Day 3: New York City

Today is the only day I had a confirmed tour.  In fact I booked the tour exactly six months ago!  I purchased our tickets for the Statue of Liberty Crown.  While I wasn't sure we would want to hike to the top, I bought them just in case.  We woke up early to eat a quick breakfast and then grabbed a cab to Battery Park.  It was super easy to pick up our tickets.  The tickets had to be picked up by the people who were climbing to the crown and were non-transferable.  We did have our photo identification and tickets checked a couple times.  We arrived super early to pick up the tickets and had over an hour to spend before we could catch the ferry.  It was early on a Sunday morning and just explored the area.  Since I am a fan of the National Parks Service Junior Ranger program, Colin was tasked to some educational learning which I am sure he was thrilled.  At the ferry dock is a placed called Castle Clinton National Monument.

I had never heard of this place but we got the Junior Ranger book and worked on it together.  It has a very small museum so we visited that and sat in there working on the book . . . plus it had an air conditioner and was cool inside.  Castle Clinton has served many purposes over the years . . . a fort to keep the British out with 28 cannons, was the official immigrant processing center before Ellis Island, and even NYC Aquarium at one time. Today it is where you pick up your tickets to ride the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  We were unable to see a lot of the interior due to renovations but it was worth the time to walk around.  The time had finally arrived for us to board the ferry to Liberty Island.  I was excited . . . I think we were all excited . . . I'm not going to lie the thought of those 338 steps to the top were on my mind.  I tell you when you first see a glimpse up close it is pretty cool . . .

I might not look enthused, but I was thrilled . . . sometimes you must rely on others to take your photo and well it isn't what you wanted or the best . . .

We arrived just in time to get a locker to store our stuff . . . only camera, water, and medicine allowed to go to the pedestal and crown.  We quickly snapped a few photos of the torch on display . . .

And our journey up began . . .

The first 176 steps to the top of the pedestal were pretty easy . . . think stairwell concrete steps . . . the only bad part was it was super hot in the stairwell.  It is NOT air conditioned and can be about 20 degrees hotter than the outside temperature; it felt every bit hotter.  We stopped at the top of the pedestal and walked around.  My mom excused herself while we headed to the crown . . .

Now 162 steps doesn't sound that bad and honestly it wasn't that bad but man was it HOT!  At one point there was an air vent blowing somewhat cool air so that was nice.  I was sweating terribly but thankfully had water with me.  The other good part was we did not have anyone behind us rushing us up the steps.  I was between Colin and my dad so we were able to go at a slow pace.  The staircase changed drastically to a very narrow spiral staircase and very dark . . .

. . . but so glad we did this.  We made it . . .

. . .  a view out of the crown windows . . .

It was difficult to take photos of the actual Statue of Liberty but you could see parts of her.

And back down we go . . .

Did I mention how hot it was inside?  Going down was harder than going up . . . I had sweat dripping off the end of my nose . . . thanks to Colin for these not so flattering photos . . .

. . . and for some reason he seems to always take good photos . . .

The sun was so bright . . .

I asked the Park Ranger at the top how many people were allowed in the crown a day and he said less than 500 while there are about 20,000 visitors a day to Liberty Island.  It was worth the trip to the top even if it was hot.

We boarded the ferry to visit Ellis Island . . .

I will be honest here; I was disappointed with Ellis Island.  Most of the exhibits had been removed when Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast back in 2012.  I was surprised that so many exhibits, displays, and photos had not been returned but instead a sign saying they were in storage.  We did not spend that much time here but glad we did visit.  I can't imagine the feelings and emotions of those immigrants who arrived in America hoping for a better life.  It must have been a great feeling but also so many fears and unknowns.  We boarded the ferry to return to the city . . .

As you can tell the day started gloomy and then turned rather bright and sunny!  We walked a few blocks to the 9-11 Memorial . . .

Very nice and peaceful.  I did not buy tickets for the 9-11 Museum (they are timed entry) because I wasn't sure how long it would take on Liberty Island and Ellis Island.  There is always next time . . . so much to see and do in NYC.  We grabbed a cab back to the hotel . . . man he was a very aggressive driver, but we arrived safe.  The street in front of the hotel was blocked off and full of vendors selling food and junk.  It smelled so good . . . Colin had fresh watermelon and grilled chicken tacos . . . thankfully he shared a little with us.  It was a busy day and we were all super tired so we called it a day.  We went to the executive lounge in the hotel and had some snacks.  Our poor feet were so glad to be back for the night.