Last week Liz and I took a little NYC trip, one of those touristy days that you think you’ll always have time for but never quite seem to get to — Ellis Island. We had both always wanted to go and never did.
It’s a long day there and back, but [i]man[/i] is it worth it.
I’m not much of a museum guy, but Ellis Island is more than a museum. It’s the actual location where 12 million immigrants came into the country almost 100 years ago, and shaped the direction of the country forever. ILast week Liz and I took a little NYC trip, one of those touristy days that you think you’ll always have time for but never quite seem to get to — Ellis Island. We had both always wanted to go and never did.
It’s a long day there and back, but [i]man[/i] is it worth it.
I’m not much of a museum guy, but Ellis Island is more than a museum. It’s the actual location where 12 million immigrants came into the country almost 100 years ago, and shaped the direction of the country forever. I’d seen shots of the main room in movie many, many times, but it’s pretty cool to actually stand there, and to just try and imagine what it must have been like for these people, who had traveled under mostly really difficult, unpleasant conditions just to get to America.
The entire is really quite fascinating, as they do a really good job of having enough poster boards up giving details of what each phase was like for the immigrants, yet without completely overwhelming you with information. You can see where the immigrants slept, where they were quarantined for medical checks, and where, on occasion, they had to be sent back from whence they came.
Plus, the ferry ride is pretty cool, as you leave from lower Manhattan, with the first ferry stop at the Statue of Liberty (which we didn’t do), and the Ellis Island, so if you get a nice day–which we did–the views are spectacular.
But be prepared for a long day. Because the ferry terminal is way Downtown, it can take quite a while to get there. If you’re coming from Manhattan, it’ll be shorter, but if you’re coming from the outer borroughs, or the suburbs, plan for 1.5 to 2 hours each way, then at least another hour waiting on line just to get on the ferry, another half hour on the ferry, and then an hour or two on Ellis Island. And then your trip back. Liz and I left our apartment at 10 am and got back at 4 pm, so that’s 6-hour day. Granted, we had a subway snafu (my bad), so we lost about 30 minutes), but still, be prepared for a long day.
Overall, though, it’s really worth the effort. I highly recommend it.
