The tip of
Manhattan Island and the enclosing shores of New Jersey, Staten Island and
Brooklyn form the broad expanse of New York Harbor, one of the finest natural
harbors in the world and one of the things that persuaded the first immigrants
to settle here several centuries ago. Take to the water - most easily aboard the
Staten Island ferry - to get the best views of the classic downtown skyline, or
to get out to the Statue of Liberty and
Ellis Island
- two high-priority targets for a trip to the city.
At
the time of writing, service on the #1 and #9 trains to South Ferry, the
closest stop to the ferries, has been discontinued owing to the cleanup
following the World Trade Center's collapse. The best way to reach the
ferries is to take the #4 or #5 trains to Bowling Green
Ferries to the Islands
Ferries
, run by Circle Line, go to both the Statue of Liberty and
Ellis Island
and leave from the pier in Battery Park, every twenty minutes between
8.30am and 4.30pm all year long. Round-trip tickets are $8 (senior
citizens $6, children 3-17 $3) and can be purchased inside Castle
Clinton in Battery Park (tel 212/269-5755,
www.statueoflibertyferry.com ).
Ellis
Island
Just across the water from the Statue of Liberty, and
just fifteen minutes on by ferry, sits
Ellis
Island
, the first stop for over twelve million immigrants hoping to settle in
the USA. The island became an immigration station in 1892, a processing
point for the massive influx of mostly southern and eastern European
immigrants. The station closed in 1954, and in 1990 the Ellis Island
Museum of Immigration (daily 9.30am-5pm; free; tel 212/363-3200,
www.ellisisland.org ) was opened in an ambitious attempt to
recapture the spirit of the place, with films, exhibits and tapes
documenting the celebration of America as the immigrant nation.
Some 100 million Americans can trace their roots back through Ellis
Island and, for them especially, the museum is an engaging display. On
the first floor, in the old railroad ticket office, is the excellent "
Peopling of America ," which chronicles four centuries of
American immigration, offering a statistical portrait of who the
arrivals were and where they came from.
The
huge, vaulted Registry Room on the second floor, scene of so much
trepidation, elation and despair, has been left bare, with just a couple
of inspectors' desks and American flags. In the side hall interview
rooms recordings of those who passed through Ellis Island recall the
experience, along with photographs, thoughtful and informative
explanatory text, and small artifacts - train timetables and familiar
items brought from home.
The
museum's American Family Immigration History Center (
www.ellisislandrecords.org ) is of great use to genealogical
researchers, offering an interactive research database that contains
information from ship manifests and passenger lists concerning over 22
million immigrants who passed through the Port of New York between 1892
and 1924.
On
the fortified spurs of the island, names of immigrant families who
passed through the building over the years are engraved in copper; paid
for by a minimum donation of $100 from their descendants. This "
American Immigrant Wall of Honor ," launched in 1990, helped fund
the restoration and features the names of over 600,000 individuals and
families.
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