October 16, 2007
The short drive to Farmingdale, the nearest Long Island railroad stop, took us past the Old Bethpage Golf and Country Club. The train ride to Pennsylvania Station in mid Manhattan was just an hour. A short subway ride then took us to Battery Park. There we caught the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The security to get on the boat was far tighter than any airport that I have experienced. The weather was glorious and Lady Liberty sparkled in the sun. We had been to the statue once before in 1973 but Ellis Island was closed for renovation that year.
Ellis was very impressive. Most likely, my father passed through here when he was one or two years old. I say most likely because, even though I have spent considerable time on the Ell
is web site doing research, I have not found my father’s, grandfather’s or grandmother’s name on any manifest. I talked with an immigrant research specialist at the island and she assured that given the year, given Norway as the country of origin, and Minnesota as the state of their sponsor, there is probably a 99% chance that they came through Ellis. If any of you have any more clues such as date of arrival, name of ship, etc., please let me know.
We spent the rest of the day exploring lower Manhattan. We walked to Wall Street, the Stock Exchange, Federal Hall where Washington was inaugurated in 1789, and Ground Zero.
The security at the Stock Exchange was impressive. The streets have been blocked off and n
o cars are now allowed on the streets around it. The trees that were there have been removed, and there were at least 14 heavily armed police officers in that block. Federal Hall was just across the street. Ground Zero looks just like any other major construction site but the sense of awe is still there. There were many tourists and they spoke in soft tones and often just stared in silence.
Leaving that area we took a subway to Greenwich Village. We had an early dinner at an Italian Restaurant, at tables on the curb of the street. It was pure entertainment observing the varied and often eccentric people. NYU is close by so the population was young and very vibrant. The food was delicious.
It was now deep into rush hour as we boarded a subway back to Penn station. We packed into the car and I’m not sure there was room for one more person. We took the two floors of escalators to the surface and came out into the night life in front of Madison Square Garden. Fatigue and the effects of a great meal had set in and we descended back into the station. The train back to Farmingdale was full also but we got a seat and the trip went quickly.
My impressions of the day: Tall buildings, crowds, many languages, friendly and helpful people, wealth, cluttered and not so clean railroad stations, clean subway and railroad cars, and a commitment to remember but a strength to move on.
The short drive to Farmingdale, the nearest Long Island railroad stop, took us past the Old Bethpage Golf and Country Club. The train ride to Pennsylvania Station in mid Manhattan was just an hour. A short subway ride then took us to Battery Park. There we caught the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The security to get on the boat was far tighter than any airport that I have experienced. The weather was glorious and Lady Liberty sparkled in the sun. We had been to the statue once before in 1973 but Ellis Island was closed for renovation that year.
Ellis was very impressive. Most likely, my father passed through here when he was one or two years old. I say most likely because, even though I have spent considerable time on the Ell
is web site doing research, I have not found my father’s, grandfather’s or grandmother’s name on any manifest. I talked with an immigrant research specialist at the island and she assured that given the year, given Norway as the country of origin, and Minnesota as the state of their sponsor, there is probably a 99% chance that they came through Ellis. If any of you have any more clues such as date of arrival, name of ship, etc., please let me know.We spent the rest of the day exploring lower Manhattan. We walked to Wall Street, the Stock Exchange, Federal Hall where Washington was inaugurated in 1789, and Ground Zero.
The security at the Stock Exchange was impressive. The streets have been blocked off and n
o cars are now allowed on the streets around it. The trees that were there have been removed, and there were at least 14 heavily armed police officers in that block. Federal Hall was just across the street. Ground Zero looks just like any other major construction site but the sense of awe is still there. There were many tourists and they spoke in soft tones and often just stared in silence.Leaving that area we took a subway to Greenwich Village. We had an early dinner at an Italian Restaurant, at tables on the curb of the street. It was pure entertainment observing the varied and often eccentric people. NYU is close by so the population was young and very vibrant. The food was delicious.
It was now deep into rush hour as we boarded a subway back to Penn station. We packed into the car and I’m not sure there was room for one more person. We took the two floors of escalators to the surface and came out into the night life in front of Madison Square Garden. Fatigue and the effects of a great meal had set in and we descended back into the station. The train back to Farmingdale was full also but we got a seat and the trip went quickly.
My impressions of the day: Tall buildings, crowds, many languages, friendly and helpful people, wealth, cluttered and not so clean railroad stations, clean subway and railroad cars, and a commitment to remember but a strength to move on.
The pictures, Lady Liberty and Lady Starbucks, registry room at Ellis, and the streets near the Stock Exchange.
2 comments:
Wow! The Statue of Liberty. That is one sight I really want to see someday. Just got an email from Erin and Mark in Japan and they too manage to find a Starbucks everywhere they go.
Even ISB has a Starbuck now...and there are many throughout the city...usually located at the front of major shopping centers or department stores...and while that is wonderful for Starbuck and Starbucks lovers, I sometimes wish that Thais had kept to their own rich, strong coffee!
Your NYC experience sounds really wonderful.
Freda
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