Tag: New York
Liberty Park 2018
Our journey to the Statue of Liberty both begins and ends at Liberty Park where an old train station is used for tickets to the boats that take you to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. We had a long walk to get here as the place was very busy and we figure we parked about a mile away. We caught the 3:30 ferry from here (after going through security) and returned around 6pm. On exiting we visited the 911 memorial which has two parallel walls with the names of all those souls lost that horrible day. When looking directly at the memorial it creates an illusion of hose the NY skyline must have looked from that location before 911. At the front are twisted metal from the fallen towers on display which really brings the reality of the tragedy home.
Liberty Island 2018
What a thrill it always is to see the Statue of Liberty on a beautiful day in August. While it was a bit hot, it made the cool breeze coming across the Hudson river that much better as we walked around the giant colossus and trying to get the perfect selfie with a structure so big (many of those selfies are in the gallery of this post). After our walk around the statue we took a break in a nice shady area of the park and James bought us all water which made for a perfect family moment. After relaxing in the park drinking our water we made our way to the souvenir stand where James got a hat, Mom got a T shirt, and Dad got a sweatshirt all featuring the statue of liberty!
New York Skyline 2018
No matter if we were at Liberty Park, on the boat, Ellis Island, or Liberty Island, the one constant picture was the fabulous New York Skyline. When last we saw it construction was still being done on One World Trade Center so this is technically the first time we saw it completed (it opened in 2014). The building has 104 Stories and is 1776 feet high (a symbolic height for sure). Also far to the left of the One World Trade Center is the Empire State Building which is actually taller than the One World Trade Center building minus the spiral on top. Regardless of who is taller, its a beautiful skyline and we literally could not get enough pictures of it.
Statue of Liberty – Liberty Island 2012
It had been quite the whirlwind tour but finally James got to see what we promised him, the Statue of Liberty. We had communicated with James teacher before we went to make sure James would not miss anything important in school and it was his teacher who suggested we take him to the Statue of Liberty (originally we were thinking the top of the Empire State Building).
From the first time he saw the statue James exclaimed “its big”. Upon leaving the ferry we walked around Liberty Island, had our pictures taken as a family in front of the statue, then stopped in the gift shop and bought some souvenirs and reviewed our pictures. Liberty Island is really a small island and you could walk around the whole thing in about 20 minutes or so. After shopping for a bit we walked around the island again continually snapping pictures of the Statue which would have to go down as one of the most impressive sights I have ever seen.
Not only was this the first trip to Liberty Island for James, it was also the first time for Mom and Dad. It would be a tough choice to pick who was impressed the most.
THE NEW COLOSSUS
Emma Lazarus (1849–1887)
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Ellis Island 2012
The first stop on the Liberty Ferry was to Ellis Island which is located right next to Liberty Island in the New York Harbor. Ellis Island was the place most immigrants were processed into the United Stated including James ancestors from Europe. Ellis Island closed in the mid 50’s and was added to the Statue of Liberty National Park in the mid 60’s. It is now a museum.
A little history about Ellis Island. The first Ellis Island Immigration Station was made in 1892 and made of wood. It burned down in 1897. Three years later the second Ellis Island Immigration Station (the one most of us are familiar with) opened on Dec 17, 1900. After 1924, Ellis Island became primarily a detention and deportation processing station.
Liberty Park 2012
To visit Ellis Island and Liberty Island (aka Statue of Liberty) we had to take a ferry from Liberty Park which is located in New Jersey.
At this location is a monument to the World Trade Center and (as you can see in the picture to the left) if you take a picture of it head on it recreates the New York Skyline with the Twin Towers. In front of this are a couple beams from the wreckage of the towers. I had heard about this display already because an atheist group says it is in the shape of a cross and should be removed since it is a religious symbol. Believe me, when I saw this the last thing I associated it with was a crucifix or any religion.
James did his own honor to the fallen by striking up a “Liberty” pose with souvenirs he had purchased from Liberty Island.
Once we got home, James went a grabbed an encyclopedia from his room and put batteries in his “torch” flashlight and asked us to take one last picture of him in his Statue of Liberty pose before he went to sleep.
Visit to Sleepy Hollow New York
We stayed right next to this small historical town in its sister city of Tarrytown NY. Let us give you a little history on this city from Wikipedia and you will know why we made a visit.
Originally incorporated as North Tarrytown in the late 19th century, in 1996 the village officially adopted the traditional name for the area. The village is known to many via “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, a short story about the local area and its infamous specter, the Headless Horseman, written by Washington Irving, who lived in Tarrytown and is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Owing to this story, as well as the village’s roots in early American history and folklore, Sleepy Hollow is considered by some to be one of the “most haunted places in the world”.
A Drive Through New York City 2012
We came into New York via the Tappan Zee bridge and stayed in Tarrytown. Dad got to attend a banquet where he was honored for 25 years of service to his Company. The banquet was held in a beautiful banquet hall at the Knollwood Country Club in Elmsford.
The next stop was not a stop but a trip through New York City for James. From a time perspective it would have been much better to go back through New Jersey to get to the Statue of Liberty but James’ favorite city on earth is New York so we made sure he got to see it. Most of the pictures of the New York Skyline were taken from the New Jersey side at Liberty Park and the Statue of Liberty Ferry.
Truly this must be the greatest city on earth, just beautiful!
Time Square New York 1998
Because my work is in New York I get to travel there alot. A truly beautiful city like no other in the world. While in Mt Vernon (where our plant is located) I would take the train to Grand Central and spend a few hours walking around the streets of New York. I especially enjoyed Times Square and I decided that one day I would spend a weekend at Times Square and finally did over a gorgeous weekend in late August.
The highlight of this trip was seeing “The Phantom of the Opera” which I had seen in Toronto twice. The weather was perfect and it was simply a great weekend visit to probably the best city on earth.
