It's been two and a half years since we moved to PA, and a major item on our list was going to see the Statue of Liberty. It was one of those 'we really want to and we will get around to it items.' What finally pushed us into going was finding out that the inside was going to be shut down for a year for maintenance. Since our track record shows that we move every 2-3 years we didn't want to take a chance on moving before it opens again. So I bought tickets and the soonest we could get them was 3 months later. This put us going to see the inside of the Statue 2 weeks before it shut down.
We had fantastic weather that day and both kids were very cooperative for the 2.5 hour drive up and back. We started off in a great old train station that 2/3's of the immigrants went to as soon as they were off the boats. They were ushered into the back rooms so they wouldn't disturb the fancy Americans and they traveled in cattle cars. We jumped on the ferry and it took us to Ellis island. All I knew about Ellis Island was that the immigrants went through there and there is that one scene in Hitch when Eva Mendes looks at the signature from her ancestor and she bursts into tears.
I now have so much respect for all those people. The museum there had fantastic displays of individual families and their stories. They also showed the whole process of what happened when someone got to Ellis Island. With thousands showing up at the same time as you, the lines would put Disney Land to shame. The employees had the process down to a science. Dr's could give an exam in 6 seconds and put chalk marks on the sleeves of those that needed a more thorough exam.
what really struck me was the feeling. There is this over powering spirit there of reverence and humility. I didn't feel bad for what they had to go through, I felt admiration.
Chris and the kids standing in front of the main room that they crammed all the immigrants into when they first got there.
After Ellis Island we were off to the Statue of Liberty. We went straight to the base so we could go inside and just as we walked up they shut the gate and informed us that they stopped letting people inside at 3:30. It was 3:30 when we walked up. No amount of pleading or begging persuaded the guards into letting us in. Even when I showed them that the tickets didn't say anything about being there before 3:30 they just shrugged their shoulders. I was pretty ticked off, ok I wish that were true, I was furious. I had been looking forward to this for 3 months and this may be my one and only chance and we missed it by 30 seconds because the website and tickets didn't have anything about it closing at 3:30. GRRRRRRR
So we walked around the island a bit then headed back home. Chris spent the whole time telling me what was inside (he went as a teenager) and trying to down play it and tell me all sorts of reasons why it was good we didn't get to go in. what a great guy.
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