The last stop on Alex’s school trip to Washington, D.C. was a return to the Statue of Liberty.
Category: New York City
Brazilian Day – New York City (2017)
Brazilian Day in New York City is the largest Brazilian Festival outside Brazil with over one million people attending. Rita and Alex attended this years festival and made a quick stop at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island as well.
Live music in a sea of green and yellow.
After our fill of Brazilian culture Times Square and the Hard Rock Cafe.
One note if you stay on the Jersey side of the river the ferries do not run all night and you will have to take an Uber or taxi home. Great time, see you next year.
Ellis Island part of The Statue of Liberty National Monument
When you plan on a trip to the Statue of Liberty National Monument make sure you leave time to go the the Ellis Island portion of the park. Ellis Island was the gateway millions of new Americans used to enter the country. In the troubling times that we live in it is an important reminder that the country was built by immigrants seeking a better life for themselves and their families. We get our strength from our diversity.
When you book your tickets check the schedule and plan out your stop to Ellis Island. On the island you will want to spend time in the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. The information desk has a park brochure and is where you can get your passport to the National Parks cancellation stamp.
Wandering these halls and thinking about the fear and apprehension my grandfather must have felt leaving his home country to start a new life made me all the more connected to my family history and gave me a deeper understanding of the modern world.
Statue of Liberty National Monument
The Statue of Liberty National Monument in New York harbor is probably the most iconic representation of American ideals. For many it was the first site new immigrants saw as they made there way to their new lives in the United States. Dedicated in 1886 and named a national monument in 1924 it a must visit for anyone going to NYC.
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
In this era of demonizing other cultures and religions that we live in today it is important to remember the credo that made the country what it is today, inclusion and diversity.
To get to the statue you must grab a ferry run by Statue Cruises either at Liberty State Park in New Jersey or Battery Park on the southern tip of Manhattan in New York City. My suggestion is to go to the Jersey side of the river both for ease of access and good shoreline views of the statue. A quick ferry ride can get you to Manhattan for additional sightseeing without the hassle of city traffic.
Be sure to make a stop at Ellis Island when you book your transport it adds valued context to the statue experience.
When you arrive at Liberty Island there will be restrooms and snack bars available at the point of debarkation and the statue is a short walk to the right. You will need to make reservations for the pedestal and crown if you want to go up into the statue. There is heavy security and you will have to check any backpack or other bag into the provided lockers. After waiting in line a certain amount of people will be allowed to enter and there are staircases and a small elevator available. The elevator is small and crowded and unless you have a disability I suggest you take the stairs. I am not in great shape but I had little difficulty. The balcony on the pedestal is jam packed with people and the view of the skyline is no better than from ground level. If you want to have an “I did that” experience by all means go up.
A must see for any tourist to New York.
One World Trade Center – New York City
Amid all the memorials to the 9/11 terrorist attack the most striking is the tower risen from the ashes of the destroyed twin towers.
If anything One World Trade Center is more impressive than the twin towers ever were. The view from across the river in New Jersey is spectacular with the single magnificent tower dominating the lower Manhattan skyline.
A short ferry ride from Jersey City, New Jersey will bring you to the foot of the tower.
Prepare yourself for an unbelievable experience as you ride up to the observation floor in the elevator. A remarkable audio visual presentation have your cameras ready. We did not 🙁 as it caught us by surprise. Once on the observation deck the views are awe inspiring.
Going down the elevator in are in for another surprise, this time we had the camera ready:
A great place to visit that has both fun and somber moments.
