The day we visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island was my favorite day in New York hands down. We decided it was because of 3 things.
1. The weather was perfect! 
2. We learned something (a lot actually)
3. We got to be out in the open and on the water.
That last one always makes me happy. I've said it before give me sun and sea and I'll be happy. Near Battery park there is this memorial with the huge concrete slabs with names of people who have lost their lives in the sea. Really a wonderful start off point for our history tour. I think my sister thought I was a little crazy because I researched everything before our trip. I wanted to know the ins and outs the where's and why's of all the things we were going to see. To me it helped the experience be more special. I kept stating random facts and stories about what ever we were seeing. I know I should probably get the Geek of the Week for that but I run this blog so too bad.
Once we got to the island they give you an ipod like device that is the audio tour. I loved having it and replaying the sections that I didn't get the first time. I learned so much I would do it over and over again until I had the recording memorized.
Something I didn't know before hand was the poem ". . . 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!" was actually written to raise funds for the pedestal. They almost went bankrupt building the pedestal and almost bagged the whole idea. So the poem was written even before the statue was assembled. Also if you look at the back of Lady Liberty you see her foot lifted as if she is walking forward. This was quite the controversy because here was this wonderful symbol of freedom and it was a woman, where women couldn't even vote. There was so much more that I learned but I wont post it here it would take too long. I'll just leave it at one more fact. . . Lady Liberty was modeled after the artists mother. This was a question I had for a long time and now I have it answered. Visiting the statue was a wonderful experience, I highly recommend it to anyone that has the chance to go.Once done with liberty Island we hopped back on the ferry to travel to Ellis Island. The great thing was that you could spend as much time as you wanted at either island. There was no rush to meet your ferry you could just wait for the next one. It made it so much more enjoyable to be able to take our time.
Ellis Island holds a special place in our hearts. It is where our first ancestor Elizabeth Farkas came over from Hungary. If it weren't for her and her courage to come to this new land we would not be here.
As soon as the immigrants got off the boat they were shuffled into a great room. Little did they know this was the start of their medical evaluation. They didn't want anyone with infectious diseases to come to America. The people would have to carry all their belongings up the stairs and the authorities would watch to see who was having trouble. IF someone had a limp they were chalk marked if someone was breathing hard or had "wild eyes" they were marked. One man had cut himself shaving that morning and was marked. The people didn't know what the chalk mark meant but they knew it was bad. If they were marked they would be pulled aside for a more thorough examination. If they failed that they were sent back on the boat to go back home.
Most of the translators were very soft hearted and when translating they would give answers in the immigrants behalf to make sure they stayed even if it wasn't true. I learned so much at Ellis Island I probably could have stayed there longer if I wasn't hungry and my feet tired from walking. As it was we did take the second to last ferry. I absolutely recommend visiting if you ever get the chance.
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| the great room |
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| Ellis Island |
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