Along with thousands of other visitors, our second day in New York City included a 6 hour visit to Liberty and Ellis Islands. As I mentioned in my first post, we have never been to New York and what would a trip to New York be without visiting the iconic Statue of Liberty? 
 
The sheer size of Lady Liberty is a sight to be seen. The statue itself is 151 ft tall – and that’s not including the pedestal on which it stands. After landing at Liberty Island, we set off to enter the monument (This is included in all ticket purchases, order ahead of time because daily allotments are limited). After going through a lengthy, but important, security process we entered the monument and began to learn about how the statue of liberty was constructed.
 
Afterwards we went to Ellis Island. I was extremely impressed by the amount of history in that little island. The museum and exhibit talk about immigration to the U.S. There are charts and exhibits that talk about how people entering the U.S. were screened for sicknesses, and disabilities. As the people would come in, they were filed through lines and screened to see where they would be useful.
 
The only disappointing thing about the trip was our lack of time. The islands close at 5:00 and it literally took us 5 hours to see monument and half of Ellis Island. If you have never been to the islands, I would heavily suggest you pay the $12 and see what you’re missing. If you do go, remember these three things:
 
1.        The island gets really packed so try to go on a week day and buy your tickets ahead of time (to get the   monument pass). This can be done at Statue Cruises website. They are the only company offering ferries out to the island.
2.       Try to go early, sometime before 10:00, and plan to stay all day. This gives you time to see everything and helps you beat the crowds.
3.       Bring snacks. Not only are they delicious, but it will also help you remain nourished through your long adventure.
 
The trip is definitely worth it if you have a day to spare and a couple of extra bucks to throw around. Really, you’re getting an entire day’s entertainment for a pretty cheap price.

Dan Sorensen is a Salt Lake based public relations professional that prides himself in his quirky antics. When he’s not working for the man, you can usually find him doing something outdoors, traveling or playing Xbox. For the writings, rantings and ravings that don’t make it past the editor at www.dottingthemap.com, Dan runs a personal blog at www.sorensenpower.blogspot.com. He also declares himself a Twitter fiend, where he’s known only as @sorensenpower.

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Tags: Ellis Island, New York, New York City, Statue of Liberty

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