11 April 2010

Lady Liberty and Ellis Island

Today, Ashley and I went to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island! (Hence the title of this blog post. I know, so creative, right?) It was quite a trip getting there, but we ended up having a great time and ended up with a few good pictures too!

So, out tickets for the ferry said 2 p.m. We decided leaving the dorm at 1:30 p.m. wasn't a bad time, because the ferry is only one stop up. Well, we didn't really consider the fact that the trains run slower on the weekend or the ridiculously long walk we'd have to make from Wall St. to catch the stupid ferry. We ended up running probably a mile to catch the ferry because we thought we were late, only to find out that the line of 300+ people wasn't going anywhere without us. "If only I was sweating...oh wait, I AM!" Yes, those are sweet Ashley's words after our award winning sprint to the end of the ferry line. Hey--at least it was a beautiful, sunny day! We got great seats on the ferry ride and our first stop was the Statue of Liberty!


[Isn't she a beaut?}


{The Lady and myself}


{My sightseeing partner and I}

After taking pictures with the Statue of Liberty, we grabbed a couple of quick pictures of the city. They look a little far away, but it was still a great view. The Hudson River is what lies between the city and the statue. Remember the 'Miracle on the Hudson'? Yeah, that one!



{It wouldn't have been a successful day if my squinty eyes hadn't made at least one picture}

Our last stop before we headed over to Ellis Island was at the cherry blossoms. I've been so jealous of all of my friends Facebook pictures with the cherry blossoms in D.C. because I think these trees are just beautiful. I was so excited to see that cherry blossoms were in full bloom at the Statue of Liberty! Can you say PHOTO-OP? Ashley and I took advantage, not only of the pictures, but of the trees! She and I both climbed these trees like little girls and it was so much fun! 


{Cherry blossoms}


{Climbing the cherry blossom trees!}

After our tree-climbing and picture-taking escapade, we jumped on the last ferry over to Ellis Island. We took an audio tour of the area where all of the immigrants arrived, where they were given medical and legal checks, and we got to stand in the area where families were reunited after the extremely hard process. I've never really studied this part of history and it made me sad to think of the family members that did not pass the inspections. They traveled for weeks on a cramped boat, looking to find a new life in a new world, only to be turned away. Many of their family members were allowed to stay while they were forced to return home. How sad is that? But so many more were allowed to stay and help build our country into what is it today. There is so much history on that little island. This trip made me appreciate my family and all of the families that made the sacrifice for me without even knowing it. God bless America! 


{Ashley and I at Ellis Island}



Now, I'm home and really tired. I guess with all of the running and sightseeing, I've worn myself out. Now it's time to play a little catch-up so that I can be ready for the new week. My childhood best friend, Millie, will be here next weekend so I'm going to start working on our itinerary for when she's here. Time is quickly passing and before I know, it will be time to go home a graduate. Three and a half more weeks in the city, eeek!! :)

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