NYC Day one

Today was my first day in NYC proper. I took a bus from my hotel in NJ and got onto the Gray Line bus express to go to the Statue of Liberty. Here I am waiting at Times Square. See the New Years Eve Ball in the background?

First stop, Battery Park. This monument is a piece of the Wrold Trade Center. Amazing how damaged it was.

Nest was to board the ferry to Liberty Island. I got there and found out that my tour included the ferry but not the inside of the statue. Oh no!! all this way and I can't go into the museum? Well, I went to the National Parks building and spoke with "Larry" (a park ranger.) We spoke and he gave me a pass to go up in the base of the statue. (no one could go up to the crown today as the ellevator was broken.) It was COLD and rainy but she was beautiful! So interesting to see her in all her glory. Again, more photos are on my Flickr. (see previous post). There was a mock up of a quilt that was made to commemorate her too. It is just paper now as the original is old and put away for conservation. Quilts seem to be everywhere in history, huh?

In the museum was this. Know what it is? A torch you say? Well duh! But it is the original torch. The one she is holding now was from the renovation. It is HUGE!


Next stop was Ellis Island. Immigrants came through here for many years including (I think) some of my own realaives. This is how the island looks as you approach it. This is a view of the Statue from Ellis Island.

Inside the processing building is the Registry Room. It was enormous. All immigrants processed through here. Truly incredible. I wish I had had more time to tour through it. I had to be at the bus station at a certain time to catch my bus back to my hotel so I had to leave only spending about 2 hours there. I could have spent so much more time there!

This is the front of the building. It was a beautiful building. Looking at all the exhibits makes you realize how frustrated our ancestors must have been and how difficult coming here was. Obviously they came for better lives. You can appreciate how much freedom meant to them after viewing this whole exhibit. Makes me even more concerned over the path our country is not taking.

Then back to the bus and around the loop of the city. There are lots of pics but here are the highlights. The tree went up at Rockefeller Center today.

Here is a view of Central Park.

Remember the pic of DH in the chairs outside of Cheeseburger In Paradise? Well they contacted me and want to know if they can use that photo on their Facebook fan page! Wild huh? DH will be a star!

The adventure continues tomorrow!!