Day 4 - Liberty, Ellis Island, and Freedom Tower

4 May 08, 2017

Day 4 - Liberty, Ellis Island, and Freedom Tower

We woke up to the most beautiful sunrise over the Koch Queensboro bridge. We made breakfast and lunch in our room and took the 4 to battery park. Traded in for Liberty island and Ellis island tickets. Lady liberty is incredible. The free audio tour is completely worth it. It is a must do. I felt like I was on the verge of tears all day today from the powerful history we were submersed into.

I can't fully write out today because I'm exhausted and am falling asleep so I promise to update this as soon as possible but today we... Update on Wednesday 5/10. We finally have some down time and get to sleep in... Lol I don't sleep in. Kevin does though. So I'm left to reflect.

1. Went to Liberty Island and did the free audio tour - This was one of the highlights of my day. She is absolutely stunning and the audio tour really gives you a sense of how immigrants felt coming to America. The beacon of hope that she represented for them and a land of opportunity that's free of tyranny is inspirational. Unless you are completely Native American, all of our histories can be traced back to a story of immigration and what the Statue of Liberty represents.

2. Went to Ellis island and one of the rangers gave us his delightful tale while he gave us the tour. We opted out of the audio tour so we could hear the ranger's tale of how his grandmother arrived here and the process she and many others had to go through. By the end of it we were all a little watery eyed, including the ranger. It was a marvelous story. We ended up staying here longer then we had planned. There was just so much to do and see. They even have a database where you can look up your family roots if they came through Ellis island. We weren't able to do it because we were running out of time but we did grab a card with the website so we could continue our search at home. We will keep you posted if we find out anything interesting.

3. Touched the charging bull's testicles to bring us $$$ and saw the fearless girl - The story here is you touch the bull's testicles and it'll come back to you in riches. I made Kevin touch the bull too. The fearless girl was recently put up earlier this year on Woman's Day and well I love celebrating woman. We are kinda great.

4. Made it to the site of the twin towers, love the new world trades center, and viewed the 9/11 museum & memorial- The new World Trade Center is adjacent to where the old one use to be and this may be one of my favorite buildings. It is absolutely stunning. The 9/11 museum is located under the site of where the twin towers use to be. It is a recount of the events of the day and the heroic acts that humankind is capable of. At the end of the tour we were given the option to submit our stories. Kevin and I both shared where we were and what 9/11 meant for us.

5. Did some shopping at Bloomingdales - Purchased very expensive DL jeans. But I also plan on living in them so money well spent. Kevin with much nagging from me is now an owner of cargo colored jeans. He needs variety. :)

6. Did a night cruise around Manhattan - We drank a lot of wine to keep warm. By the end of the cruise I was completely numb. I highly recommend the night cruise since we got to see the Statue of Liberty in the day. We were now getting to see her as the sun set behind her crown of enlightenment. Plus the city views at night are amazing. Bring a blanket. It's cold and water will spray you in the face.

7. Had some delicious ramen for dinner - After the freezing day, ramen was a must. We had to walk to few different ones before we found one without a two hour wait. The one we ended up at was near 8th and 57th-ish and had like 1000+ reviews on Yelp. It was cash only and I have no recollection of the name. Tiny hole in the wall. But absolutely delicious. We all had to unbutton a little after that meal.