"Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor . . ." (New York-Day 8)

So I know it is what everyone does the first time they go to New York, but The Statue of Liberty was freakin' awesome! Seeing it in person is an entirely different experience than looking at pictures or seeing it in movies. We got on the ferry at Liberty Park in New Jersey and it was actually really exciting as the ferry circled around to the dock from behind the statue and we watched as her face came into view.

Inside the base of the monument is a museum. There were life-sized replicas of the torch, face and foot of the statue as well as displays showing how the statue was made. It was actually very interesting and I learned some things I didn't know. For instance, France paid for the Statue but the U.S. was responsible for building and paying for the base. Construction on the base came to a standstill partway through due to a lack of funds. The very first replicas of the statue were made and sold as a fundraiser so the base could be completed.

Patti and me in the museum.

Looking up inside the statue from the level of the observation deck at the top of the base.

On the observation deck at the top of the base.

After we saw the statue we went to Ellis Island. We didn't have anywhere near enough time to see everything there. We just didn't know how much there would be to see. I learned a lot there as well. Can you imagine sailing all the way to America only to be sent back because you were sick? Add to that the fact that you sold everything you owned (including your home) in order to pay for the voyage and the possibility that your family may have been admitted to the U.S. without you and you can get an idea of what some of these people went through. It was nice to learn that the people who were detained were cared for; given beds, medical care, food, etc.

The registration building on Ellis Island. This is the first place people came when they arrived on Ellis Island.

Once we were back in Manhattan, we made our way back to the Magnolia Bakery, the only eating establishment we intentionally visited twice. We had super luscious cheesecake for dinner and then split a panini three ways for dessert. We bought the panini at a deli we had visited before, but that was an accident. We didn't realize we had been there until we walked in. Luckily for us, it had been good the first time so we weren't afraid to eat there again. On our last night in the city, we saw "Wicked." And although I really enjoyed it, it wasn't the powerhouse performance we saw in Salt Lake. The girl playing Elphaba was amazing but the girl playing Glinda was not as good as the one we saw here. But in spite of that, it was a nice way to end our adventure. And no matter where you are, having monkeys fly out over the audience is fun!