It has been an interesting day...
Saturday, December 30, 2006 at 3:18AM The ferry journey took about 40 minutes in all - first stop was Liberty Island for those who wanted to do the monument tour of Lady Liberty herself. I figured that the most of what I wanted to see was the statue itself, so stayed on the ferry for the next leg of the journey (as did many others...)
Ellis Island is a fascinating place - one of the main gateways for immigrants into the United States from 1892 to 1954. It's difficult to imagine the difficulties these people faced, not only with the journey itself but the conditions of the detention and processing through places Like Ellis Island. I would recommend a visit to www.ellisisland.org for a better description of the place and the process.
The trip back to Battery Park was only about 20 minutes. It is quite a mild day temperature-wise and, when there is no breeze, the sun is quite warm and pleasant. What started as a 'watch-the-world-go-past' sitting on a bench in the park, ended up in being a 'have-a-doze-for-half-an-hour' instead... v.refreshing though!
A quick jump on the subway from Bowling Green to Fulton St and a transfer to the A train for one stop finds me in Brooklyn. My Frommer's Guide recommends a particular pizza restaurant as a lunch stop followed by a walk back to Manhattan over the Brooklyn Bridge.
The restaurant has a queue of half a block waiting to get in so that's out. On the banks of the East River is an establishment called 'Pete's Downtown' - very nice meal and reasonably priced with a view of the bridge and the Manhattan skyline.
After lunch it was time for a walk - about a quarter mile to the start of the bridge and, I think, about a mile of bridge. The Frommer's book was on the mark about doing the walk from Brooklyn to Manhattan, as the view was always interesting... photos will be posted on the net but not until I get home with a dsl connection.
NYC Dec 2006, Travel 