New York City visit

Last week, we visited the Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. It is wise to plan what you carry with you in advance when visiting. Our visit began in Jersey City, New Jersey at the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal. If we hadn’t been with a tour group, I would have stopped to explore this old station with greenery growing along the tracks. The station apparently has a long history dating back to 1838.


You will go through a rather involved security check on your visit. Hand carry your camera, since backpacks and cases aren’t allowed. The best shots of The Statue of Liberty were either from the ferry with a long lens or from the shore beneath the statue. It was also interesting to look up at the statue from the Pedestal and there is a nice skyline view of New York City from the ferry.

There was a giant face and foot inside the Pedestal museum for fun photos. We didn’t go up to the crown of the Statue of Liberty. Only a limited number of visitors can take the stairs to the crown and it must be reserved in advance (up to a year). I read that it can also get quite hot in the crown area in summertime.

Food was available at both locations and I found the café staff at Ellis Island to be very friendly. We only spent a few hours at each location, but it would be easy to spend most of a whole day at each historical spot. There were lots of photographs and stories at Ellis Island and the museum about the Statue of Liberty showed a fascinating history.