New York, New York

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The next day we travelled to New Brunswick, a little way out of New York as we decided we didn’t want to brave New York traffic (if the roads there are anything like as bad as they are in New Brunswick then it was a wise decision). We were all set for an early start on 6th September, taking the train into New York’s Penn station in Manhattan and working our way from there by metro to Battery Park, where the Circle Line ferry carries tourists to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Unfortunately, the Staten Island ferry runs from a few hundred meters away from the same point - take it from us, if you find yourself on an orange ferry (with “STATEN ISLAND FERRY” written on the side in big black letters) then you are on the wrong one!

OK, so here’s the gen on the Statue of Liberty. You can’t go up inside the main structure anymore for security reasons (it is, after all, probably the most significant symbol of America and the most treasured icon of Americans), and security is very tight into the plinth, which you can access. The statue was actually a gift from a group of French intellectuals who wanted to honor the American ideals of freedom and liberty they saw in the United States, and also partly as a statement of protest against the political repression that they saw in their own country. Liberty was built in Paris from 1881-84 and transported to New York to be reassembled and erected on a special plinth which was paid for by the American people. It was finally dedicated in October 1886.

Visitors can take a lift to the 10th floor pedestal and glance upwards into the structure itself - the think copper skin is supported by a web of steel bars connected to four main pylons. An excellent exhibit inside the pedestal shows exactly how the original structure was planned, assembled and transported to New York; it also contains life size replicas of the face and foot which were made in the 1980s (during extensive repairs) in the same way as the original.

Ellis island is the next stop on the Circle Line tour, and gives a fascinating insight into what immigrants could expect when they landed there from late 1800s to 1920s. Apparently, over 100 million Americans can claim ancestors who came through Ellis Island (including Tom, whose Grand parents came over from Belgium in the early 1900s). The buildings were built especially for the purpose of processing immigrants, who were widely encouraged at this time, but after World War II the station was closed in 1954. Remarkably, the buildings were left pretty much as they were, complete with dormitory beds and other items. It wasn’t until some years later that President Regan decided that the buildings should be saved, and the restoration was undertaken. One of the coolest things about the site is that you can search the archives for details of your relatives, including the ships they sailed in, and have printouts made of the log entries and ship manifestos. Tom particularly enjoyed this part of our trip, seeing what his relatives would have seen when they landed for the first time in this strange new land that promised freedom and a better living.

From Ellis Island we took the ferry back to Battery Park, and the metro again to the Empire State Building. It was quite expensive just to get to the Observatory, but well worth it when you get to the top and see the views. The jury is out as to whether this tops the Eiffel tower - it’s higher, but it would take a lot to beat the history and ambience of the Eiffel tower, not to mention the incredible structure. That’s my opinion anyway!

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Photos

Inside Liberty
sections are formed and moulded in copper and rivetted together around a steel frame

Tom and Faith
on the Circle Line (not Staten Island) ferry, with Manhattan in the background

Comments

[Ros - Faith's Mum]

Not absolutely sure on this, but I believe the Empire State Building, as well as being a present from France, was also built by the guys who built the Eiffel Tower.