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Published: September 24th 2009
Liberty
BeautifulThe second part of our New York odyssey began when we made our way down to Battery Park to pick up our tickets to the Statue of Liberty. Before we left England Chris had heard on the TV that the Lady’s crown would once again be opened to the public and he immediately went on-line and booked us in for the climb to the top. Just as well because there was no chance in hell of us getting tickets on the day.
The first stop was the Statue of Liberty and we eagerly made our way to the Ranger Station to hand in our tickets and go through the rigorous screening process - our tickets gave us preferential treatment here. The screening itself was in fact quite welcoming as we had to walk through a machine which blew cold air around your body - nice as it was a hot day, not so nice if you were wearing a skirt, luckily Chris wasn’t. The elevator to the Observatory was unfortunately closed on the day - typical - but to be quite truthful the climb up the steps was okay. Be warned, however, the climb to the crown is neither
Inside
Copper on Steel frame for the faint hearted or weak lunged. Past the observatory and into the body of the Lady the spiral steps become much steeper and narrower.
The statue was the brainchild of a group of French intellectuals led by Edouard de Laboulaye, as a symbol of protest against political repression, and was created by Bartholdi. It was given to the USA just at the right time, after the end of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery. Although inside is not as striking as the outside, it is still fascinating as it offers a view of the structure itself, a thin copper skin supported by steel bars. It should be good because the internal framework was designed by no lesser a person than Gustave Eiffel, he of The Eiffel Tower fame.
On the climb up to the crown Chris strode on ahead and just 40 steps from the top Lisa felt the need to stop and chat with one of the very nice Rangers, who are positioned at different places along the climb, with the pretence of finding out more about the Statue, but in fact to gain some breath back and stop the ache in her muscles.
In Liberty's Crown
Interesting climb but what a moment. After a little encouragement from him, because he wasn’t fooled for a minute, she made it to the top. To be quite truthful the inside of the crown was smaller than we both anticipated, but nonetheless we were quite overwhelmed by being inside such a well-known and well loved monument. The two Rangers in the crown were absolutely great and regaled our little party of five with tales of immigrants and places we should visit in New York. It was a shame to tear ourselves away, but we had to embark upon the precarious route down. Unfortunately we forgot to mention to the Rangers on the way down that we hadn’t been to the museum, a downside to going up to the crown, but in order to do so we would have to go through the security again and to be quite truthful we really couldn’t be bothered - terrible attitude but we’d lost our VIP passes by that time! But we did manage to get some great shots as we walked around the Statue, whilst dodging the other keen photographers trying to get that same great shot.
The queue to the ferry ride over the Ellis Island was
Ellis Island
First port of call for 12m a bit of a free for all, but Chris is really good at getting near to the front. The immigration station building on the island today was not the original, which burned down in 1897 taking with it many of the immigration records up to that date, the building which stands there today opened in 1900 and is - yes you guessed it - French. Apparently some 12 million immigrants have passed through Ellis Island - quite astounding. The tour takes you through some of the rooms where immigrants would have been registered, medically checked and if lucky enough given the all clear to enter the country. Unfortunately there were a few where this process wasn’t clear cut and they would have had to stayed in cramped dormitories or the hospital wing and for those few unlucky ones they would have been taken back to ships under armed escort to ensure they left the country. The tour explains the inspection process and as you stand in the Registry Room with a few other sightseers it is possible to imagine how the immigrants felt standing there alongside hundreds of other hopeful people, all speaking different languages, waiting for hours to find
View from the Crown
Great view out over the Hudson out if they could enter the land of opportunity. Unfortunately there was so much more to see and do on Ellis Island than we had time for, a good 3 hours should suffice.
We decided to finish off the New York stay with dinner in Chinatown. Some drama on the subway, the train had to be delayed in order to take a sick passenger off. We were thoroughly sympathetic especially when we found it was a drunk chap - Chris was ever helpful suggesting they just dragged him off - all heart! We found this great little place the “New Wonton Garden” on Mott Street. Not much to look at from the outside, or inside for that matter, but there seemed to be a mixture of people in there eating, which we felt was a good sign. You may end up sitting with complete strangers, but that only adds to the atmosphere. Anyway the food was absolutely lovely and filling enough to more than satisfy two starving travelers, and at a total cost of about £13, including drinks, what a bargain.
New York is a city of contrasts; it could be described as smelly, intolerant and chaotic but
Nice Background
That great skyline. Shame those two fools are spoiling the view. at the same time is magnificent, exciting and alive. It is a city that welcomes all nationalities and provides the visitor with an awe inspiring array of buildings not only because of their sheer size but their beauty, NYPL, their history, Empire State and their significance, The Statue of Liberty. A multitude of cultures await you. A shame we didn’t have longer, but two frenetic days of exploring is somehow a fitting way to see a frenetic city.
And to answer the original question, “New York, New York, do we ♥ it?” Well it’s a bit like an Abba song or a naughty joke, you know you shouldn’t but you do.
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Ben Quick
non-member comment
I'm loving the updates guys. Sounds like you're having a fantastic time!