ELLIS ISLAND, LADY LIBERTY, & NYC

Just this past Saturday, it was time for our annual trip to NYC that we always make reservations for months in advance.  The Bieber Bus that we take, along with other friends, is about a 2 1/2 hr. ride to NYC.  The Bus is fairly comfortable, but it does give me a small problem.  Since I stand over 6 ft. tall, I don't get that much leg room.  It starts to get a bit on the cramped side for me, but it's not all that bad.  Charter bus's are not really built for tall people like me.  I just have to endure it for the short time of travel.

The weather did not favor us at all for the trip.  It was cloudy, cool, and a bit windy but we were hoping that the weather would improve by the time we got there.  No such luck.  It got worse!  We were all not very happy with the weather situation, but there was not much we could do about it except make the best of it.  Mother Nature does not always give you what you would like.  So off we went to see attraction's that I've never seen before, but always wanted to.

Getting around in NYC is not really all that hard, if you know what to do and what to take for transportation.  Taking a taxi is expensive, so we took the NYC Subway system that is much cheaper and easy to use once you find out what train to take to where you want to go.  It cost $2.50 for a one way trip down to Battery Park where we boarded the boat to Ellis Island.  Again, since the weather was not good, the pictures that I shot are not the best of quality.  The are about the best one's out of the many that I took, but deleted away cause I just didn't like them.

This is Ellis Island taken from the area where we had to wait to board the shuttle.  About the best I could do with the Image.

Thought that while waiting I'd shoot this Image of the Merchant Marine Monument.  It depicts a sinking ship, while a fellow shipmate lends a helping hand to a sailor in the sea.  You have to look close at the side where you see the other sailor being helped aboard.

Here's Lady Liberty from the shuttle boat.  I'm sure that you all know the History behind her.  Even though the weather is terrible, there are still hundreds of tourists there.  We just added to them!

This is the entrance to Ellis Island Immigration Center.  I was sorta lucky to get this Image, cause there were so many, many tourists there.  Had to wait until the right moment.

Known as "The Great Hall" this is where the millions of immigrants from all over the world started their journey into the USA.  The Park Service has restored the Hall to what it looked like years ago.  There are some things not there today, like the steel rails where everyone had to wait their turn to be processed.  It was like standing in a line at a attraction waiting for hours hoping to start a new Life in the USA.  They all brought everything they had.  All their worldly possessions, which was not much.  The cloths on their backs, and very little money, if any, to start all over again.  You can find out more information about this place at Ellis Island.com

The Great Hall from another perspective.  Up on this level are rooms that have all the History and exhibits that you can walk thru or take a self guided Tour of what is in each room.  From what people looked like, what they brought along with them, and what they had to endure is all here.

Hope that you can read this.

After spending about 2 hrs. at Ellis Island we boarded the shuttle boat back to NYC.  Arriving here this is what the weather turned into.  The camera shows what 7th Ave. & 42nd Street looks like.  Just around the corner was a great Italian place to eat called Carmines.  We always go here to get some outstanding Italian food.  Just after this shot was taken, it started to rain harder.  I went back inside and had another drink!  Having a Jim Beam and Coke is nice, but cost $10.50 a glass.  I only had 2.

It had stopped raining for a bit, so I took this other Image looking back up 42nd Street.  After having a great meal, we walked around a bit, but it started to rain again, so ducked into one of the many coffee shops there and had a nice strong cup of NY coffee.  Had to wait until the Bus was ready to take us home which was about an hour wait.

The trip back home was the same as going up here, but this time it was raining so hard, that you could barley see out the side windows.  How the driver could stand driving in that kind of heavy weather I don't know.  It poured rain all the way home.  Would you believe that upon our arrival home, it stopped raining?  Geez!  How lucky can we get!  By now, my legs hurt, my feet hurt, and we are dog tired.  We are glad to get home to a nice easy chair and relax from our long day.

NYC never stops!  It does not matter if the weather is bad.  GO, GO, GO!  Cars, people, taxi's, trucks, police, and everyone going somewhere in a hurry never cease's to amaze me.  I know what they mean when it's said "The City that Never Sleeps!"  We will go again, as always!  Next time see something else.

Until the next time  .  .  .  .  Thanks for reading & commenting

Les