NYC 7

On our last day in New York we took a small ferry to see the Statue of Liberty.

We had to go through all kinds of security; none of which found my pepper spray even though they said it wasn't allowed.  And we weren't allowed bringing in large bags.  But because it was our last day we had already checked out and had all our stuff with us.  We bought these cool lockers that used our fingerprint scans to open.  It was awesome.

We did the audio tour and  I'm so glad I did.  It was very informative.  We learned all about how and when the statue of liberty and pedestal were made.  I didn't realize that the US had to make it.  This design was chosen partly because it wouldn't distract from the statue.  The interior structure is kind of like a bridge.  To raise money to the project everyone who donated even a penny had their name in the paper.  We also learned that the statue is facing France as some sort of political move.

Here is the original torch.  They had all sorts of issues with it and built a new one.

Here is a replica of her face.  Don't worry we were told to touch.  I just like how giant it looks close up.  She looks exactly like the designer's mother, even though he claimed not to model it after her.

We only went to the top of the pedestal, but even that was a gillion steps.  If  you ever want to go make sure to get tickets months and months in advance.  They sell out extremely fast.

Here is the corner stone laid on August 5th, 1884.

We learned about how the statue turned into an symbol of freedom because it was the first thing the immigrants saw.  And when they saw it they knew they had arrived in America.  The sad thing was when they had the dedication for a statue of a woman that represented freedom no women were allowed to attend.

Although I didn't get any pictures we did head over to Ellis Island.  I knew pretty much nothing about that the immigrants went through over there.  We did another audio tour and it was interesting to learn about how after people came off the boat they had to stay on the Island and be cleared before they could get off and enter the United States.  People who didn't pass the health exam or didn't have enough money were deemed a burden on the country and sent back.  Pregnant women couldn't leave until their babies were born.  About 1% were sent back and many families were separated because of it.

Later that day we headed over to the Natural History Museum.  I loved it in there!  After walking around for a while Bob and I tried to look for things from the movie "a Night at the Museum."  I really want to watch it again now that we've been there.

Each day we spent in New York was so different but fun.  It was amazing to go on a trip with Bob and I can't wait until we get to do it again!