Five of us, ages 72, 47, 12, 10, and 7, took a surprise trip to the Statue of Liberty on July 21. I've visited Manhattan a few times, including an awesome ladies trip in June 2014, but I'd never made it to Liberty Island. The kids had asked to go to Statue of Liberty so we sacrificed a day in Philadelphia to make it happen.
I found a room with 2 beds and a sleeper sofa, free parking, and breakfast at Comfort Suites in Newark for $110 on Trivago. I booked through hotels.com (tryng to get to the 10 night minimum for a free night's stay).
We arrived late at night and needed to get to Philadelphia the next evening so this was a quick trip to NYC. Although there is a ferry to Liberty Island from New Jersey, I wanted the kids to experience Manhattan so we rode the ferry from Battery Park after taking a taxi ($15 for a minivan) to Newark Penn Station and the PATH train ($2.75 one way) to World Trade Center. We soaked up the city atmosphere on the short walk from the station to Battery Park.
We had reserved ferry tickets a week ahead of time. The tickets included a ferry to Ellis Island and audio tours on both islands. By the time we reserved, pedestal and crown tickets were unavailable. If that happens to you, it doesn't hurt to ask upon arrival for availability. We had family who managed to get pedestal access about a week before, but everything I've read says crown access must be booked months in advance. Only 400 people are allowed in the crown per day, there is no elevator and you must be 48 inches tall. Our 7 year old is only 47 inches.
Will Call is in Castle Clinton in Battery Park. Folks with reserved tickets get to take the shorter line to the airport style security screening before boarding the ferry. We were lucky to be near the front of the line and got seats on the top deck. Many people had to stand. We should have worn more sunscreen on this bright sunny day. They had snacks and drinks for sale on the ferry, but we made do with the water we brought with us.
Since we were feeling a bit hangry, lunch was the first order of business when we exited the ferry. The food was mediocre and overpriced, but I was impressed with the commitment to eco-friendly packaging and limiting waste. Too bad the water bottle refill station was not functioning.
Making up for the food was the wonderful visit to our table by Auguste Bartholdi. Although the French sculptor has been dead for more than 100 years, he still managed to entertain us with stories of how he designed and built the Statue of Liberty. I learned that while French citizens financed the statue, Americans were responsible for the cost of building the pedestal. I also learned that the Egyptian pyramids inspired him to create epic public monuments.
After curing our hangries, we headed straight for the restrooms. They are next to the gift shop so of course we had to look around and wonder which we needed more, the ubiquitous foam liberty hat or a large replica of the statue. The 7 year old had her heart set on a small statue. We purchased one for $3 from a small souvenir shop in Manhattan rather that pay the National Park mark up. Sometimes we chose to support the parks by shopping in them; sometimes we need to save a bit of money.
Our next move was a walk around the statue. Monsieur Bartholdi advised us to look for Lady Liberty's raised heel, signifying her readiness to move forward.
The girls love to earn Junior Ranger badges, available at this and many other National Park sites. We had printed the book ahead of time and finished much of it our road trip. Our last order of business was to collect the badges.
We then headed to Ellis Island for a quick look around. The kids enjoyed the kids' version audio tour and Grandma enjoyed resting on the benches and chatting with folks around her. Her grandmother had emigrated through Ellis Island. The fabulous exhibits helped us imagine what her journey must have been like.
After we left Ellis Island, the girls earned their Castle Clinton Junior Ranger badge with my help. The kind park ranger also gave them the 100th anniversary badge and the Junior Ranger embroidered patch.
We headed for a nearby bank to get a bit more cash, then went to see the famous financial district bull. It's always been a dream of mine to have my children see international visitors taking selfies while fondling gold bull balls. OK, maybe not. The kids didn't mention it. Pehaps they weren't paying attention...
We walked up to Wall Street, took a look at Trinity Church, and enjoyed smoothies at a nearby corner deli.
By then it was time to head back to the hotel to get our car and continue on to Philadelphia. The taxi from Newark Penn Station back to Comfort Suites was only $8, but all 5 of us squeezed into a regular yellow cab.
What I wish I knew
You must take the ferry from your stated point of origin (New Jersey or Manahattan), but once on Liberty Island you could go to either place. We might have left the car at Liberty State Park in New Jersey ($7 to park) and taken the ferry to Manhattan, then the ferry back to the park.
Here's a great article from the LA Times. I wish I'd seen it before I went.
No comments:
Post a Comment