Advertisement
Published: July 15th 2008
First Time Riding the NY Subway!
As early as 6:30am, my cousin, Sheila and I headed out of Midtown Manhattan for a day at
Liberty Island and
Ellis Island. We took the subway and ofcourse, I was excited to finally see for myself what people say is a confusing labyrinth of tunnels under Manhattan. We took the
MTA New York City Subway, which Sheila looked up online last night. (She has moved to San Francisco that's why she needs a little refresher.) Trains were coded A, B, C or 1, 2, 3. And looking at the map online last night, I realize how much simpler my commuting life is in Chicago.
First thing I noticed was a poster on the walls of the subway that said "Coat Drive". I noticed it because of an image of the Statue of Liberty curled up in the cold. It could never be more timely for us, because we are heading out to see her -- Lady Liberty! Our train arrived and we got in. It was not stressful, whatsoever, obviously because it was very, very early. We took a connecting train to the South Ferry station and that was when I noticed how mighty and
enormous the NY subways are! About four or five trains could run side by side, but that's only on one level. Even when there are no trains passing by my sight, I could hear the sound of wheezing trains maybe under or above me! That's 3 levels of 5 trains... 15 at one time! Amazing! But it also made me think that the island of Manhattan is already hollowed out that much underground! That could be scary, but I am sure the engineers have thought that through and they haven't sacrificed safety for convenience.
Still, I couldn't shake off the horror of being trapped inside the subway on an immeasurably strong earthquake that would topple tall buildings and crush the earth deeper to the core. Oops! Enough.... think happy thoughts... We're going to the Statue of Liberty!
8:10 AM - Ferry from Manhattan to Liberty Island
It felt like going on a field trip. Remember those days in grade school? I was giddy. I already see the Statue of Liberty from afar. She's about the size of a needle. Hehe! I got all zapped back to reality when everyone in line had to go to
security check first. Dead serious security check. It was like being in an airport where we all had to take off our jackets and shoes, go through X-ray machines, etcetera. They almost forgot to give me back my boots! I almost thought I'd be going along in this trip barefoot!
Finally, we walked up the Circle Line ferryboat. We were told it will be a 15-50 minute ride so we decided to grab breakfast from the tiny store in the boat. I had coffee and a tough, salty pretzel. I have started to feel more comfortable with my warm drink, aside from the fact that I like being on a boat. We walked out to soak up the beautiful view of the Manhattan Skyline that grew shorter yet still longer.
As we approached
Liberty Island, the Statue of Liberty grew larger and larger, and I notice her in greater detail than ever. Why is she green? Is she made of cement or metal? How could this huge structure withstand the strong winds? Also why is it a she?
8:30 AM - At Liberty Island
As soon as we stepped into the island, I looked
View of Liberty Island from Manhattan Island
The Statue of Liberty is but as small as a needle from herefor a rather uncommon angle for a photo with the Statue of Liberty. I asked Sheila take it and you should see it here where I was standing behind Lady Liberty facing the bright rays of the sun. Everyone was leisurely taking their time walking around, seeing the Manhattan skyline from another island. This was my chance to capture it in camera.
The area around the
Statue had photos and paragraphs that narrate brief facts about the island and about the construction of the statue. I learned that the 7 rays on Lady Liberty's crown represent the seven seas and the seven continents of the world! Cool! Also, the designer of the
Statue and the Eiffel Tower in Paris is one and the same. It was a gift of the people of France to the US to celebrate its 100th American Independence.
We decided to enter the museum so we had to fall in line again. Unfortunately, we had to wait in line for about 30 minutes to go through yet another security check! This time, aside from taking off bags, jackets, and shoes, each visitor has to stand under a special arch that ejects short bursts of
air. What for? I am not so sure, but someone told me it's a way to detect suspicious explosives in the body.
As we went inside the visitor's area, there was a huge torch and flame structure that looked like the one outside. I tried to educate myself with what the display was about and I learned that what I was seeing is the original torch and flame. Further along the guided tour inside the museum were replicas of the statue's face and foot. I got my question answered as to why Lady Liberty is green. It's because the statue is made of copper and copper reacts with air, thus turning it green.
My cousin recalls climbing up to the crown of the statue on a field trip when she was a kid. The guide said such access to the statue has been closed due to safety issues. Apparently, the statue has a long list of fire regulation contraventions, including inadequate evacuation procedures. Well, that's probably aside from terrorist attacks that have been happening lately.
Up-close and Personal
I have never realized how much of a deal the Statue of Liberty was for
the very first immigrants in the US. There were old, handwritten letters displayed behind glass walls that express life-changing relief and hope for these people who left their European roots. One said, "After very long months on the ship, with little food and clothing, I remember seeing her torch and my heart was filled with joy.". Another wrote about donating her only 1 dollar for the restoration of the Statue of Liberty. These were heartfelt letters that made the statue more than just a statue. It was a symbol of freedom and a promise for a better life in the US.
We were allowed to climb up the statue for only upto 10 storeys. People were no longer allowed to climb up higher than that so a glass-ceiling was provided to allow visitors to view the inside of the structure. It was a complicated network of pulled ironwork but it sure would have been overwhelming to climb those steps upto the crown.
Just before we go back down and take the ferryboat to Ellis Island, I took my phone and texted my mom and sister who are currently in the Philippines. I said,
"Hey! I am at the Statue of Liberty! And Merry Christmas!!!"
This was a dream come true.
The Drama at the Ellis Island
I had the faintest idea on what to expect at the Ellis Island. We were welcomed by tour guides at the lobby and they started to tell us about the old and rustic display of luggage that is very much noticeable to anyone who enters the museum. The luggage were of the very first immigrants who took with them whatever little clothing, linen and furniture they had. But I was most struck with the flight of stairs that the immigrants took. I was bothered by the purpose of those stairs. The guide said, it was used to test the health of the applying immigrants. Doctors stood around the stairs to check their skin and scalp for any disease, to observe if someone was limping on the way up, or to find any cardiovascular problems with the applicants.
The stairs was headed to the
Registry Room, which, for two decades, was filled with new arrivals waiting to be further inspected. There were two American flags across each other in the middle of the room. The guide further
pointed out that there were only 48 stars on those flags. During those times, Alaska and Hawaii were not yet named as part of the US.
Our guide exuded a very dramatic narration of the hardships the immigrants went through at the Ellis Island. The best part was when she told us about the pews where applicants sat on to wait for results. When a person's name is called, he would be asked to walk to one of the three doors downstairs. The first one is for those who were accepted. One for those in quarantine -- either they need to stay on the island until they are cured (they had hospitals in the island too) or they need to be escorted by a man before they are allowed entry to the US. The last door was for those who did not pass the immigration officers' scrutiny and will be sent back to their homeland.
I could just imagine the drama of separation amongst families at those times. Yet there must have been so much joy for those reunited families at, what they call, the
Kissing Post. It's at the far end of the first door where passing
applicants are welcomed by relatives and friends who have preceded them to America.
On Census
There were computer kiosks setup to allow visitors like me to dig up information that might be useful for me. There were even kiosks that claim would help you find out if you had any ancestors who took such scrutiny at the island. There were graphs and images that depict the number of immigrants and their diversity. I was interested with the Filipino population currently in the US. I found out that there are 120,000 Filipinos in Hawaii, 900,000 in California, and 700,000 in Illinois. Wow! I was expecting to see New York in the Top 3. I was actually surprised to see Illinois instead.
Ferrying Back to Manhattan
I ferried back to Manhattan with a better understanding of New York's cultural diversity... more about how it all began. It's amazing how life-changing the Statue of Liberty and the Ellis Island were to those who first decided to migrate to the US. They left their homeland for a promise of a better life and endured long months at sea on slave ships. I am thankful for this
The view inside
I took this picture from directly under (and inside) the Statue of Liberty opportunity to visit these important landmarks in American history.
Still Hunting for the Bull
Back at the
Battery Park, which is still busy in broad daylight, I noticed moving Statues of Liberty trying to impress tourists, hoping to get a few quarters from their impressed audience. There were stalls selling interesting photos of New York as souvenirs.
Though Sheila was feeling sick since yesterday, she went out with me for this day trip. I am very grateful for this. More so, she was willing to take me to the
Charging Bull and finally have a picture with it. But we were up for a pleasant surprise, we found the Trinity Church by accident! I recall the same thing happened last night when we were with my uncle.
As we walked along Broadway, still looking for the Bull, I saw names of familiar bigwigs on the street. I saw the names of Douglas McArthur, and former president of the Philippines, Elpidio Quirino!
In the middle of the street was the Charging Bull. People were all around it and I had muscle my way into the crowd so Sheila could take a decent picture of
me and the Bull. Yay! I'm so happy! Another wish granted! Yeeey!
Food Trippin' in New York
Sheila and I both love adventure. Aside from that, we also both love food! So what would you expect us to do together after a long day of travelling? Ofcourse, find something good to eat!
We took the train to
West Village/Chelsea. We walked into an Italian restaurant called Lupa, which is owned by FoodNetwork chef, Mario Batali. Unfortunately, we need a reservation to get in. We decided to around to check what else we could find. I saw mom-and-pop stores in the area selling ethnic groceries and Christmas trees! We then found an Irish pub and restaurant called
Fiddlesticks along
Greenwich Avenue. We went inside. The interiors looked scary at first. I saw a church pew and altar inappropriately located inside a restaurant! I shifted my attention to the menu and found items I haven't tasted before. I ordered a "Mashers and Bangers", which was simply sausage and mashed potatoes in gravy. Interesting!
Another food stop was the
Magnolia Bakery, which I requested for. I read about it through blogs and articles written about a cupcake
Liberty Island
Facing the Manhattan Island house in Manila that has gotten wildly popular. They sell expensive cupcakes and these sell not only for variety and hippiness but also because the owner used to work for the famous Magnolia Bakery in New York. Out of curiosity, I wanted to taste for myself the difference between that cupcake house in Manila versus the Magnolia Bakery. They actually tasted the same. They taste good! But the store in Manila was more decent and fabulously decorated. This bakery, though, has a very long queue of sweet-tootheds. We endured the long line for curiosity's sake.
We stopped over for coffee at
Heckle and Jeckle which had a band playing jazz.
Tomorrow is Christmas Day
After a wonderful day of adventure and food, we traveled back to
Midtown Manhattan to pick up our things and go home to
Manhasset. It was almost 9pm. We literally ran inside
PENN Station to catch the train eastbound to
Manhasset. I was up for another pleasant surprise because this train, the
Long Island Rail Road MTA, was so clean and comfortable that I felt like riding an airplane!
In 40 minutes, we were back in
Manhasset. My day ended
wonderfully because we went to mass for Christmas Eve. This is yet, another merry Christmas Eve.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.257s; Tpl: 0.021s; cc: 20; qc: 69; dbt: 0.0659s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.3mb
Eddie
non-member comment
Another great story
Wow Marie, I enjoyed reading another of your travel stories. I can relate to this one because I took the same trip two years ago in the big apple, however, I did it in July and the weather was much warmer. I just returned from a SCUBA diving trip in Bonaire (a group of Islands off the coast of South America owned by the Dutch). One day I would like to start a travel blog like yours...but I'm afraid it would not be as good...so keep up the great stories and I might add you are looking as beautiful as ever. Take care.