Ellis Island Portrays the American Experience!
Written: Aug 12 '03 (Updated Nov 13 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Touching displays, romantic island location
Cons: Ferry ride would be uncomfortable for those prone to seasickness.
The Bottom Line: Ellis Island is a wonderful piece of American History.
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| modernmarvel's Full Review: Ellis Island |
Ellis Island makes a great day trip from New York City. You must take a ferry to get there, either from NYC or from New Jersey. We have taken this trip twice from the New Jersey side.
ELLIS ISLAND EXHIBITS
Ellis Island was an immigration point for millions of mostly Europeans on their way to America. The building itself is historic. It had fallen into disrepair years ago but has been completely restored. In fact, there are a lot of improvements including elevators, escalators, large bathrooms and some nice atriums to make the building more visitor-friendly.
The thing that struck me most about the exhibits is that they are larger than Ellis Island itself. Of course, there is a lot of material on the history of the Island and the people that came through the Island on their way to a new life in America. However, the exhibits also speak of the immigration story: financial hardships, heartaches at leaving family behind, difficulty in assimilating, struggling to maintain the values and culture from the old country and dealing with prejudice in the new country. The exhibits cover immigration on the west coast and ports other than New York although, of course, the focus is on Ellis Island itself.
The exhibits are portrayed through pictures of people leaving the old country and adapting to the new, recordings of people recounting their immigrant experience, video clips, and display cases of items that people brought with them and later donated to the museum.
Outside is a wall that lists the names of people that immigrated through Ellis Island. You have to pay to add a name, so not all names are included. My uncle added my great-grandmother's name. If want to locate a name, there are staff members inside to help you find the location.
My favorite part of the exhibit is a cute story posted on a sign and credited as an old Italian tale. The story is an immigrant's tale: The first thing I discovered when I came to America is that the streets were not lined with gold. Then I learned they weren't paved at all. Then I learned that I was expected to pave them.
GETTING THERE
We got to Ellis Island via New Jersey. This is the easier way if you have a car but you can also leave from NYC. In New Jersey, ferries depart from Liberty State Park, just outside New York City and about a 10 minute drive from the Holland Tunnel.
The only downside to driving to Liberty State Park is that once you enter the park, you must drive down a lengthy cobblestone road that is probably horrible for your car's tires and suspension. Parking is a flat $5 fee for the day in a paved outdoor lot. From the parking lot, you have to walk about 10 minutes to the Ferry terminal. From the New Jersey docks, you have a wonderful view of the Manhattan skyline.
There are bathrooms near the parking lot and also inside the terminal. The bathrooms near the parking lot were filthy. The ones near the terminal were somewhat cleaner.
The ferry schedule is at www.circlelineferry.com and it changes with the seasons. In my experience, the ferry leave on time or close to on time.
Ferry tickets cost:
Adults (ages 13 years & older) $10.00
Senior Citizens (ages 62 & over) $8.00
Children (ages 4 through 12) $4.00
Children 3 and under Free
The tickets are good for a round trip and include admission to Ellis Island and Liberty Island. The ferry makes a stop at Ellis Island, then the Statue of Liberty and then goes back to the terminal. You can get on and get off as you want, just don't miss the last ferry back. I thought we could do the whole trip in about 2-3 hours. However, it takes closer to 4, even if you hurry, because it takes time to wait for the ferry and at least 20 minutes at each stop to load and unload the ferry. More time is spent traveling between the Islands. If you never got off the ferry, it would take an hour to do the trip. Plan on spending at least an hour at Ellis Island and you could spend up to 3 enjoying the exhibits and the outdoors a bit.
FOOD
There are a couple of hot dog vendors in and around the New Jersey terminal charging high prices to a captive audience. Hot Dogs go for $2.50. There is also a food stand on Ellis Island charging outrageous prices for greasy, horrible food. The menu is similar to McDonalds. My suggestion is to eat before you go. We were allowed to bring water bottles with us but guards told us we couldn't bring food.
SECURITY
The security is, understandably, very tight. You have to remove all metal from your body including watches and belt buckles. On a crowded summer day, it took us 20 minutes to go through security. Plan ahead and leave plenty of time for security when trying to make the ferry.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
Ellis Island is a great excursion from New York or New Jersey. The exhibits are well-done and enjoyable and the building itself is very historic. Try to go in nice weather to enjoy the ferry ride and the beautiful Manhattan skyline. The trip takes longer than you think so plan on spending at least 4 hours on the trip.
MY MINI-GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY
Things to Do:
The Metropolitan Museum
The Statue of Liberty
Places to Eat:
Lucky Cheng’s has Chinese food for adults.
Ruby Foo’s has Chinese food for families.
Pipa is next to Manhattan Mecca ABC Carpet & Home.
Starlight Diner is where singing servers bring your burgers.
Rue 57 fuses French and Japanese cuisine in Midtown.
Places to Stay:
The Roosevelt Hotel
The Hudson
The W on Lexington
Sheraton Manhattan
Broadway:
TKTS sells half-price tickets to Broadway shows.
Rent is an unusual Broadway rock musical legend.
Gypsy is Broadway at its best.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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modernmarvel
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Can anyone recommend a western family dude ranch for a vacation this summer?
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