Its not just any boat ride – it’s the Staten Island Ferry

Staten Island Ferry; image from flickr by Furious-George

Ellis Island; image from flickr by melanzane1013

There are so many sights to see in the city its hard to know where to start. But the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island is a pretty good choice.               

What we did:              

She said:              

Okay–If you’ve never been to New York, besides the Empire State Building, you have to go on the Staten Island Ferry and visit Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.  They really are impressive, and such a part of our history.  Bill really wanted to do this, and it has to be the biggest bargain in New York City.  $12.00!!!!!!/person.  For $12.00 you get to ride on a boat, see the southern most part of the Manhattan,  Battery Park, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  $12.00!!!!  We opted not to get off the boat to walk around the Statue of Liberty( you couldn’t, at this time, go to the top), but decided that we would spend more time on Ellis Island.  Bill wanted to trace his ancestry from Finland.  Unfortunately, our grandparents came over long before the records started (late 1800′s) for tracing.  You can check this out on the computer, and save the $5.00 and, more importantly, the time.             

He said:             

This was a bit more like it as far as I was concerned. Yes, it was is touristy, but, after all, that’s what I am! We walked through the Financial District and Wall Street on our way to Battery Park where we caught the ferry *(but, sorry Marla, not the Staten Island Ferry) to the Statue and Ellis Island. Of course I had to pet The Bull and ogle the American flag that drapes the stock exchange. However, given the events of the last year and a half, I admit feeling a bit of anger since so many people that work here do so seemingly only to enrich themselves at Main Street’s expense!              

It was a bit of a bummer not being able to trace my grandparents heritage, but it was exciting to imagine their arrival as we wandered through the buildings of Ellis Island. Perhaps next time we visit we’ll tour the Statue as it is now open to tourists.  

*Marla:  Sorry for the confusion.  I always thought of the Staten Island Ferry in association with the statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It is just the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Ferry operated by the National Park System operated out of Battery Park.

Category: East, New York, New York, United States, what we didTags: Battery Park, Ellis Island, Financial District, Statue of Liberty, Wall Street |