good. Gordon, also discovered a new drink; Cervesa Mordido. It’s 4 oz. of frozen Marguerita in a pilsner glass with dark beer poured over it (it was surprisingly quite refreshing!) I suppose you could say it was Mexican haute cuisine, not the La Fiesta we are use to. So then it was just a short walk to the motel where we were “all” glad to get off our feet!