Day 71-72. June 12 and 13. Staten Island and New York City

We moored in the Great Kills basin. This area was settled by the Dutch and the name Great Kills is Anglicized from Groot Kell which means many creeks in Dutch. The area is on the south shore of Staten Island and mostly residential.

We slept well and woke to light rain which was forecast for most of the day. We borrowed a car to grocery shop and get some engine oil. We borrowed the car from Harbor Host John Calascibetta. He was so helpful with info as to how to negotiate buses, trains and ferries so we could plan our visit into the city over the next two days.

After stowing all our food, we relaxed and then called the launch which picks you up at your moored boat and takes you ashore to the Yacht club bar. Bill wanted to get local knowledge about the next leg of our trip. We also had at least one drink.!? Bill was in seventh heaven with all the boaters to talk to. After gleaning several opinions on how to handle the current in the Hudson River and how best get to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, we walked a few blocks and had a delicious dinner at Cole’s.

June 13

We got up and readied for our trek into New York City. We caught the Express bus into Manhattan and got off at the Battery. Along the way we saw the major thoroughfare in Staten Island- Hylan Blvd, and crossed into Brooklyn via the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, which is the tallest suspension bridge in the US.

The bus ride continued through Brooklyn thru the tunnel under the East River and into south Manhattan. We befriended a young a Turkish fellow who gave us a running dialogue of what we were passing and made sure we got off at the correct stop. Getting off the bus, we crossed into Battery Park and bought a deli hotdog lunch from a street vendor, who after striking up a conversation with him, found out he was from Cairo, Egypt and works here 6 months and goes back to work in Egypt 6 months.

We had tickets for 12:00 ferry to the Statue of Liberty, so had a bit of time to walk around the Financial district and the Battery. The National Archives and the Smithsonian American Indian Museum building was particular interesting. Also got some nice shots of the World Trade Center that replaced the twin towers destroyed in 9/11.

We passed thru security and boarded the ferry which will take us to Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty. Was awe inspiring to hear her history and learn about her construction. The process of making a scaled model, and then a true sized model so a mold could be cast and then pressing and hammering the copper sheaths into the molds was mind boggling, but was amplified due to the size of the statue (111 Feet and 6 inches without the base) Suggest if you go to pick up the audio tour.

Originally Liberty Island was called Oyster Island due to the Indian middens, then was used as Fort Wood to protect New York Harbor. Part of Lady Liberty’s base is actually the old Ft Wood.

I still remember the poem lines that were written by Emma Lazarus in 1883 to inspire people to donate to the fund to build the base for the Statue.

“Give me your tired, your poor

Your huddled masses yearning to be free

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.

I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

I remember this because my music teacher in 5th grade made us learn to sing it!!

After we got our fill of Lady Liberty, we again boarded the ferry which took us to Ellis Island. Again we were inspired by the stories and memorabilia of the immigrants that passed thru this facility. The site was originally a look out post, a prison and was transformed and enlarged to accommodate all the immigrants entering our country from 1898- 1954. The building sat unused for close to thirty years until President Reagan spearheaded the renovation we see today. The audio tour did a fantastic job of allowing us to experience what the immigrants experienced in the early 1900’s.