This morning we woke up early because we booked the tickets online for some time to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island . We booked with the agency Statue Cruises and priced at $ 15 each, we have secured the connection by ferry, visiting the Museum of the Statue, climb not only to the pedestal, but also to the crown and visit to the island-museum at Ellis Island.
The climb to the crown provides an additional $ 3 and must be booked well in advance (we did six months earlier).
The departure of the ferry is Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan.
we get on the subway and easily, as determined by the reservation, at 8.30 we present ourselves in the imprest Castle Clinton to change our travel tickets.
There is hardly a queue at this time and, after passing the strict controls of passports, backpacks and metal detector we embark on the second ferry.
Unfortunately the weather is not as good as we hoped, it's gray and cloudy, but at least it does not rain as the day before!
The crossing is short. In fifteen minutes we are in the presence of Miss Liberty , a symbol not only of New York, but of America.
see her up close is really exciting. The building is impressive, proud, beautiful.
Too bad for bad weather ... The photos do not do it justice.
In short landings and losses a bit of time to make a walk around to admire it from all sides.
In fact we were told to take advantage of arriving early morning on the statue to go up immediately to avoid the long lines that form normally, but we forget it.
is to be noted that the island there is no indication on what to do to enter the statue and everything is based on their intuition as a tourist. To this end
to do a bit of confusion and forgetting to go get the bracelets for the climb to the crown, the first rent deposit lockers for backpacks ($ 1 for two hours) and we put in the queue (fortunately non-existent) for access. From here we refer back to ' Information Center where rangers provide us with colored bracelets, one pass for climbing.
with those on his left wrist as a priority and we all jump the queue, passing briefly through security and finally ritrovadoci inside the base of the statue where we are recognized and accepted by another guard who gives us our time to climb crown.
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| The Statue of Liberty |
missing twenty minutes and take the opportunity to visit the museum with documents and photographs on the statue and its implementation. Then
fixed point we find ourselves in indicatoci and we join the other visitors (plus or minus fifteen people). We listen to information that gives us the ranger and then off .... begin our climb!
The path you follow to visit the crown is different and detached from one used by visitors who stop at the stand. Before you climb 335 steps to the foot of the statue and then 168 more steps of a spiral staircase that winds steeply into the belly of the statue.
At the end we thought it was more difficult and requires more time, but shortly you arrive at the crown to admire the panorama windows that offer restricted.
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| The Spiral Staircase |
Admittedly, with the gray do not see much, but it is surprising to see the statue from inside its cavity, as it is held together by bars that 'and go through the set of scales that have allowed us to climb. It 'awesome! Unfortunately
the crown space is minimal and therefore we can not stand that much why you should leave the space to other members of the group.
down we stopped to admire the view from the pedestal, that they have access to the normal visitors.
Given the small price difference ticket would definitely recommend the climb to the crown that adds something extra to visit this beautiful monument.
But keep in mind that you should book well in advance because we passed the tickets from the month of November!
resumed our packs before the end of two hours we still turn around the statue.
Now tourists are very numerous and there is a tremendous tail just to take the ferry that will take us to Ellis Island, our next destination.
Ellis Island is a small island situated at the mouth of the Hudson River, not far from Manhattan and near of Liberty Island . This island is famous because since 1892 and until 1954 was the first federal center to accommodate the immigrants who landed in America. It is important that in those years there was a daily influx of 12,000 people, mostly from Ireland, England, Germany and Italy. Here
just landed immigrants were checked to verify that the requirements were, even from the medical point of view, to remain in the United States.
Now the center closed for some time now, has been transformed into a museum, the Immigration Museum, where you can get a very clear idea of \u200b\u200bwhat was the experience of a newly arrived immigrant the new continent.
Landing at Ellis Island, after all, puts a bit of sadness. You can still experience what were the anxieties and fears of those people who saw in America a starting point and often came here without money, without knowing the language, but only loads of hope.
often here, then, were carried out little dramas, families were divided, the sick were sent home and the expectations were long and the paperwork seemed strange in the eyes of those who came from a really poor and completely different.
A sentence written on a wall of the building identified as Ellis Island "Island of Hope, Island of Tears" (island of hope, island of tears).
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| Immigration Museum |
piogginare When we arrive on the island begins to end, so we go inside the main building and start immediately to visit the museum. Like the Statue of Liberty, here you can rent audio guides for a fee (in Italian) that allow you to learn more about the museum.
decide to do without it and feel free to wander from room to room dwelling on what strikes us most, but we take the free tickets to attend the screening of a documentary film on the island. The film is only
in English, but it is subtitled and understandable. It 's very interesting as well as the introduction is made by the ranger that provides general information on the history of immigration center.
After his visit the rooms that vision through multimedia galleries illustrate step by step as was the immigration procedures and how was the life of an immigrant who approdatava at Ellis Island.
With phones, you can also listen to the testimonies of some immigrants who tell their experiences.
have lunch in the cafe, offers a good sandwiches at quite reasonable prices and then we continue our visit until about 16:00 when we take the ferry to return to Battery Park .
we reach a dinuovo Manhattan choose to visit the lower part (Lower) that we have not seen in depth despite our hotel is in the area.
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| Arrive at Battery Park |
First visit the National Museum of American Indian housed in a majestic building at the entrance facing the Bowling Green , the smallest and oldest park New York .
This is a very impressive museum that houses textiles, clothing, hats, tools, and original artifacts of many tribes of Native Americans.
It 's the first time we meet as directed by the culture of these peoples and the beauty of their objects leaves us speechless.
rooms which are housed in collections, then, are wonderful, full of frescoes and statues of sailors.
Inside the museum are also organized shows, dances and workshops, but unfortunately during the period of our permenenza none are planned.
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| National Museum of American Indian |
The museum entrance is free, but must pass a security check (rather than usual here in New York) with a metal detector. For enthusiasts there is also the opportunity to buy at the shop crafts, music CDs and books about the Indians.
Unfortunately our visit some of the rooms were under construction and the museum does not focus so much on history as on the culture, but remains an interesting and beautiful experience that we recommend to do.
out of there we cross the Bowling Green, where legend says that here a Dutch settler bought Native Americans from the island of Manhattan for only $ 24, and go to the next photograph Charging Bull, the famous bronze sculpture depicting a bull charge.
We had already tried unsuccessfully to photograph the first day, but the horde of tourists at any time around it is unbelievable. This time we're lucky, a girl peremptorily ordered to vacate the statue to allow it to do a photo shoot and is incredibly played!
and here I take advantage
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| Charging Bull |
At this point we go down along the Exchange Place and arrive at Wall Street, the headquarters of the world's most famous stock market, bustling place of trade and finance which are often shake the economies around the world.
Leaving Wall Street at that time the most populated from tourists to businessmen, we head Trinity Church, a building reserved for Anglican worship built in Gothic style.
Certainly the churches here in the new continent will not achieve the beauty of our cathedrals of Europe, but some interesting details of the traits that deserve to be seen.
course it is always a little in doubt about what the artifacts and antiques such as .... are so good to redo everything!
The Trinity Church was designed in the mid 1800s and is caratterizzzata by a high spire, fine and slender, probably a time when it was still surrounded by skyscrapers, stood out dramatically.
The interior is dark, neo-Gothic nave is adorned with decorations and stands out among all the beautiful stained glass window above the altar.
leave what was once the richest church in the country, continue along the Broadway until you reach the St. Paul's Chapel . This simple chapel, housed in a brownstone building, formerly known as the place where George Wshington prayed after his election as president, after the tragic events of 11 September has taken on new importance. Because of its proximity to the World Trade Center , this is where the volunteers worked to provide support to survivors, relatives and rescue workers.
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| A uniform in St.Paul 's Chapel |
Visit this Chapel truly touches the heart. Its walls are exposed to a permanent exhibition which commemorates the tragedy. Photographs of the missing teddy soft toys, equipment for firefighters make us go down memory lane to that day in September and we reproduce the questions to which we are unfortunately still not able to respond.
What touches most is the great strength they had in that time the volunteers, the willingness of people to do more to help others and cohesion of the nation.
The chapel interior is very bright, with pale walls and thin white columns under a ceiling sky blue.
Above you can see a huge chandelier and a side of the bench where he used to pray to George Washington.
sadly leave this place and go from Century 21, the popular department store for deep discounts on clothing, shoes and accessories.
seems a bit counterintuitive to go after the experience of St. Paul's Chapel but I absolutely need a pair of running shoes because mine are too narrow and I can no longer walk my feet hurt so much!
There's nothing and everything and I finally got confirmation that they are not made for shopping!
As for me, also the eye wants its part, I like the stores ordered, in which the goods are well exposed and where you can find just what you need.
Here is a mayhem! I glance to clothing, but let's just lose .... Made in Italy "is a different story.
Probably if you look good, maybe you can also find tasteful clothes at bargain prices, but we have neither the time nor the desire.
n.39 Find a pair of shoes in all the confusion is quite a feat, but finally we make it!
With these I can probably survive the long walk ahead of us in the following days!
out of there to have dinner Arome Deli II Already experienced our first night in New York, and then we go to refresh ourselves for a moment at the hotel the first night of our tour.
Since the weather has been gray all day and begin to wonder if we ever see some sun, we decided to pick ourselves up by taking a stroll in the evening with the lights on Brooklyn Bridge .
Fortunately, not rain, the air is warm and it's really nice to cross the ' East River and Brooklyn get In this way a little unusual.
The Brooklyn Bridge is without doubt one of the best known symbol of the city of New York. It was opened in 1883 after twenty years of work costelalti many misfortunes. But the result is magnificent and quite rightly, is regarded by many as the most beautiful bridge in the world.
The trek begins near the City Hall and spread to the next level is central to the lanes to cars.
careful because it is divided into two parts: one reserved for pedestrians and cyclists who are not very tolerant against those who littered their lane!
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| Brooklyn Bridge |
Along the way Where you can find benches to rest, vendors selling ice cold drinks and viewpoints close of the pillars with brass plaques showing the history of the bridge.
The view of Lower Manhattan is magnificent and the illuminated bridge is a marvel.
cross it in about half an hour and then take the subway from Brooklyn which leads us, as the night before, up in the vicinity of the hotel are pleased to have concluded this long day in a way so beautiful.
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