by onesundaymorning

July 3, 2007

From journal New York, New York

The idea of the Statute of Liberty conjures up many different ideas of what it is, but almost everyone’s first though when they see it is "wow, it’s small." The Statue is 152 feet tall and weights 225 tons. France gave the statue to the US in 1865 as a sign of friendship and close historical ties between the two countries (France helped the US win their independence from Britain during the Revolutionary War). The ferry for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island leaves every 15 minutes from Battery Park starting at 8:30am. Tickets ate $12 more if you want an audio tour. If you want to go into the Statute then order the monument time passes online. They sell out quickly, and when you get to the Statue the lines are LONG to get inside, even with the pass. Get to the park early, because you need to pass through security. The ride to the Statue of Liberty takes about 15 minutes.

There isn’t much to do on Liberty Island. There is a gift shop and usually a park ranger giving talks about the history of the Statue. When getting back onto the ferry to the Ellis Island is careful of which ferry you board; one heads to Ellis Island and then back to New York and the other goes to New Jersey. Ellis Island was my favorite of the two destinations. The space in the complex is devoted to the history of the island and the immigrants who passed though it. Tourist can learn about the whole process that the immigrants went thought once they arrived in New York through photographs, documents, and even quotes from the people who were there. Other exhibits such as "Treasures from Home" show off items that immigrants brought with them from home, and "Ellis Island Chronicles" tells the history of the island itself. How it started as fishing to how it grew in size from 3 acres to 27 acres. There is also a show for an extra $6. The show Island of Hope/Island of Tears is decent. It lasts 25 minutes and tells the story of a few immigrants and their journey to Ellis Island. It was decent but reminded me more of a bad High School play then a professional production.

There is even the American Family Immigration History Center, where for $5 you can research your family. All you need to know is the name of the person who came through island and you can find a wealth of info. My search lead me to a manifest of two people who could possibly be my great-great grandfather, but what I didn’t know is that they both came over with family members that I never knew about.

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