The Statue of Liberty

For some reason Asher has always been interested in the Statue of Liberty. He's seen it in Red Robin Restaurants, he's seen one made out of chocolate, out of Twizzlers, out of M&Ms, he's pointed it out on movies and print, and was super excited to see MGM's big statue on the Las Vegas Strip, but now he's seen the REAL one!

We didn't tell the kids what we were doing, just that we had a very special surprise. We somehow managed to purchase tickets, and wait among a crowd of people to load onto a ferry boat. The statue was visible from the dock, though a bit distant, so we kept the kids facing the opposite direction. As soon as the boat left the dock, I began recording and then told them to turn around to see where we were headed. Asher's reaction was priceless! 

Our first stop was Ellis Island where we walked the same halls my distant relatives first walked upon their arrival to the United States. Ellis Island was the busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 to 1954. It's estimated that nearly 40% of Americans can trace their ancestry back to those immigrants coming thru Ellis Island!

Immigrants had to answer 29 questions which were recorded by an immigration agent on the form below. It's such a tiny space it's difficult to read clearly. They had to have enough money to support themselves and pass a physical. If they were found to have a chronic contagious disease, mental illness or a criminal history, they would be sent back to their home country. This amounted to about 2% of the people coming thru.

This place also holds a very interesting collection of items that immigrants brought with them to America. They normally had very little room to bring personal items with them, so these would either be special sentimental items or something they hoped to make money with in America.

A camera- looks a bit different then ours!

The kids earned their Jr Ranger badges here. While waiting for the ferry, they found this giant leaf!

Finally it was time to take the ferry to Liberty Island!

A small model of Liberty Island that can be used by visually impaired to understand how Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty are designed.

The original torch, replaced in 1984, now sits inside the lobby for guests to see upon arrival.

If you plan ahead, it's possible to get tickets to go up to the crown, but they sell out months in advance. If you're impulsive like us, you may be lucky enough to get same-day tickets to the pedestal. Be ready to climb! The pedestal is 10 stories high, so be ready to climb all 192 steps to arrive at the viewing area (the stone part that sticks out just under her feet). It's 354 steps to the crown, so be sure you're up for that before booking!

A nice view from the pedestal.

Ferry boats bringing more people to Liberty Island.

The statue reaches 305 ft into the air. I always assumed she was painted green, she's not. She is made of copper. Add 30 years of rainy weather and she turned this blue-green color from patination.

See you later Lady Liberty!

Back at the ferry dock in New Jersey, we noticed this 9/11 memorial. 

The towers are built to line up to their original place among the Manhattan skyline.