Tourists in NYC, Day 1

Hey, this may be vacation but we have some places to go and things to do! Up and at 'em! We were up bright and early today so we could get down to the Statue of Liberty in time to, well, see the Statue of Liberty! Online tickets weren't available for the ferry ride so we were thinking it might be tough to get a ride to the island. But no! Our McDonald's breakfast inspired subway sprint to Battery Park by 8:10am got us there just in time! The often maligned long lines for security weren't as bad as I had expected. Without too much waiting we were able to board the short ride to Liberty Island.


A National Park ranger gave an interesting tour outside the statue, where we learned about how Lady Liberty has changed over the years. We were all pretty fascinated by the story about her torch and how it at one time looked way too much like the moon to migrating birds. So much so that it was the first "bird zapper" (aluding to the bug zappers that lure bugs to a light that zaps 'em). He told of one day in which well over a thousand birds died because they flew "toward the moon" until they landed beak first. Ouch. A later design changed just enough to stop the carnage but created a new problem: the torch leaked like a giant colander. Recent renovations brought the torch much closer to the original design, which has no light at all in the torch.

Around 10:45am we headed inside the monument where Ranger Denise gave us one of the most engaging, energetic park ranger performances we've ever seen. After a couple hundred stairs we made it to the top of the pedestal area which provided some very nice views of Manhattan and the surrounding areas. Trips up to the Lady's crown are no longer allowed but there was a windowed off area inside the pedestal that allows visitors to peak into the structure inside the statue, which was cool.

We took a quick stop at Ellis Island on the way back to the city. Our dogs were tired and stomaches were growling so we stopped off at an Italian place that provided piles of pasta for a reasonable price. Full and rested we headed out to see Ground Zero. With all the fencing around the pit, it was difficult to truly get a sense of what it looked like on 9/11, but the pictures around the memorial area brought somber memories of a dark day for our country.

We took some chill out time back at the hotel then dined on some wonderful Thanksgiving left-overs at Jenn's.

We left a bit early so our Sara, me, and the kids could meet Jenn's friend Dan Brown. He's a great guy--Jenn deserves someone as wonderful as him if God so wills someday. Another full day in NYC, with anticipation of more touristy business ahead of us tomorrow!