The Registry building itself is really pretty, especially when you consider that it was a government building. The entire island fell into disrepair after the facility stopped being used in the 1950s, and it wasn't touched again until the 1980s. By then, major work was needed to restore it. The Registry Building has been restored, but the surrounding hospital and dormitory buildings have not been restored yet.
The Registry Room is very impressive! This is the main hall where the immigrants were inspected and processed for admission. I never knew that only the "steerage" passengers went through Ellis Island; the first-class passengers were inspected on their ships.
The audio tour (included in the admission) was very informative, but I quickly realized that if I did the entire tour, I would run out of time to see everything. So, I focused only on the Ellis Island immigration portions. Still, there was more than enough to see and experience! The exhibits were very well done. I found several DAR items. These were citizenship handbooks, which the Society still gives to new immigrants today!
After eating a quick lunch, I got back on the ferry to proceed to the Statue of Liberty. The views of New York Harbor and the Statue from the ferry were spectacular! The big building is the One World Trade Center, which replaced the twin towers after 9/11. (I would loved to have been able to go to the 9/11 Museum, but there just wasn't enough time on this trip.)
There were a lot more people on Liberty Island, so I got right in line to go up to the Pedestal. This was also an excellent bargain, as it was only $2 more than the standard package, and it allowed me to go to the observation deck at the base of the statue. There was also access inside the Crown, but since that involved a small, enclosed space and a spiral staircase, I passed on it...
The view of the statue looking up from the pedestal was kind of odd... Inside the pedestal, there was a glass ceiling so you could look up inside the statue at the support structure (and that spiral staircase leading to the crown). My dad would have loved to see that! Again, the Harbor views were impressive!
Once I got back down to the base, there is a nice museum about the concept, design and construction of the statue. The original torch, which was replaced in the 1980s due to deterioration, is on display inside. A new museum is being built, which will open in 2019.
The plaques with the poem written by Emma Lazarus are also on display in the museum. They were also removed from outdoors due to deterioration.
It was starting to get a little late in the afternoon, so I boarded the ferry to get back to land. I still had several more things I wanted to see!
The ferry docks in New Jersey at what used to be the Central Railroad terminal. People too ferries to NYC, and trains all over New Jersey from here. It's a really pretty building, and it's also very historic. Sadly, it is currently unused, other than to sell ferry tickets.
I would like to ride this train, but it doesn't seem to be running anymore...
A nice lady and I took each others' pictures with New York City in the background.
There's also a 9/11 Memorial at the ferry pier. It's called the Empty Sky, and it's New Jersey's monument. It focuses on the patch of the skyline that was left empty after 9/11. It also has all of the victims' names on it, and a piece of steel from the towers.
There was another 9/11 Memorial in New Jersey that I wanted to see. This one was way off the beaten path! It's called The Teardrop, and it was a gift from the people of Russia. It's in Bayonne, way at the end of an old pier that's now used for cruise ships. I had to use Google Earth to find it! But it was totally worth the effort!
After all this, I was really hungry for dinner. I had scouted out a few local places on Yelp, and I decided tonight would be Jerry's in Jersey City. It was definitely a neighborhood favorite! I got lucky and found a parking place on the street, and walked over.
I ordered Chicken Parm, which is one of my favorites. It did not disappoint! I will probably have garlic breath for a week!
The owner/chef, Jerry, came over to greet me and make sure I enjoyed my meal. He thought it was really neat that I came all the way from Texas, and he gave me a homemade cannoli to try. Oh wow! I didn't take a picture, but I did promise him I would leave a good review on Yelp!
After all of this, I drove back to my hotel in Newark, which, amazingly, was on the same road! (The highways here are a total mess. DFW traffic is nothing like this!) I totally enjoyed my day, and I am going to get a good night's sleep before my training class tomorrow!
