Blogging....
I've been wanting to blog for a while now, but somehow can't always find the time between work, life, love, family and friends. It's been a busy summer....weekends have been cramming up fast. Yet, I've still been able to do a few things I should have done last year. This past weekend, Joe, my cousin Jenn and I visited Ellis and Liberty Islands - my first time. Since Joe has a friend who works for the National Park Service, we were one of the few (the only others were park police and staff) able to park on Ellis Island via the 'Deliveries Only" bridge.
After vearing off the wrong way, a park policeman escorted us through the main building of Ellis Island, where only staff walk. It was halfway through this voyage that a National Park Worker - named Andrea - knew who we were and where we were supposed to be - thank goodness! because Jenn and I did not think the park policeman (who remained nameless) believed our story. Our story was we were "guests of Ellis Island" and our names were on the "Post 4 log" - nonetheless, those words did get us there and without too much trouble - minus the difficult cop at the entrance to Freedom Way.
And even with some of our morning delays, the day's adventures were well worth the trip. We headed over to Liberty Island first, where we scooted in front of the "45-minute wait" line, went through security, learned about her voyage to America and trekked up the 156 steps into Lady Liberty's pedestal. At some point before or during our trip, I learned she was comprised of copper - remember it was my first visit. It was then that I snapped pictures of her from every angle....trying to capture every view to etch a permanent image in my mind.
After a few hours, we headed back to Ellis Island on what I thought was the wrong ferry. Since we came in through Jersey City, I wanted to avoid the mass amount of visitors from New York, but that was not the case. Our ferry back, which did not smell like roses, continued to NY after stopping at Ellis unfortunately.
Back on Ellis, we enjoyed a historical show and a park ranger guided tour - one of my favorite parts. Our ranger, Steve, recreated his own story of his ancestor's trip from Hungary to New York with the sound of the waves from the harbor rushing in amidst the rocks in the background. We had enough time to explore the Great Hall, but not the entire building. I'm already eager to visit again - the third floor awaits. In the meantime, I plan on gathering important information about my family's history to determine when and how they came to America - the land of liberty!
I've been wanting to blog for a while now, but somehow can't always find the time between work, life, love, family and friends. It's been a busy summer....weekends have been cramming up fast. Yet, I've still been able to do a few things I should have done last year. This past weekend, Joe, my cousin Jenn and I visited Ellis and Liberty Islands - my first time. Since Joe has a friend who works for the National Park Service, we were one of the few (the only others were park police and staff) able to park on Ellis Island via the 'Deliveries Only" bridge.
After vearing off the wrong way, a park policeman escorted us through the main building of Ellis Island, where only staff walk. It was halfway through this voyage that a National Park Worker - named Andrea - knew who we were and where we were supposed to be - thank goodness! because Jenn and I did not think the park policeman (who remained nameless) believed our story. Our story was we were "guests of Ellis Island" and our names were on the "Post 4 log" - nonetheless, those words did get us there and without too much trouble - minus the difficult cop at the entrance to Freedom Way.
And even with some of our morning delays, the day's adventures were well worth the trip. We headed over to Liberty Island first, where we scooted in front of the "45-minute wait" line, went through security, learned about her voyage to America and trekked up the 156 steps into Lady Liberty's pedestal. At some point before or during our trip, I learned she was comprised of copper - remember it was my first visit. It was then that I snapped pictures of her from every angle....trying to capture every view to etch a permanent image in my mind.
After a few hours, we headed back to Ellis Island on what I thought was the wrong ferry. Since we came in through Jersey City, I wanted to avoid the mass amount of visitors from New York, but that was not the case. Our ferry back, which did not smell like roses, continued to NY after stopping at Ellis unfortunately.
Back on Ellis, we enjoyed a historical show and a park ranger guided tour - one of my favorite parts. Our ranger, Steve, recreated his own story of his ancestor's trip from Hungary to New York with the sound of the waves from the harbor rushing in amidst the rocks in the background. We had enough time to explore the Great Hall, but not the entire building. I'm already eager to visit again - the third floor awaits. In the meantime, I plan on gathering important information about my family's history to determine when and how they came to America - the land of liberty!
