Evenewra : Ellis Island and More!

Warning: Long Entry

So as I said yesterday morning, we hit Ellis Island. I've been wanting to do this for a very long time. Some advice though... if you ever come as a tourist, do it EARLY. It takes a long time to get to Battery Park, then wait in line for tickets, then get on then get on the ferry, stop at the Statue of Liberty, check that out, get back on the ferry to get to Ellis Island for 3 floors of exhibits and then bo back again. We got there in early afternoon and already I was worried we wouldn't have enough time. In fact, once in line to get tickets for the ferry we bought some off someone whose companions had not shown up for the trip and probably saved ourselves at least a half an hour. To save time we also skipped The Statue Of Liberty. If we didn't live her now, I probably would have really regretted that move. But we DO live here and sometime are sure to visit again with visiting friends or family.

Are you a candidate?

Ellis Island is a pretty amazing place with an amazing history. I just love being in historically signifiicant places to imagine the people who have come through. Of course, many people in both of our families actually did come through this place when coming to America.

Being there really made me realize what it was like to arrive as an immigrant. Having so recently come to a new place myself I could sort of identify with the idea of leaving special things behind and taking a long journey. But so many of the people who came to this island journeyed so much longer, spent everything they had to do it, didn't speak English, were on a boat and had no idea what was ahead. It's jarring to imagine being on a ship for so many days, finally seeing the NY skyline and then having to stop at this island to be processed. Lots of people never made it past that point either because they were sent back home or even died on the island before they could actually get into the city. And so many other people didn't stop at New York but had to take trains across the country for days and days longer.

It's weird to me too to know that this place, Ellis Island, is such a symbol of immigration and diversity, and yet in Englewood I feel so little of it. Yes, this area is more racially diverse than Oregon, but as I've said in previous entries, most people here have always been here.

I saw a nice view of NY from inside the room in which people waited for hours, sometimes days, on end.

There was also a nice exhibit called "Silent Voices" which showed photos of Ellis Island after it was abandoned and before it was renovated into a museum. Haunting in the same way that remnants from the Titanic are haunting.

On the ferry ride back to NY we were followed by two different seagulls who seemed to benefit from whatever wind changes the ferry caused.

We arrived back at Battery Park around 4 PM. A whole lot of men were there with bundles. I thought, "Oh, they were selling stuff and now are packing up." I had it backwards. Within 2 minutes these dozen or more men went from carrying bundles to suddenly having their wares out and trying to sell watches and handbags. I've never seen such a quick transformation in such an unexpected place.

There was a statue in Battery Park of immigrants. I couldn't tell what to make of it. The guy in front on the statue is practically crawling on the ground, begging, and is wearing a kippah. Was it anti-semitic?

So we were meeting an old friend of ours for dinner at 6 near the Empire State Building and tried to shoot for that as well. (It was an expensive day.)

They've got a cute little scam going there. While you're in one of the 4 or 5 lines you have to stand in before you actually get to the top, they want to sell you these audio tours. They claim that once you get up there you'll be really bored unless you know what everything is and that there is NO WAY for you to figure it out without the audio tour. You won't know Central Park. You won't know Yankee Stadium etc. Oh, and it costs $6 more.

Well, you can see plenty, thank you very much, even on an overcast day. And there are actually plaques that help you figure out. And come on... how can anyone miss Central Park?

We saw The Statue Of Liberty and Ellis Island again, now from this height.