Alternately titled: the one with all the pictures. We took so many pictures this day that I’m going to have to split it up into two posts! I knew that seeing the Statue of Liberty would be cool, but I had no idea that I would love it as much as I did. We took a ferry cruise from Battery Park at 9 o’clock on Saturday morning. After standing in line and clearing security, we were statue bound. It a gorgeous day, cold and crisp, not a cloud in the sky. The water was choppy and I prayed the whole way there that I wouldn’t throw up.
When I stepped out onto the deck of the boat and saw her, I was amazed. I told Josh I was a little emotional. Knowing that throngs of immigrants sailed into the harbor, unsure of their future, greeted by such a magnificent creature was hard to wrap my mind around.
The monument itself is closed for construction this season as the parks & recreation departments do some interior renovations. While I was sad not to peer out from her crown, I was still honored and thrilled to be standing at her feet.
The picture below, the one WITHOUT the statue in it, is something of a joke. I took a picture of another couple and in return they took one of us. We couldn’t stop laughing when we saw it. The Statue of Liberty was NOWHERE to be found! I’m convinced he didn’t even look at what he was snapping.
The view of the city, the bridges and Brooklyn from Liberty island were amazing.
This is our ferry ship and the view once we boarded it again for Ellis Island.
I was kind of sad to bid her farewell, but the pictures that Josh snapped from the bow (the water was too choppy, so I stayed inside) are incredible. You can see here how small we are in comparison and the construction equipment nearby.
And if you look right in the middle of the photo below, you can see the only image I have of the Empire State Building from the outside!
Ellis Island was also unbelievably gorgeous. You can read more about the island here, if you’d like some history.
We were able to walk around and view the baggage rooms, dormitories and inquisition areas of the facility. There were original passports, boarding documents and money from countries all over the world. I wished we had done some family research before our trip because for $5, you could run searches for your relatives and print out the records from their admission to Ellis Island.
On our way back to the city, we decided to sit on the top deck of the boat and it was COLD! We still had lots to see this day, so check back tomorrow for lots more images.
