We started out our last day in New York early. We had tickets for a Liberty and Ellis island tour and were advised to come early. We a cafe to have a bite and take in some views of New York that we had yet to encounter. From the cafe, we had a great view of the freedom tower basking in the morning light.
Once we arrived at the boat launch, we queued up to get in as we had to go through security. We bumped into an Israeli girl who was studying in New York, chatting about the differences between home and the United States. Once through the line we crowded into a room off the security area, waiting for the boat to dock. Once on the boat, it was a short ride over to Liberty Island. We quickly toured the circumference of the island and then headed up to the pedestal area, through another security checkpoint. It was a great view of the city. Jess was glad we didn’t have passes all the way to the top, her legs still sore from the marathon.
We got back on the boat and headed over to Ellis Island. It was fun to go through and see the history. It was also sobering to see dark side of our history, and the parts that continue to infest our culture today. Back on the boat, we headed back to Battery Park. From there we went up to the freedom tower, taking in the massive building and monument park. Both awe-inspiring and sobering.
Fortunately, we were able to leave our packs at the apartment, so we picked them up before heading back near Penn station. Since we had seen all of what we wanted to, we decided to just hang out in Bryant Park. It was nice to just relax for a little bit. The open air space was refreshing. We bought lunch from some of the pop-up shops around the park, even some desert.
Our flight for Edinburgh left later that evening, so we eventually got going. Security at Newark was a pain, probably the most disorganized I’ve been through yet (and that includes Nepal and the Philippines). And that closes out our time in New York. I think we’ll be back sometime, a great experience that I wouldn’t mind expanding in the future.
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